Some of the world’s most stylish women are first and foremost musicians. As front-woman of Toronto indie band The Modern Superstitions, Nyssa Rosaleen knows a thing or two about formulating a larger-than-life stage persona, and dressing the part. In addition to her musical career, Nyssa moonlights as a model. She strut her stuff at Evan Biddell’s show at FAT (Alternative Fashion Week) and has posed in ad campaigns for several Toronto designers. I saw The Modern Superstitions for the first time in May and was blown away by the power of Nyssa’s voice and her strong yet feminine stage presence. I caught up with her after the show to chat about fashion, music, and high heels.

Where do you like to shop in Toronto?
I’d have to say my favourite places to shop in Toronto are Carte Blanche and the various vintage stores in Kensington Market and along Ossington. I usually aim for a combination of quality pieces that empty my wallet and lower quality pieces that don’t. It’s all about the balance; sometimes I get it right, sometimes I don’t.

What was your most recent purchase?
My Camilla Skovgaard heels. Spending that much money on shoes has made me a lot taller, a lot more comfortable, and a lot more stylish on stage.

What are you looking forward to wearing this summer?
It doesn’t sound exciting and it certainly isn’t very fashion-forward, but I plan on wearing a lot of cut-off shorts and button-up shirts this summer. I’ve been running all through the winter, and I reckon my legs have earned themselves a tan.

Who are your style inspirations?
As far as style inspirations go, there are a quite a few: Francoise Hardy and Marianne Faithfull in their 1960’s hey-day, Debbie Harry, Joan Jett, the pretty girls in Robert Palmer music videos, the cast of the terrible but amazing ‘Satisfaction’, Sharin Foo from The Raveonettes, and finally the ladies in ‘Mad Men’. I don’t think I’m apart of any specific style or trend. I like to dress up and look good, but the decade’s style I choose to adopt depends on the day.

Who are your musical inspirations?
My musical inspirations are quite varied; they range a lengthy time-span and myriad genres. I believe in the pursuit of the perfect pop-song, so, I’m a big fan of everything from the Phil Spector girl-groups and Stax records, to The Rolling Stones and T.REX, to The Smiths and The Replacements, and modern bands like Yeah Yeah Yeahs and The White Stripes. I also get a lot of inspiration from books, whether it be the poetry of E.E. Cummings, or the essays of Ralph Waldo Emerson, or the prose of Roberto Bolano, literature always provides me with ample material. I’m a bit of a perfectionist when it comes to lyrics so I try to get inspiration from as many places as possible.

How does music influence your fashion choices?
I think music and fashion are inextricably linked together. From the beginnings of rock n’ roll to the bespectacled indie rock of today, music has always influenced fashion. Since my favourite music spans from the bubble-gum pop of the 60’s to 80’s New Wave, to modern pop and rock n’ roll, my personal style kind of does the same. It’s a combination of British mod, sharp and angular 80’s, and the most recent stage stylings of singers like Karen O and Lykke Li. For me, fashion is the most important part of music next to the music itself. I think it’s disrespectful to appear on stage in shorts and a baseball hat. Music is performance. Fashion plays a key part in striking the right chord on stage.

By: Caitlin Agnew, Toronto

Tags: Nyssa Rosaleen, The Modern Superstitions