Katie Marie has always embraced her “weirdness” and unique mix of aesthetics. Inspired by a combination of NYC’s club kids and pop idol Madonna, she’s sort of a glam punk rock scene kid. So you’d be surprised to find out she grew up with a bed of long, blonde hair. 

Nowaday’s her hair is dyed jet black and cut short, styled in a wild fashion reminiscent of the ’80s. Marie’s wardrobe consist of everything from black studded leather jackets to metallic disco pants and jewelry made of bones.

Marie is just one of many unique personalities making a name for Denver’s young emerging scene. Not afraid to stand out, her kind personality and tough exterior are making others think before they judge a book by its cover. Using fashion as a way to express her artistic sensibility, the results are 100 percent authentic. So we sat down with Marie to discuss personal style, the Denver fashion scene, and to find out what she’d like to be buried in.

All photos by Alden Bonecutter

 

303 Magazine: First off, can you tell us a bit more about yourself and background?

Katie Marie: Of course! Well Despite the tough exterior I’d say that I am a very sweet genuine person and super easy to get along with. I have always been ‘the weird girl’ so I totally embraced it. In my spare time I typically will be laying with my cat, thrifting, roller skating, going to DIY shows, or djing an ’80s set somewhere. I love to travel and one day I’d love to design clothing somewhere.

303: Your style is very unique, how did you get into this look?

KM: Well I was very lucky, both my mom and dad raised me on new wave and rock ‘n’ roll, so I remember seeing these stunning musicians such as Madonna, Siouxsie Sioux and David Lee Roth dressed up in their sweet outfits and heavy make up and I said ‘I’ll look like that one day’. Eventually I discovered punk rock and I found girls like Becky Bondage and Wendy O with their Mohawks and fishnets and revealing clothing, it took a while to fine tune who I am now but I eventually just mended the two together and rolled with it, I try to embrace the past with how I dress.

303: Who are your style icons and why? 

KM: Oh man, I literally have so many! Ferris Bueller is definitely one of them, as well as Ducky from Pretty in Pink, I also would say Madonna as well, as mainstream as she is I definitely gathered a bunch of inspiration from her, I also like to mix ’90s club kid into my style as well as old skate and street wear, I guess you could say I’m a melting pot really.

303: If you could raid anyone’s closet whose would it be?

KM: I would probably raid Vivienne Westwood’s closet and Madonna of course!

303: You dress like this on a daily basis, how do others outside of the fashion and art world typically respond to you?

KM: Well it’s always different, depending on where I am really. If I’m in the heart of the city I will get ‘wow, you’re so beautiful and different, it’s so refreshing to see unique girls around town’ other times If I am in the suburbs I’ll get dirty looks and parents will shield their children as I walk by and I probably get ‘Halloween’s over’ at least once a week. At the end of the day though it does not bother me, and surprisingly enough I have definitely changed a lot of people’s perspective on the ‘weird girl’ and typically people will be like ‘man, you’re a very nice person’ so I’ll take that as a victory.

“I would describe my style as an eclectic gathering of American subculture.”- Katie Marie 

303:  Okay, a morbid question, but what would you want to be buried in if you could choose?

KM: I would probably want to be buried in my black disco pants with a thousand belts on and my vintage Billy Idol t-shirt. Or my leopard cat suit and a fringe jacket and definitely my roller skates

303: Favorite spots to shop in Colorado? Why?

KM: Well other than my job [at the Buffalo Exchange], I typically buy my clothing from American Apparel because like let’s get real, those disco pants are out of this world, definitely a staple in my closet. I also like to get a lot of my weirder items at arc thrift stores, typically I will always find some gem there and it’ll too be a staple, I also love the thrill of the hunt, I don’t like to have what other people have. Lastly, a lot of friends and acquaintances make really rad clothing as well, so I’ll typically buy things from them, I love supporting the DIY mentality and helping out my friends, and almost always they’ll have one thing I have thought of and been like man I need that.

303: What is your current take on the Denver fashion scene?

KM: To be honest I wish it were more out there and crazy, I feel like a lot of people play it safe and try to stay within their comfort zone, or follow some micro trend. Though working at Buffalo exchange I see some very unique people and I can honestly see the progression happening, there’s a bunch of new stores and designers surfacing too. I also enjoy that vintage has become a prominent thing here.

All photography by Alden Bonecutter.

A few of many tattoos on Katie Marie.

A few of many tattoos on Katie Marie.

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