Mothica - STAGE THREADS Ep. 18

When I'm Mackenzie, I dress very masculine. Like I like to say, I dress like a 12-year-old boy. You see the buttons, like some poor unfortunate soul is gonna have to button me up. They're like dripping in sweat and I'm like not sweating at all because I'm like, my clothes, my clothes dance. Hi, I'm Mothica and I'm currently on tour with Icy Stars for their Spin the Wheel Tour, full US run. I think it's 29 shows in like 35 days. And yeah, I'm gonna be wearing some cool outfits. This is my Mothicorp look from the music videos. So Evergreen Misery. Yeah, this jacket I kind of customized, but the points are from Bat Norton. And yeah, I wanted this like weird corporate surreal look. This is one of my Mothicorp pins. And I actually made Mothica stand for something. So M-O-T-H-I-C-A is Mothica Observation Team Holdings Incorporated Cryptid Association. No one knows that. And then a stylist I worked with named Scully Styles, she sewed these on, but my front of house engineer ruined it by saying it looks like toilet paper on my shoes. So that's super fun. And I like anything flowy because that means I don't have to move as much. You know, it can move for me. Yeah, so the original jacket doesn't have this with the collar on it. It's just no collar. And then for some reason, cause I have a billion of everything, I have just a collar V that goes on top of it. So I just safety pinned it on. And then the sleeves didn't have that at all. So it was just like adding that on and just layering and you know, the undershirt, it's just like a little Dickie you would wear back in, I don't know, the eighties or something. Yeah, it's always just trying to add more layers and movement. This is what I think I'm going to wear tonight in Chicago. So she don't look like much, but this dress I got from a thrift store and it was white. And so I dyed it gray and it didn't take. So it's on some of the pieces. So it's just like this mothy color. Then I ripped a hole in it. And so it just has this like moth Eden, like gray thing. And I love anything with tulle or ruffles and I'll get super cheap versions of things. So this was a dress. I cut it down the middle and now it's like a shawl. And again, I have movement. So it can do the dancing for me. And like my band is like, they're like dripping in sweat and I'm like not sweating at all. Cause I'm like my clothes, my clothes dance. Yeah, so I thrift a lot because my mom actually, well, I started a vintage business that my mom took over. I don't know. So my mom, she's gone to estate sales, garage sales, and she calls herself the junk fairy, but I like to call her like a glorified hoarder of just things. So her whole house, everything is secondhand, including the soap. It's like, she'll buy hotel soaps, like bags of it. She's like, it's brand new. I'm like, mom, we can get some new things, but yeah. Then I'll find like whenever my mom goes to garage sales, she helps me style a lot of music videos. Like this is a staple belt in I wear on all the shows. And it's just this vintage piece that is perfect. Cause my in-ears go on it. It adds a little, you know, Victorian element, but yeah, it does make it annoying. If someone wants to know where I got something, I'm like my mom. Yeah, so I love thrifting like accessories and yeah, unique pieces. But then with like shoes or boots, I'm always buying like well-made things. So usually newer. So this dress, I think I'm going to wear for my birthday show that's happening on March 12th. And this is by a designer called Laloon and their pieces are really expensive, but this was on sale for like $200 or something. So I was like, I have to have it. I mean, it's definitely bridal and like every, you know, you see the buttons, like someone, some poor unfortunate soul is going to have to button me up. Yeah. And I wore this for the, somewhere in between a music video. So my EP somewhere in between just came out and basically that music video was just me running around the woods looking ghastly because I had this Mothman mask that was supposed to come for a different music video. So last minute I was like, I need Mothman. It's like, where should he be? In the woods. I remembered I had this, bam. That's how that music video came out was really all a ploy for my Mothman mask. And then this piece I wear with a corset on top, but this is by Selkie. And they did this whole like Halloweeny stripes. I love anything that looks like Beetlejuice, you know, black and white stripes are just my favorite thing ever. Now, whenever I buy clothes that I want to customize, I just kind of cut it very haphazardly myself. I have, you know, occasionally gone to a tailor, like adding like a zipper and something. And I did get into sewing and that lasted about two weeks where I was like, I want to make corsets. And I was like, you can't do that without being very precise. And to me, like when I want to cut up clothes, a lot of times I'm making something long, short in the front. I'm like, I just want to do it right then and there. So yeah, what else do I have? This is super clutch for me on tour. So this is just my easy looks in my Drop Dead bag. I'm wearing Drop Dead, Olly Sykes brand. I love their clothes, but this is just easy things I can put together when I'm feeling lazy and it's only day two and I'm already feeling that. So, you know, I have like various sheer items, like this used to have lining in it. I love to cut the lining out of things. This is just probably from like a goth shop or sex shop. You know, those are also great places to find stuff that I want to wear on stage. I don't even know what this is. Oh yeah, I do. This is more, this crazy thing is sleeves. So again, when I'm feeling like I don't want to dance too much, my sleeves will do it for me. And that's why everyone always says, you have a Stevie Nicks vibe about you. She wore lots of flowy layers. So yeah, there's just a lot of endless, endless amounts of mesh and ruffles. You know, that's what I go for. This one was actually from Etsy or no, not from Etsy. This is from Depop. So it's a wrap skirt and on Depop or Etsy, I'll just search for a one of a kind custom made. And usually you'll find some designers or sometimes even like drag queens or burlesque performers that are selling something they had custom made and then you get a cheaper custom item. So that's super fun. This belt is going to become super clutch. It's a dancers, like probably for like a, I don't know what kind of dance you'd wear this with salsa or something, but just goes around here and just instantly makes a little bit more classy, but then I can put my in-ears on it, you know? So that's always the biggest thing is like, I have to have my in-ears clipped in. So I need a belt. And luckily I love, you know, leather and harnesses and ---- like that. So there's my easy look bag, which I will definitely be accessing for most of the talk. When I'm dressing not as Mothica, when I'm McKenzie, I dress very masculine. Like I like to say, I dress like a 12 year old boy. So you'll see me in a beanie. You'll see me in, you know, nine inch nails hat. I have like all sorts of dad hats. I have like a Criss Angel one. Just, you know, baggy clothes, sweatpants, sweatshirts. These sweatpants were from Mary Wyatt when I played Download Fest. They gifted me these, but yeah, that's the biggest learning curve when I go on tour is like, oh no, I have to dress like a woman again. And it's like, those are the biggest difference. And eventually I'm like, I'd love to wear pants on stage or like just wear what, like, you know, Billie Eilish, like queen of baggy t-shirts. Like, oh, wouldn't that be nice? But I've committed myself to being corsets, fishnets, ruffles. And I love the way it looks. I just hate putting it on and taking it off. So this is a choker I wear almost every show. It's made by Kingdom Chains, handmade in London. I added a little extra ball because, you know, when you're singing, your neck gets strained a bit. And then this is a Killstar chain. So this one just hangs a little lower and it's like, you know, if you're not into jewelry, you're gonna be like, those look the same. I'm like, no, they're very different. These are completely different looks. I also have this fun one I'm excited to wear. It almost looks like a, like a rosary, but like make it goth and just adds a little something. And then I have a bunch of these kind of harness chains I got from a girl I actually knew in high school. And she makes these and I can wear it as a top or I can wear it upside down and it will hang down like a belt. So anything versatile is crucial when you don't wanna bring a ton of stuff on tour. Like I think we played 29 shows and I brought nine outfits. So that feels modest to me. Some people would say that's still too many. And then cheapo, like this is like probably from, you know, the Bezos warehouse, you know, Amazon, but it's just a little leg harness. You can strap into something and have that go on your leg like that. And just adds a little something like your, my outfits can be pretty boring if I don't accessorize them. And something I always kind of ignore wearing is earrings. I mean, I have in-ears in, you know, I'm wearing wigs, so, you know, they get caught, but I'll sometimes put a dangly earring and you can see they get very tangled up in here. But that's super fun to add to. And obviously, you know, I love weapons. I just put out the song weapons. So this one's actually Drop Dead brand. And some little ear cuffs. And yeah, I don't have all my wigs on display here, but that's another thing. I'm bringing three wigs on tour. So depending on the night, I try them out and see which ones feel good. And I've had some like wig mishaps happen where in London, my wig was falling off and slowly my bangs were getting shorter and my forehead was getting bigger. And luckily I had like a break in the middle of the set and I got to go off stage. And like my boyfriend at the time, I'm like, give me the phone. It was so scary. But then I just have to have less movement of my head because it's just like, woo, don't want it to go flying. Yeah, I have a few different wigs on this tour. I have one that's like grayish, bluish, greenish made by Emily Velasco in Orlando, Florida. So I brought it because I'm going to meet her for the first time and kind of matches this actually. And then this one, and then I have the blonde wig I've been wearing for this MothaCorp look that's super long and they're always human hair. And yeah, it's super fun because I don't have to style my real hair. And my real hair, like I have alopecia. So that's why I started wearing wigs. And now it's just like become such an easier thing to throw on before show. But it is funny. Like when we got to the venue today, I wasn't wearing a wig, I wasn't wearing makeup. And there was a couple of fans outside wanting to meet me and get a photo. And I was like, you don't want to see me looking like, you know, blank slate. I don't know, it's scary. So sometimes that helps because people won't recognize me. So I got this new makeup box that actually has its own light in it, which is super crucial. Because when you're on the road, you never know if you're going to have a mirror in your green room, you'd be surprised. It's mostly dudes. And they're like, why would you need a mirror? I did packed very light. I barely have anything for this tour. I actually need to get some more makeup. But yeah, wearing fake eyelashes is crucial. I feel like a naked mole rat without them. I have this super cool palette that just has this like impression of like a body on it. And then it's just like beautiful glitters by Issa Maya. But, you know, my first tour I did, I went crazy with the makeup looks and I was just like adding like bedazzling sparkles. And every night it's a different look. And for this one, I mean, we're two days in, I'm already feeling like a little like, let's just go easy right now. And then eventually when I get bored and the set feels easier, then I'll probably bust out the crazier looks. But it's funny, certain like, I just love red eyeshadow and some other eyeshadows will like not read well on stage. So I brought four pairs of shoes for this tour. These are ones I've performed in the most. These are Demonia. And they just instantly elevate like any look. I mean, elevate to me in that like, you can wear a frilly white dress with these and instantly it's like edgy and cool. They're also pretty comfortable. Obviously I don't wear high heels, I wear wedges. I wanted to wear them tonight, but the headliner, I see stars, they have these risers on stage. So I practice getting up on them and it's adding, you know, six inches of height. So I'm like, I have to go with my more modest boots. So the ones I'm wearing, they're called R13. And these, it's funny, like these are still probably three, three and a half inches, but these are my like low boots. I'm like, these are modest boots. And I just got them shined at the airport. So that was fun. And I'm hoping to bust out these. I actually got them when I was on tour with Hailstorm in Europe, a brand called Casaday. And they're super like, you know, this like rubber grip. They're very like technical looking. But yeah, and I haven't performed in them much. So it's always like finding what you feel comfortable on stage in and moving around. And I know some artists like Melanie Martinez like performs like barefoot so they can feel the base. And I'm like, oh, that would ruin my outfit. But eventually I'd like to have shorter shoes. We'll see. Or maybe I'll just go taller. And then my fourth pair is just some slip on vans of like, this is what I wear when I'm just Mackenzie. And you know, comfort is key for me. But it's funny. These do feel like my most comfortable platform boots because I have a crazy closet full of much crazier boots I would wear for a music video. But these are like, oh yeah, this is like a utilitarian. I'm Mothica. I just released an EP called Somewhere in Between. Check it out. Find me on socials at Mothica, mothica.com, mothicamerch.com. And thank you for checking out my closet.