She Dressed The Band: The Fabric Magic of Pamela Des Barres

An interview with the trailblazing author, artist, and 1960's rock groupie queen.

Aug 07, 2024

Miss Pamela Des Barres is a shining light and creative force, working as a best selling author (I’m With The Band), artist, and a groupie to the stars in the 1960s Los Angeles music scene. She and her fellow Girls Together Outrageously were pioneers in vintage fashion, dolling themselves in antique finery and bringing their musician muses along for the ride. Not only did she have fun with vintage, she also made bespoke clothing for herself and the men she loved so deeply. Through her sewing needle she tells a beautiful story, one where clothing has the power to transform and delight, the ability to show true love and affection, and the rewarding appreciation you receive when its cherished by the person it's made it for - (even when its yourself!)

The Girls Together Outrageously, one of the first all female rock groups, came together in the psyechedlic haze of the mid ‘60s Sunset Strip. Originally called the Laurel Canyon Ballet Company, the group of girls supported bands playing at local haunts, such as the Whisky a Go Go and the Shrine, as dancers on stage - providing an ambience that mixed theatrics and wild costumes pieced together from various bits and bobs from the turn of the century to the 1940s.

Frank Zappa, noted experimental composer and rock legend, was friends with several members of the group, and brought them together to record their only album, Permanent Damage in 1969. The musical legacy of the group was short lived, with the GTOs only performing a handful of times locally. However, the cultural effect of the group as tastemakers was permanent, and famous musicians such as Mick Jagger, Jim Morrison, Alice Cooper, and Jimmy Page sought out the girls for their experimental dress and free spirited attitudes.

Miss Pamela, can you describe each GTO member's style in two or three words?

Miss P:
Sparkie - Deco Pixie
Cynderella - Rag Doll
Mercy - Gypsy Theda Bara
Sandra - Star-Eyed Earth Mama
Christine - Ersatz Dr Seuss Harlequin
Me - Velvet Baby Doll

Out of all the rockstars you helped shape and transform the closet of, who was your favorite to dress?

Miss P: I made my first western shirt for Chris Hillman, hand embroidered it with drops of my blood in a little white voodoo ritual. Then made one for Gram Parsons when they were the Flying Burrito Brothers. But the pink velvet shirt with 4 foot long fringe I made for Jimmy Page is a real humdinger. I took all my rock star friends to the first vintage clothing store in LA, the Glass Farmhouse on Sunset. I remember wrapping a feather boa around Rod Stewart’s neck. We decked out Alice Cooper and his band, and I took all of Zeppelin to Nudie’s Rodeo Tailor and they dressed cowpoke for awhile.

How has the music you have been surrounded by influenced the way you adorn yourself?

Miss P: Me and my girls were forerunners of vintage chic, but I suppose Zappa and the Mothers made me want to look as wild as possible, and I cowgirl-ed it up when I was hanging with Chris and Gram.

You’ve made so many fabulous pieces for yourself and for others - hanky dresses, nudie shirts, customized 30s dresses - what is the most treasured piece you have ever made?

Miss P: My purple beaded western shirt I made for Gram. His widow, Gretchen gave it back to me several years ago and told me he’d treasured it and tears poured out of me seeing it again. It has a little hole where he’d burned it with a joint. I’m leaving it to my goddaughter, Polly Parsons.

What is your personal philosophy on fashion?

Miss P: Fashion should reflect what’s in your heart and soul. Doll yourself up! Deck yourself out! Be colorful, be proud. Even if you’re a little down, that’s when to pull your faves from the closet.