“The bra almost has a mythological shape,” enthuses Tati, a keen storyteller in her own right. “A lot of people think a red-carpet gown just needs to look beautiful. And yes, it’s important to look amazing, but it’s also important to have a message behind whatever Caroline is wearing. Very few musicians care about character.” For Polachek’s part, “the Brits means dressing the way your music sounds… but still being able to party.” The fierce, athletic singer, who also trained in opera, clearly related to Rocha’s mission to “harness the femininity, the sexuality, the sensuality, [while] being very provocative… and very, very individualistic.”
When we speak, Polachek is still playing around with her Brits beauty, but she knows she’ll have her freshly dyed black hair down for a gothic twist on all that ballet-pink satin. Surprisingly, perhaps, for a musician who has been compared to prodigy Kate Bush, Polachek has also been practising posing in her pretty, punkish eveningwear and perfected the taxi-to-O2 arena sashay to ensure she looks the part. Caroline Polachek is a perfectionist, but she’s human. She’s otherworldly, but resolutely a part of the fabric of what modern-day pop should be. The Brits is the last time the world will witness her fashion blow up in the same way because, says Cotliar, she’s “escaping from her Desire era” and ready to unearth something new.
