Hayden Anhedönia is better known as Ethel Cain, but you’d be mistaken for thinking they’re one and the same.
The singer, who broke through with her record Preacher’s Daughter, has long held a specific vision for her alter ego. Ethel Cain uses fashion to shine a light on Americana in its many forms, from a (Givenchy) cheerleading uniform to a Budweiser tank top. Now, as Anhedönia looks to the future of the project, she is using clothing to help define the next chapter. “I’m very interested in character studies,” she says. “Working on this new project, I wanted to take a step away from the solo narrative that Preacher’s Daughter was built around and branch out into some other things.” While she keeps a tight lid on what’s in store, she does offer a hint: “Each of these characters became a costume, and then each of these costumes became a look for the show.”
Fashion—particularly costumes—have been important to the artist for as long as she can remember. Anhedönia was raised Christian in the Florida Bible Belt. Homeschooled, the only media she consumed were old VHS tapes. “I was watching Little House on the Prairie, The Waltons, Picnic at Hanging Rock,” she says. “My favorite Disney movie of all time is Tuck Everlasting, which is the Edwardian period. All these films [have] that beautiful silhouette of the turn of the 20th century. It always captivated me.”
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So it should come as no surprise that the films she watched as a child have bled into her sartorial direction for Ethel Cain. “I still do think that the Gibson Girl is the peak, in terms of the female archetype. Edwardian fashion blends the right amount of sexuality and figure and silhouette with modesty,” she says. “You see this extremely covered up, bustled feminine look that is so staunch. But also, they’re padding their hips, they’re corseting their waists. You could see it was a bubble of female sexuality that was about to pop in the twenties.”
Fans got their first taste of Ethel Cain’s next chapter at her recent show at the Greek Theater in Los Angeles. The singer not only debuted unreleased songs, but also emerged in a new look, rooted firmly in the Edwardian fashions from her favorite childhood films. “I have a lot of 110-, 120-year-old dresses that I don’t want to wear on stage. I don’t want to damage them,” she says. To help bring her vision to life, she spent hours scouring Etsy to find historically accurate recreations of the bustles, pigeon breasts, and high necks that captivated her as a child. “I was plotting out the tour outfits six months in advance and trying to think of what I wanted to see on stage and how I wanted it to translate as an aid to the music,” she says.
Anhedönia commissioned Etsy sellers Gibson Girl Dress and Made of Sentiments for her look: a high-neck black pleated blouse with billowing sleeves tucked into a long, cinched A-line skirt. “I wanted to do something historically accurate and very buttoned up,” she says. The Edwardian fashion, for Anhedönia, serves as a bridge between inspiration in her personal life, and the future of Ethel Cain. “It lends itself to the music and the visual style, and helps to bring the project to life,” she says.