At 4Knots Music Festival, Showgoers and Performers Prove That Great Style Doesn’t Have to Cost a Fortune
Photography by Roy Beeson for Yahoo Style
Last weekend at the sixth annual Village Voice 4Knots festival — New York City’s premier indie-rock music event — showgoers dominated Manhattan’s downtown South Street Seaport district in a range of eclectic, mostly vibrant styles. Yahoo Style caught up with some of the most fashionable attendees, sporting outfits ranging from sentimental hand-me-downs to high-end vintage garb (purchased at a heavily discounted price, no less).
Among the group, meet up-and-comers Diane Coffee, Bayonne, Mild High Club, and Boulevards (all of whom performed lively musical sets) as they dish on their music and personal style.
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Hailing from Illinois, Alexander Brettin of Mild High Club performed a well-received set at the 4Knots Music Festival last weekend. Brettin describes his music as “sophisticated, sleazy, and pseudo-jazz,” also adding that his band name came from a series of puns. He’s coincidentally been involved with other bands with hilariously pun-inspired names, such as Run-DMT and Salvia Plath.
Brettin’s casual look included a propeller baseball hat, striped T-shirt, vintage A.P.C. jeans, and a tote bag. He advised that the tote bag carried some precious cargo; “It’s very fragile because there’s a bong in there!”
Listen to Mild High Club here.
Katie Jackson and Adrienne Kirk
Jackson, a chef at Manhattan’s Annisa restaurant wears all vintage (including a Comme des Garçons T-shirt she found at Beacon’s Closet). Kirk, who’s visiting New York from California, works at San Francisco’s famous Tartine Bakery. She wears a vintage Fila shirt (a retro-turned-recently trendy brand that was featured at designer Gosha Rubchinskiy’s men’s spring/summer 2017 show in Florence last month).
Joel Rutten and Kriti Siderakis
Siderakis, who was born and raised in New York, wears a hand-me-down, printed shirt from her mother. “She must have bought it at Loehmann’s,” she said. Rutten, a prominent architect who has served as a project architect for the Acropolis Museum in Athens, wears an equally vibrant, zigzag-print shirt. “He got it at one of those Caribbean shops on Lexington Avenue,” Sidearkis added.
In a full-length, floral sundress and sporting pink hair accents, Clark looked festive and comfortable. She also has some detailed tattoos, including one around her wrist that reads “Vicious Van Gogo,” her Roller Derby nickname! When Clark’s not playing with the Gotham Girls Roller Derby, she works as a full-time nanny.
Davis, who has worked at the New York Times as a designer for nearly two years, wore a professional yet creative ensemble, including a beautifully made vintage leather handbag.
Shaun Fleming, aka Diane Coffee, told Yahoo Style his performance at 4Knots was a “nautical adventure.” A favorite among the crowd, Fleming, who is based in Based in Bloomington, Ind., will be touring nonstop through November. “It’s been really crazy,” he exclaimed. “People think I get to travel the world and see all these amazing places, but really, I’ve only seen every venue and eaten every green room platter.”Â
Fusing the names Diana Ross and Nathan Pelkey’s song “Mr. Coffee,” Fleming conceived his band’s name. With always a touch of flair, Fleming wears eye makeup during his performances and usually buys all thrift: “Bloomington, Indiana, man... This whole outfit was probably one dollar,” he said.
Listen to Diane Coffee here.
Kat Danizger, Hannah Hughes, Eva Korpi, Olivia Lee
This girl gang decided to experiment with outrageous hairdos, including some bright pink wigs. “I just bought mine online the other day,” Danziger said, and her friends decidedly followed suit.
Hannah Smythe and Kate Pakvic
Smythe, who works in fashion primarily (and also at the very delicious Hampton Chutney restaurant in Manhattan’s SoHo neighborhood), wears all vintage, including some horsehair clogs. Pakvic, who came to the festival because she works in music PR, wore a flowing, backless romper, “but, I can’t remember where it’s from,” she admitted.
As a recent New Yorker hailing from Seattle, DĂaz works as a musical engineer, recording bands and editing their music. We were especially attracted to his socks, which read: “YOUR MOM.” “I got them from my ex-girlfriend,” he mentioned. Everything else? “Hand-me-down or vintage.”
Boulevards considers his music to be “party or sex funk,” he said of his performance at 4Knots (in other words, contemporary funk or dance music). Boulevards’s set became quite lively at one point in particular when the artist stepped offstage and joined the audience in a group dance party.Â
His outfit: “A summer staple,” he said of his all-white ensemble with hand-me-down accessories, including a Marc Jacobs bracelet from an ex-girlfriend and rings from his parents. “And always sterling silver,” he added, “because it reminds me of my mom.”
Listen to his music here.
DeNicola, a freelance cinematographer born and raised in New York, opted for a casual look in a vintage jersey, chinos, and sneakers. His jersey, he noted, signifies the name of an old, family-owned restaurant that was once located on the very street where DeNicola was photographed. Coincidence? We think not.
Suzuki works in New York as an accessories designer, creating a range of wearable fashions. Drawn to the festival to see Guided by Voices (the headlining band), she wore a vintage Rolling Stones jacket and vintage jewelry. She told us about her collection of vintage band tees, mentioning that sadly “they’re becoming too expensive to collect now!” We advise that she hold onto that jacket; it may become a hot seller.
Shane Arbogast and Friederike Paetzold
Designers Arbogast and Paetzold wore complimentary outfits (note: shoes). The duo had a uniquely superb eyewear game, with Arbogast in Trainspotting-inspired, yellow-tinted glasses while Paetzold gave us Jackie O vibes. Couple goals.
Timono, a graphic designer for a Japanese publisher, wore a Zara denim dress with vintage accessories.
Coyne, a student at Brooklyn College studying environmental law, stole the show with her T.U.K. platform Mary Jane shoes. She paired them with a camouflage skirt and off-the-shoulder top.
Bayonne, an American musician based in Austin, Texas, is a contemporary folk performer. With technology — “an RC-50″ — he loops beats with acoustic music.Â
He took to 4Knots’s stage with chill vibes, telling us that he’d taken a three-week hiatus from playing; “I had to dust the cobwebs off!” he said.Â
We also ran into Drew Citron and Scott Rosenthal of the band Beverly. Both band members wore vibrant, vintage shirts. “Her T-shirt is from the band Guerilla Toss!” Rosenthal pointed out.
