The look and voice that haunted the Seventies is inspiring a new generation of singers, models and designers, finds Laura Campbell
Joni Mitchell was the consummate "hippy chick", Annie Hall meets urban-cowgirl, with a haunting beauty that intrigued many famous lovers, from David Crosby, Graham Nash and Stephen Stills to James Taylor, Jack Nicholson and Warren Beatty.
She created her own sense of style—and has stuck to it. She has never had a manager marketing her image or a stylist hand-picking every outfit: unlike many of today's stars, such as Madonna, Boyzone and the Spice Girls.
Three decades after Joni's songs helped to inspire the Woodstock generation, her influence is still being felt. It goes beyond the recent cover versions of Big Yellow Taxi by Janet Jackson and Amy Grant. You only have to listen to Alanis Morissette, k. d. lang, Natalie Imbruglia, Suzanne Vega, Sinead O'Connor or Kate Bush to know that Ladies of the Canyon, Clouds, Court and Spark and Blue are lurking somewhere in their record collections.
But Joni's style was also ahead of her time. From the mid-Sixties, when she played folk music in Toronto's cafes and clubs, she forged her own bohemian look: long, flaxen hair peeking out from beneath a floppy cotton hat or beret; floaty, ethnic yet understated clothing, offset by bold turquoise and silver jewelry, and a cigarette never far from her lips.
At 54, Joni Mitchell dresses with the same studied simplicity - but maybe more expensively. A cigarette is still an ever-present accessory, although the exclusive "designer" American Spirit brand (free from artificial additives) has replaced the former Marlboro Lights.
Today, you just have to check out the spring/summer collections by Anna Sui, Nicole Farhi, Rifat Ozbek, Miu Miu and Anna Molinari to see that the Joni influence does not just stop at music.
The soft suede skirts, hand made-look knits, Ikat prints drawstring linen tops, loose fitting trousers and cowboy boots seen on the catwalk could have come straight from Mitchell's wardrobe.
Even some of the younger models, such as Charlotte Connoley and Nicole Maddox, have her ethereal flower-child qualities, while the wardrobe mistress for Sigourney Weaver's character in The Ice Storm could have used Joni's style as a spring-board. The film, which opened in Britain last week, is set in 1973. It features Weaver wearing classic black and silver jewelry - another Mitchell signature.
While Joni's contemporaries, Stevie Nicks and Janis Joplin, festooned themselves with every bead, feather fringe and bit of patchwork they could lay their hands on Mitchell never sought attention with her style.
"With bone structure like that, she didn't need to. She has always had this wonderful clean image, a kind of visual purity," says Brian Hinton author of Joni Mitchell Both Sides Now. "I remember seeing her on stage at the 1970 Isle of Wight Festival and she looked incredibly beautiful in a simple yellow dress. She looked almost fragile among all these heavy-looking, over decked people. She had this extraordinary luminous quality."
Before Joni became a singer she went to art college and had planned to make a career in dress designing. She would knit her own sweaters and create jewelry out of junk.
Although Joni has long given up the DIY approach to dressing - she is now reported to be an Armani fan —she keeps her creative talents well tuned. She continues to produce records and has also taken up painting and photography. As if that is not enough to keep her busy, her autobiography is due out at the end of the year.
How to create the look
The hair: Long, blonde, parted in the center or loosely plaited. Fringe optional.
The face: High Faye Dunaway cheek bones, fresh-faced slightly tanned complexion with a freckled nose.
Make-up: Barely-there. Even if it takes hours to apply, it should still look natural.
The accessories: A beret a soft straw or floppy linen hat; ethnic, Navajo-style turquoise and silver belts, necklaces and cuffs; cameo rings.
The clothes: Homespun knits, linen shirts and wide-leg trousers, suede jackets and boots, Ikat prints and Guatemalan scarves.
The colors: Black, rust browns, naturals.
The attitude: Cool, collected and detached.
Printed from the official Joni Mitchell website. Permanent link: https://jonimitchell.com/library/view.cfm?id=367
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