It’s no surprise that rock musicians set the trends that often end up on the cat walks of Paris and Milan. From the flannels of the Seattle grunge scene to the more recent stylish, sleek “Evita” look popularized by Madonna, musicians are music to clothing retailers’ ears.

But how do local musicians fare when it comes to setting the style stage? Is it jeans and T-shirts all the way, or is there more to the crooners’ looks than meets the eye?

“I do it on an unconscious level,” Deb Marquart said of her style selections for the spotlight.

Marquart, lead vocalist for The Bone People, said influences from her early days of a heavy metal rocker in the late ’70s still carry with her when she performs today.

“I try to present myself with strength, yet keep some vulnerability,” she explained. “Combinations of hardness and softness.

“My whole philosophy is don’t wear clothing that takes attention away from your singing. You want people to hear your singing, not look at what you’re wearing.”

Marquart said she favors comfortable clothes that have a “flow” as opposed to the revealing, trendy “baby doll” dresses sported by the likes of Hole singer Courtney Love.

But other musicians take a different approach, saying their clothes are an extension of their music and part of show.

Self-proclaimed “clothes horse” Doug Roberson of Iowa City’s The Bent Scepters said the group’s unique retro look was concocted to set them apart from other bands.

“First impressions are what people remember most,” he said. “I call it ‘nowtro.’ Our look is what the ’90s culture is all about, taking looks of the past and updating them.”

For anyone who’s ever been to a Scepters show, surely the dark suits and slim ties, or perhaps the white shirts and matching red cardigan sweaters, indeed left quite an impression. But just where do they find those uniformed sport coats and turtlenecks?

“I search Goodwill, used clothing shops and vintage clothing stores,” Roberson said. Good friend Barb Schilf of House of Large Sizes even gets in on the act by finding the guys clothes from her two vintage clothing stores in Cedar Falls and Iowa City.

“We’re like one part Jack Kerouac with a combination of James Bond and some early [Rolling] Stones,” Roberson said. “But we are consistent. It’s that pre-summer-of-love look where all the groups wore matching suits.”

But Roberson admits that despite the Scepters’ “dapper” look, in the long run it’s the music that counts.

“You got to have some songs,” he said. “But we think it’s a good combination. Some slick hep-cat music with a slick hep-cat look.”

For some singers, the subtle approach to making a statement serves best.

Mike Butterworth and Jason Walsmith, the singing half of The Nadas, say simplicity and a good pair of pants spell style.

“I try and wear T-shirts that say something, not a message, but say just a word,” Walsmith said. Among his used T-shirt collection, Walsmith counts a grungy, tattered tee with the word Bass printed on it.

And Butterworth, well, there’s almost no end to the length he’ll go to in order to make sure not only he looks fashionable, but his fans do as well.

At a recent show, a fan wanting to buy a Nadas shirt had a problem; no cash. Butterworth offered to trade a Nadas shirt for the fan’s pants.

Butterworth got the pants, the fan got the shirt and the people in Campustown got a peep show as the man walked home in his boxers.

“Too bad they didn’t fit,” Butterworth said.