Stevie Nicks talks about her most memorable looks of all time.

TOTALLY STEVIE
The one and only Stevie Nicks talks about her most memorable looks of all time.

08.26.09
VMagazine

I had the incredible good fortune to interview Stevie Nicks for V60, which, given my lifelong obsession with Fleetwood Mac, was really a dream come true. Not only was she funny and incredibly forthcoming, she also happened to be very generous with her time. After the formal portion of our interview ended, she took the time to look through a few old images and discuss the origins of some of her most iconic looks.

T. Cole Rachel

1. This is a Herbie Worthington photo. He did the first Fleetwood Mac cover and almost all of my solo album covers. He took almost all of the crazy photos of me between 1975 and 1985. We did photo shoots not because we had to, but just because it was fun. If we had time off we’d just decide to take photos. Me and all my friends would get together and bring all kinds of stuff with us—all our best clothes, props, flowers, whatever—and then take pictures for days. The tambourine and the rose really came from the Belladonna album. The hat that I’m wearing—a gray beret with a feather—was lost somewhere along the way, which is too bad because I’ve never been able to find another one quite that amazing. The little embroidered top that I’m wearing, that I still have. The whole idea here was that you were looking out through this portal into the universe. I was always into having circles in the photos…and roses. I did my own makeup for this photo and I was always my own stylist. We never used stylists back then. Plus, no stylist would have wanted to work with us! We’d be taking photos all day for three days in a row.

2. This was taken on the roof of my condo in California, near the ocean. I’d been wearing the little chiffon tops like that with the long sleeves for a while at that point, and while we were up there taking pictures the wind came up and nearly blew me off the top of the building. There were actually a lot of pictures taken that day, but this is the most famous one. I love wearing things like that because they just create the most amazing shapes. This is when I really realized the power of these outfits. If we played an outdoor venue and there was a little bit of wind, my clothes always looked 100% better. I think this photo ran in People magazine.

3. Oh, the Rolling Stone cover. You’re gonna love this story. This was basically a nightmare picture for me. This was taken by Richard Avedon. You know, it’s not every day that you get work with Richard Avedon, so this was a very big deal. It just so happened that this was taken right after Mick and I had broken up. We’d just ended the year-long relationship thing we had going on and things were very tense. We get to the shoot and Richard Avedon has this ladder set up and he tells me that he basically wants me to be hanging around Mick’s neck in the photo and that the rest of the band will basically be sitting around Mick’s feet. He had this whole composition already worked out. I’m looking at him like, Are you out of your mind? First of all, I’m not even speaking to Mick Fleetwood and I’m certainly not climbing up on a ladder and then hanging around his neck. I’m not touching him! So, I pulled him aside and told him that I really didn’t want to do it. Avedon looks at me and basically just tells me that I needed to just suck it up and do the photo. He’s like, this is the cover of Rolling Stone magazine and in 10 years you’ll be glad that you did this. Now, do it. So, I reluctantly agreed. Up I go on the ladder. I was literally hanging around Mick’s neck like a mink stole. I kept feeling like I was going to fall and Mick was trying to hold me up…it was horrific.

So, the shoot ends and we all go home. Then, lo and behold, the issue finally comes out and there on the cover is just me and Mick. No Lindsey, no John, no Chris. They were all cropped out. It was just me and Mick. Can I even tell you how well that went over in the band? It wasn’t our fault that they cropped everyone else out of the photo, we had no idea. They just did it that way. They were kind of like, "Fuck you, if you’re gonna be on the cover of OUR magazine, we’re gonna do whatever we want." The whole thing was a nightmare. Lindsey didn’t speak to any of us for weeks after it came out, and it seemed like that image was everywhere. I’m sure Mick Fleetwood was secretly happy, though!

4. I think this photo was taken in San Francisco at a music festival. This would be around 1977 or so. I think this was taken backstage. In fact, I think this part of a larger group photo and they just cropped everyone else out of it. Once again, it’s me and a top hat…the little top hat that could. I bought that top hat in Buffalo, New York. We were on tour and on one of our days off Christine and I went antique shopping. I found that hat in some random little shop. I still have it. It’s at home in a box. I keep everything. There were a few classic pieces that got lost or stolen along the way, but everything else I saved. All except for the original black outfit and boots, which are now in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.