Amy Winehouse - 20 Iconic Memories
20 Iconic Memories…
Hailing from London Amy Winehouse touched the world with her remarkable vocal talents and distinctive style. Her blues inspired, soul-drenched songs scored her 5 Grammy Awards and a horde of adoring fans. With the anniversary of what would have been her 35th birthday approaching, STYLIGHT compiled an infographic celebrating 20 of her most iconic memories.
Amy the musician
Brought up listening to jazz music, Amy started playing the guitar at 13 and by age 14 was songwriting. She briefly attended the prestigious Sylvia Young Theater School and the BRIT school but her unruly nature meant that she was subsequently expelled from both. At 19 she recorded her first album Frank (2003) that was an instant success with it’s heavy jazz influences and was nominated for the Mercury Music Prize.
Following her first album, she co-wrote her multi-platinum second album Back to Black which was inspired by her personal upheaval. Back to Black was written in just six months and instantly transformed her life, catapulting her to global stardom. Back to Black resulted in her becoming the first British female to win 5 Grammy’s in one evening. By the end of that summer Amy ranked higher than any other British female artist in the Billboard music charts. It was a critical success that not only dazzled the audience, but also darkly narrated her controversial life and relationship with video producer Blake Fielder-Civil.
Amy the muse
When Amy became an acclaimed musician, her work not only influenced the music industry but also made an undeniable impression on the fashion industry. She was always true to her jazz heritage, many of her uncles were professional jazz musicians, and her Jewish roots which transcended to the different spheres of her life. This heritage was present in her iconic style, which was characterised by her 15 rockabilly inspired tattoos, her notorious beehive hairstyle, winged eyeliner, hoop earrings, red lace bras, and 60s inspired dresses and accessories. Her trademarks were translated to the runway by various brands and were present in Chanel’s Pre-Fall 2008 show, Jean Paul Gaultier’s S/S 2012 Couture collection and Michael Kors’ Pre-Fall 2008 runway show. Her style was also captured in a collection that she designed for Fred Perry which showed her more preppy side: pencil skirts, argyle cashmere sweaters, gingham dresses and t-shirts all available in a pink, grey, white and black palette.
When her music career took off, she moved to Camden which she began to call home. Fans often saw her walking around its streets or frequenting her favourite drinking den The Hawley Arms, where you might even have see her working behind the bar serving drinks. After her death her family erected a life-size bronze statue of her in the Stables Market: “She was in love with Camden” said her father, Mitch Winehouse.
The latest memorial of her death comes in the form of Asif Kapadia’s ‘Amy’ documentary from 2005. British born Kapadia is known for his hard-hitting documentaries including the phenomenal, Senna. Since it’s release in the UK, ‘Amy’ has become one of the most popular documentaries in British history.
