Annie Lennox

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Annie Lennox in 1983
Annie Lennox in 1983

Vocalist, songwriter, musician, campaigner and all round powerhouse from the iconic 80s group the Eurythmics, Annie Lennox stood like an almighty totem in the gender blurring sartorial landscape of the early part of that decade...

Vocalist, songwriter, musician, campaigner and all round powerhouse from the iconic 1980s group the Eurythmics, Annie Lennox stood like an almighty totem in the gender blurring sartorial landscape of the early part of that decade. Lennox carved out a unique look in a pop scene that was exciting and diverse but arguably dominated by men experimenting with more feminine dress. Amongst the cross-dressing and make-up wearing Boy Georges and Human Leagues, she cut a strong masculine silhouette in her signature double-breasted suit and cocked trilby.

Even when the artist dressed up in overtly, deliberately feminine costumes in a not so subtle power play, such as the meringue-like plum ball gown she wears in the fantastical video for God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen, Lennox toughens up the look with a commanding top hat and dandy cane. Lennox flirted with sexual boundaries and gender stereotypes in her dress and in the way she held herself – her pose on the cover of The Eurythmics’ Touch EP an example, a slender arm flexed in a masculine peacocking manner.

“Lennox takes care, too, to balance her images never having any doubt as to her true sexual identity. In the ‘Who’s That Girl?’ video butch-boy Annie is countered with Annie in a long blond wig, the femme fatale.” – Signed, Sealed, And Delivered: True Life Stories by Sue Steward and Sheryl Garratt.

Branching out from the trademark black or pinstripe power suits she became known for, some of Lennox’s most famous looks included a full Union Jack suit, which she wore for the 1999 Eurythmics’ Brit Awards performance, and a sand Jeff Banks suit accessorised with a tasselled leopard print sash and doc martens; both outfits feature in a V&A exhibition, which opens this week along with costumes, accessories and memorabilia from the past 30 years.

The House of Annie Lennox, an exhibition exploring her music and personal style, opens at The V&A on September 15.

Text by Laura Havlin