If you haven't watched Daisy Jones & The Six yet - the time is now. With female characters to fall in love with, Hayley Doyle dishes up all you need know to get watching, stat
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By Hayley Doyle
Just one month ago, if you thought about 70s rock with boho flair and an addiction to heartbreak, Fleetwood Mac would spring to mind. But now, you might be wondering if the best-selling band of that hazy crazy decade was actually, Daisy Jones & The Six. You’ll be familiar with their first single, “Regret Me”, which has racked up over 3.4 million listens on Spotify. Even their album, “Aurora” has stormed to the top of the iTunes charts. Authentically fresh with their own distinctive sound, their music is also accurate of that era, with guitar solos, keyboards and duetting male and female vocals. But Daisy Jones & The Six weren’t the most famous band in the world at all. They’re fictional. And it’s all thanks to the best-selling novel by Taylor Jenkins Reid and Amazon Prime’s latest drama series that has convinced us otherwise.
The story is predictable, yet - like the rockstar lifestyle - dangerously addictive. It follows the rise and fall of the band with a love triangle at the heart of its undoing. Sex, drugs and rock’n’roll play their part, but the female characters stand out as goddesses each in their own right. While the 70s-inspired hair, makeup and fashion is simply to die for, it’s not the only thing fans are eager to adopt. What this series shows us is strong friendships and women who fight for what their hearts desire.
We’ve all identified who we are in Sex & the City; sure, we’re all quite Carrie, but with a grand helping of either Samantha, Charlotte or Miranda, or perhaps a sprinkling combo. We even tried to pick who were between Rachel, Monica and Phoebe, right? Well there’s a new girl-gang in town. They might be dripping in retro, but it’s so delicious that it’s going to be impossible to resist a summer of boho-vibes. So, who are you? Daisy Jones, singer/songwriter superstar; Camila Dunne, photographer, wife and mother; Karen Sirko, rock musician feminist; or, Simone Jackson, disco pioneer?
Daisy Jones (played by Riley Keough)
She’s utterly mesmerising. Effortless. With minimal makeup (she even smears ash on her eyelids before going on stage in front of 50,000 adoring fans) and long shaggy hair, she doesn’t style her bangs. No. Her look is firmly, get up and go. Morning, noon and night, you’ll find Daisy wearing hot pants and cowboy boots, and even when the sky is blue and the sun is shining, she’ll grace you with her presence draped with a suede afghan coat. Everything floats, particularly the sleeves of her dresses and blouses. And when it comes to earrings, well, the larger the hoop, the better. To channel your inner Daisy, your first stop must be a thrift store or browse pre-loved items on Vinted, Rokit or Etsy. A songwriter pours from the heart, so be sure to carry a small notebook around with you; journaling can improve your mood by helping you prioritise problems and track what might trigger you. Ultimately, Daisy lives in the moment. She’s a wild soul, shamelessly herself in a society - and industry - that wants women to be small. Her creative work reflects her authentic self and she doesn’t shy away from hard work. Deeply flawed, she knows the woman she wants to be and eventually, all down to herself, makes that happen. In the words of Daisy Jones, “I had absolutely no interest in being somebody else's muse. I am not a muse. I am the somebody.”
Camila Dunne (played by Camila Morrone)
“I think you have to have faith in people before they earn it,” she says. “Otherwise it’s not faith, right?” Well, nobody said it would be easy being married to a rockstar. That never stops Camila exuding beauty from inside outwards, though. Classically stunning, Camila has a look of Ali McGraw in the 70s tearjerker, Love Story, and Bianca Jagger. Her wardrobe is a mixture of A-line midi skirts and Levis, before she starts to embrace a paisley blouse and floaty skirts once she moves to California and becomes a mama. The peasant-style boho hippie chic gives Camila an angelic quality, with embroidery patterns and heavy lace, which can be found today on Asos and within the ever-growing market of second-hand vintage stores. The show’s makeup artist used Charlotte Tilbury’s Lip Cheat in Pillow Talk lip pencil and Julie Hewitt’s Rosie Cheekie Mini for a natural flush. Camila knows her worth and despite the heartache her marriage creates, she is confident in who she is. To be like Camila is to understand that fame and fortune doesn’t give strength. She finds plenty of that through the love she has for her family. Supportive to the end, she will never be one to stand on the sidelines. Instead, she fights not only for her family but also for her fellow women, reaching out when they need a hug, and calling them out when necessary. She says, “All I will say is that you show up for your friends on their hardest days. And you hold their hand through the roughest parts.”
Karen Sirko (played by Suki Waterhouse)
She was told to be feminine. She said, I am a rockstar. She has known what she’s wanted since she was a child and when she enters into a male-dominated world, she doesn’t let this hinder her ambitions for a moment. “Men often think they deserve a sticker for treating women like people,” she says. So Karen stops at nothing to live her dream. Her hair is backcombed a la Brigette Bardot, achieved by using heated rollers and leaving them in until they completely cool. This look is perfectly partnered with the black eyeliner flick that gets more dramatic as the years roll by. Whether a thick or thin line, the makeup team always used MAC Pro Longwear Fluid Eye Liner in Blacktrack. As gorgeous as she is, she will not be defined or sexualised for her gender. The most important thing to Karen is to be seen as talent. As a keyboardist. She wears black, often, performing in turtlenecks, suits jackets and high-waited jeans, giving off Debbie Harry vibes. There is a distinctly glam-rock edge to her outfits, so deck yourself out in a bell-sleeve jumpsuit with a black choker, and you’ll be right up Sirko’s alley! A loyal friend, although never a “girly-girl” she is a woman who looks out for her fellow women. She respects that mothers and wives are strong, but she flies the flag for those who don’t want that life in any way at all. In fact, Karen Sirko defies today’s meaning of a Karen!
Simone Jackson (played by Nabiyah Be)
We all need a friend who will help us to understand love, who believes in the star that can shine within us. We also need that friend who speaks the truth, even when it hurts. Simone Jackson is not only that. She’s a disco queen, too! With big hair and chunky jewellery, she has the wow factor without a hint of arrogance. She’s partial to a bit (well, a lot) of fringing and her wardrobe encapsulates the disco glam aesthetic of the era. Oh, and this girl rocks a chevron print maxi-dress. So think sequins, faux-suede, waistcoats and flares. Mini skirts and knee boots all compliment the fringe too. Simone’s style was heavily influenced by the earthy, and later, disco-infused style of Chaka Khan and Donna Summer. She is your biggest fan, your cheerleader, and listens to her heart at all times, feeling what is right, rather than listening to what others tell her is right. As Simone says, “But at some point, you have to recognise that you have no control over anybody and you have to step back and be ready to catch them when they fall and that’s all you can do. It feels like throwing yourself to sea. Or, maybe not that. Maybe it’s more like throwing someone you love out to sea and then praying they float on their own, knowing they might well drown and you’ll have to watch.”