First Time Here?

After witnessing major political unrest when visiting Sri Lanka, M.I.A.’s mother locked her in a room for a week. Literally. She said, “the only things in the room were a shelf with every Hindu god you could think of—all 184 of them—a locked cabinet and a sewing machine. By day three, I started taking down the curtains and making outfits. There was nothing else to do!” And that is how a style star is born.

I dub hip-hop star M.I.A.’s (real name: Maya Arulpragasam) style as ”revolutionary chic”, seeing as how she is the only one I know that can pull off camo without looking ridiculous. Although that may have more to do with her background than her style (i.e. her activist-turned militant father, Sri Lankan roots, and her music’s provocative political messages).

You can even draw a line from M.I.A. back to the iconic women of the 70s punk movement: think Debbie Harry of Blondie, Chrissy Hynd of the Pretenders, and Terry Nunn of Berlin. As one painfullyhip blogger put it, “I dare you to watch her video not want to dance your way to the nearest thrift store to buy yourself a pair of red zebra-striped overalls”!

Check out my slideshows for different pieces you can buy to get M.I.A.’s look, but as always with someone whose style is so personal, copy at your peril!