Lady Gaga covers the September issue of American Vogue
TFS

I was so shocked when I saw the September cover of American Vogue this morning. At first, I thought it was just fan art – someone had photoshopped Lady Gaga's face, the September cover star, onto a dress and added some copy around it. After checking Vogue.com I realised I was in the wrong, this was the actual cover.
I don't know quite where to begin. Let's start with the only two good things about the cover, perhaps. It has a very contemporary feel that American Vogue has been missing for a while now. And the layout is a lot cleaner than it usually is, there is no feeling of clutter. But everything else is all over the place.
The Mert & Marcus cover image is so incredibly retouched I am still wondering whether any of the body we see belongs to Gaga or if they have just photoshopped her face onto it. The highlights and shading have been done in such an amateur way it's embarrassing. As is the crappy red waving banner on the Vogue title. Not only it doesn't make any sense aesthetically but the unnatural colour takes away from the effect that the purple gown should have instead.

What do you think of the cover?

Best Dressed of the Weekend: Kiernan Shipka wears Miu Miu
Getty, Courtesy of Miu Miu, Celebrity-Gossip

Penélope Cruz seems to be looking better now than she did before having a child and I'm glad she's showing it off. I love the wet hair look, which adds a beachy feel to her stunning Michael Kors dress. The accessories were neutral but added to the chicness, especially the Roger Vivier clutch.
Kiernan Shipka is quite simply the most stylish 12 year old in the world. I love seeing young stars enjoying dressing up but being aware that there's always plenty of time to experiment when you're old enough. Her Miu Miu dress with floral macramè embroidery was as fashion-forward as she can get.
Lady Gaga, who has been a bit off the radar lately and wearing slightly toned down looks (by her standards) stepped out in a great gown from the Atelier Versace collection – not one of my favourites but pretty amazing and even conservative for her.
And, of course, Emma Stone. I have a feeling I am going to be posting quite a bit about her over the next few weeks. For the Moscow stop of her Spiderman press tour she wore a floral Lanvin dress. I love the black strokes over it that make it look like an unfinished painting. The only flaw was her slightly odd eye shadow.

Lady Gaga will wear custom-made Armani looks for her Asian tour
Courtesy of Armani

We haven't been seeing much of Lady Gaga for the last few months – no talked-about red carpet or stage looks and not even outrageous 'casual' ensembles. But it looks like this won't last for long Her 'Born This Way Ball' kicks off later this month in Seoul, followed by Hong Kong, Tokyo, Singapore and ending in Australia and New Zealand. And how is she coming back onto the spotlight? Well, wearing custom-made Giorgio Armani looks on stage, of course!
The Italian designer, who started working with Gaga two years ago for the Grammy Awards and already designed some looks for her 'Monster Ball' tour, has created four looksincredibly well suited for Gaga.
Look No.1 (my favourite!) is made of transparent Plexiglas, black crystals and luminous studs create a Cubist composition of abstract guitars. The matching headpiece follows in the shape of a keyboard; the boots are black vinyl.
Look No.2 is created via a shiny black grid-patterned PVC bodice with matching headpiece and embroidered ankle boots. Highlights include shoulders outlined by a play of sharp spikes, black Swarovski jet crystals and flowing fringe, creating a moving architecture.
Look No.3 is a long tunic with leg-o-mutton sleeves made of skin-toned latex. Luminous PVC elements create flashes of synthetic light inside the garment. The same avant garde lighting is featured on the triangle decorating the chest, on the headpiece, and on the platform of the matching latex ankle boots.
Look No.4 includes a black bodice made of tubular PVC elements connected with metal studs, with mirrored metal inserts to define a curvaceous design. The ensemble is highlighted by a matching headpiece, robotic thigh-high boots, and exaggerated gloves ending in mirrored nails.

What do you think of Gaga's custom-made Armani looks? Are you excited about her return?

Best Dressed of the Weekend: New Year's Edition
JustJared, Celebrity-Gossip

Happy New Year everyone!

Things have been so slow in the celebrity spotting department but it's nice to take a break from work and blogging so I guess it's suited me. I am slowly going back to business –flying back to London tomorrow– so I wanted to start the new year with my Best Dressed of the Weekend post.

I did not have a lot of choice but I did really want to make this post, if only for Rihanna. I absolutely loved the black see-through Tom Ford number she wore on New Year's Eve –a kind of leopard print lace dress with long sleeves and a velvet belt. What makes me love this look is the fact that even though it's totally see-through (you can see Riri's bazooms) she actually looks super classy with a touch of cool. I also love the shoes and the make up. Perhaps only the hair could have been a little better. I am not too keen on having all the curls forward.

It's also Rihanna, this time in Alexander Wang, that has second place this week. I seriously can't get enough of her luxurious take on sportswear. It's just genius –and very SS12.

And last it's Lady Gaga channeling a bit of Marilyn Monroe in Stéphane Rolland Couture on New Year's Eve. I love a bit of crazy Gaga fashion but it's also nice to see her wearing something a bit more normal (in her book anyway) for a change.

'Marry the night' and Lady Gaga's influences
Screen caps, Style.com, Zimbio

You know I am a big fan of dissecting videos. Whether it's only the fashion like I did for one of Beyoncé's last videos or laying out visually where Gaga got inspiration from for her Alejandro video I simply can't resist making a collage about it.

My favourite Gaga video to date has to be the Judas video. I appreciated the breakthrough of Bad Romance (especially the plethora or McQueen) but Judas was culturally interesting. He cleverly mixed references to Catholicism mixed with nods to popular culture.

For Gaga's latest Marry the Night video Nicola Formichetti and his creative team have done something similar but perhaps not as risqué as before. An 80's Madonna is probably the strongest influence of this new video. Followed by Fame, the über popular TV programme from the same decade. The perfectly timed choreographies in odd layers of tops were pretty much brought into fashion by the show. My favourite look from the whole video is the Atelier Versace embroidered light denim combo that reads surprisingly current and sort of reminded me of this.

Some of the other dance scenes were more reminiscent of Michael Jackson's videos. The dancing in backstreets is in keeping with the general 80's aesthetic of the video.

The only more forward-thinking looks in the Marry the Night video are the music-less opening scenes, which weirdly enough I quite enjoyed, the ballet shots of Gaga in a very Daphne Guiness hairdo and heel-less platforms, and the closing shot of the Fame Monster in one of the Paco Rabanne looks she wore at the EMAs this year.

Magazine Covers go Gaga
TFS, JustJared

It is that time of the month again when I barely have time to catch up with who is releasing which cover. It's particularly confusing at this time of the year as some magazines publish a December issue and some a December/January issue.

Lady Gaga seems to be the hottest cover star for the first issues of 2012, which doesn't help knowing who is doing what. She was first on the cover of the iconic Visionaire, shot by Inez and Vinoodh. V Spain, the foreign younger sister of Visionaire, decided not only to also have Gaga on their latest cover but also to have her posing next to a larger-than-life copy of the Visionaire cover. Do you see why I'm confused?

ELLE UK has also chosen the Monster Queen (shot by Matt Irwin) as well to front their January issue. This means another two different covers –regular and subscriber's edition– to add to the pile.

And last but not least, Gaga is also the cover and main story on the latest Vanity Fair. This one is probably my favourite. The editorial, shot by Annie Leibovitz, is absolutely stunning and completely different from the odd stuff she usually does for magazines.

Which one is your favourite?

JustJared, Mugler

The only fashion seemingly entertaining from the last VMAs this weekend was obviously Lady Gaga and her Paco Rabanne and Phillip Tracy hats. She wore two or three of each and looked down right ridiculous but in a very Gaga way, which makes it less ridiculous than it would be on someone else. On the bright side, the didn't fall over or seriously harm anyone despite the very limited vision.

What I did like, loved even, about her looks (especially the last one when her face was actually on display) was the Thierry Mugler makeup. I already posted about it a few weeks ago after the show in Paris because I was amazed by the Swarovski makeup on the lips and eyebrows. It complimented the collection so well, in fact, that I found it way more interesting than the clothes themselves. And it looked incredible on Gaga, or it would have, had it not been by her dazed odd grin posing for the photographers.

I tend to forget that V magazine exists. I rarely buy it because it's not exactly my cup of tea and yet I often get excited or at least quite curious about their covers. I was over the moon when they featured Britney by Mario Testino last time.

The new issue seems a lot more interesting. For their "Asian Issue" they have featured Lady Gaga on the cover. I think it's a tricky but clever choice because Gaga's style does take a lot from Asian street style, party due to all the style work with Nicola Formichetti, who was born in Tokyo, where he party grew up.

I'm not particularly keen on the cover picture, shot by Inez van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin, which I think could have been more interesting. It also seems to have been quite poorly edited, no?

The interview, by Elton John, who has made Gaga God mother of his twins, will definitely be, together with the Mugler clothing, the highlight of the piece.

[FashionGoneRogue]

With every new Lady Gaga video I realise the reason why I love her is not quite her music. Her videos, on the other hand, and Nicola Formichetti's styling for them do really appeal to me. And I think, in terms of the clothes, the Judas video is the best one yet. Yes, even better than Bad Romance. Sorry, Lee.

I was fascinated by the contemporary take of the religious references. Because I grew up in a Catholic environment and it was easy for me to identify symbols such as the blue veil of the Inmaculate Conception and the Sacred Heart. Contrary to a lot of opinions online I thought Formichetti's work (especially the blue hood with the bandana) were edgy, controversial and full of life.

Jesus' look was extremely well achieved. It seems like Riccardo Tisci only designed his Givenchy version of the crown of thorns to be on this video. It also fit perfect well with the video's aesthetic that mixed the old and the new and very much reminded me of Baz Luhrmann's Romeo + Juliet. There are a lot of rock and roll and gritty elements, which were sort of contradictory yet not incongruent at all.

[Vevo]

The only reference I didn't quite understand was Gaga in white, as a sort of Mary Magdalene dressed like a gipsy bride. I simply don't get why she dies. But I guess not everything is supposed to be straight-forward.

I also really enjoyed the more scarce 18th century notes of ruffled sleeves and golden ringlets on her hair. Those bits really reminded me of 'Interview with the Vampire' and help increase the contrast between new and old fashion elements in the video.

And finally, the 'Birth of Venus'. It totally escapes me why this little scene was included in the video or how it adds to the story line but I can't say I don't like the nod to Botticelli.

To make sense of all my blabbering click here to watch the video, which would be a shame not to watch in the highest HD.

Born this way

Lady Gaga's music videos have become a bit of a thing inside the fashion/creative industry. We look forward to what Nicola Formichetti will do for her in terms of styling. I have to say that this time I was neither amazed nor surprised by the clothes. Yes, it all is incredibly visually pleasing but I think it has a lot more to do with Nick Knight's direction than with the clothes (accessories, hair, mae up et al.) than any other thing. I did really like the 'Born this way' video because not only I quite like the song but it also had some very McQueen references such as the kaleidoscope imagery, which Lee used for his prints in the famous collection worn by Gaga on 'Bad Romance'. I also found pretty cool the fact that Raquel Zimmerman (below, duplicated) does a little cameo.

My second favourite thing, and probably the most expected part of it was the heavy presence of Thierry Mugler fw11 menswear, as it was the first collection to be designed by Formichetti (he is clearly the creative director, not the designer. Alas, no one has yet coined a term such as 'creatively directed'). I thought it worked just great with the video and, after all, Nicola is becoming known for trespassing the boundaries of roles and becoming a bit of everything —stylist, creative director, entrepreneur, media expert. I was also happy to see Rico, who was the star of the Mugler fw11 show and kind of stole a bit of Gaga's spotlight on the video.

As I said, the photography in the video is absolutely phenomenal, as it could be expected from Knight. And this might just be me but were there some James Bond and Sin City references? I loved the black and white shots as much as the very plastic coloured ones and the intro and finale as a clear nod to Pink Floyd. You can watch the video here.

I'm off.

[Pictures: Vevo screencaps]

Best dressed of the weekend

I might or might not make of 'Best dressed of the weekend' a weekly feature on soVIPzone but the fact is that I find celebrities to be better dressed on weekends. Perhaps it's because they let the most personal part of their style breathe through when they are relaxed. This weekend we saw a rather demure (yes, you read correctly) Gaga wearing a Sally LaPointe SS11 dress, which seemed perfect for a woman's wedding day as long as she's actually attending her husband's-to-be funeral. I did, however, really liked the outfit and how the silhouette works great with Gaga. Her hair is also looking phenomenal at the moment. Let's hope she stays like that for another two or three days. Jessica Alba (on whom I've been fixating my eyes a lot lately) made it evident that she doesn't need any designer cocktail dresses and hours of hair and make-up to look incredible. This weekend she slipped into a grandpa cardi, which she wore with leggings and battered brown leather boots. I particularly liked the choice of earrings (despite my odd feelings towards hoops) and of sunglasses. I do believe a big Proenza PS1 would've finished the look quite well, no?

Lastly, we have Natalie Portman. I am still hurt that she never called to inform me of her engagement and bun in the oven before I found out online. But that's another story. She attended the Palm Springs International Film Festival wearing a unknown-so-far Vionnet SS11 sort of chemise dress with golden cuffs and neck. Personally, I found the choice not only exquisite on her but also quite apt for the occasion as it looked like what a (tasteful) ice skater or ballet dancer would wear. I am still hoping for THE Rodarte dress... Maybe for her wedding?
I'm off.

[Pictures: JustJared.buzznet.com]

Halloween 2010: AdR steals the show (yet again)

It has taken me too long to post about this year's Halloween most notorious outfits. And this is been due to my not being able to find any Anna dello Russo pictures. I read her tweets over the weekend and literally couldn't wait to see what she, the queen of over-the-top, had worn. And, of course, becoming Lady Gaga for the night was the only possible option. She worn one of Gaga's famous see-through latex dresses with plenty of crystal embroidery, which must've been quite a show under the party's lights. She accessorised with a wacky pair of sunglasses, the same white wig she wore for the Vogue Paris masquerade and, of course, a bird on her head. To be quite fair, it was like a more minimalistic and futuristic version of her Gareth Pugh hat. But everything fits perfectly, no doubt about that.

After Anna, my favourite fashionista in Halloween has got to be Brad Goreski. He went to the heart of the matter and dressed up first as Tavi for the Lanvin party and then as AdR, duh. It is kind of scary how absolutely spot-on he got both costumes. I just wish more pictures of him as Anna see the light. How amazing would have it been if he'd had a third party and gone as Rachel? Ba-na-nas.
Bryanboy decided to share some blogger love by also going as Tavi. I'll give him a point for the thoughtfulness and effort but he looked more like a crazy cat-lady. My other two favourite costumes were Anouck Lepère's very literal waffle (so refreshing) and Karmen Pedaru's Altuzarra number, which looked stunning kind of evoking a fashionable faun.

What did you dress up as on Halloween?
I'm off.

[Pictures: Style.com, styleite.com, thenightqueen.files.wordpress.com, api.ning.com]

A guide to: white & ombré hair

A few days ago I was thinking if how incredibly exciting it was to watch Lady Gaga at the beginning. The anticipation of her next change of hair or her next outrageous outfit was unbelievable. After only a few months, a year maybe, that excitement has kind of worn off. I am not uninterested in what she wears or what says but I no longer feel that anticipation which predicted something unique coming up.
And then I saw this picture. Gaga had been in London doing some work with Nicola Formichetti and she got a very refreshing makeover. Call me crazy but this white ombré hair looks great on her, almost natural. I feel like she should follow the hair's direction with her clothes and she'll be on the right path. I think it's time for Lady Gaga to shock by starting to create her own personal style.
But it was the hair I was most excited about. I have been a fan of fake white hair forever and I have this frustrated feeling inside that I should dye my hair green or bright (smurf) blue, at least, once in my life. And so I went through my picture archives to find out how people have been experimenting with the different versions of ombré and white hair in the last few years.

Colour ombré
It got extremely popular a few seasons ago both in and out the runway (by Proenza Schouler). The most popular version was that of the picture from The Sartorialist of the girl with the peroxide blond hair and the pale pink highlights. It is probably the most "natural" way you can use unordinary colours on your hair but it can also go wrong (see below). The other two examples show how you can also let the fake colour take over the natural one by creating a degradé from the root to the ends —metallics look particularly good like this.

White
As I said, I am a big fan of white hair. I envy old people and their white locks because shows you've lived and you're proud. But letting nature work its magic is not the only way to achieve this. The most famous white-haired person (apart from the Queen) is Karl Lagerfeld. I am unsure of the natural colour of his hair but he has often said he uses a chemical to keep it white because it also helps tame his locks in a ponytail. George Lamb's is exactly the way I'd like my hair to look. Instead of dying it back to how it used to be ('Just for men' lol) just embrace it and introduce it in your look. We have obviously seen it on AdR as well (in the shape of a wig) and on older fashionistas like Iris Apfel.

Natural
Within the boundaries of hair dying there are some options that without looking natural still can pass as common. That's the case of peroxide and bleach blond dyes —as seen on Abbey Lee, Mark Ronson or Kate Lanphear. They key is to keep the roots colours (to avoid looking trashy) and the cut clean and simple. The most natural option for ombré hair, though, has to be the one that celebrities the likes of Rachel Bilson, Alexa Chung or Elisa Sednaoui have been sporting lately. It could simply de described as brunette meets blonde. I love the effect it has so much I have been recommending it to a dear friend of mine lately. Hope she listens.

I'm off.

[Pictures: JustJared.buzznet.com, Jak & Jil, Zimbio.com, The Sartorialist]

Alejandro: the old and the new

The hype around every one of Lady Gaga's videos grows with the release of each one. I Have to admit I always get a little excited to see them for the first time but this time it was different. I can't remember how long ago it was when I read that Steven Klein, my favourite photographer, was directing her 'Alejandro' video but ever since then I literally couldn't wait. I won't admit to the number of times I have watched it since yesterday but, believe me, you'd think me a freak.
Anyway, the Gaga and Klein combination very much delivered. The video is, visually, one of the best things I have seen in music in a very long time. The Klein aesthetic covers every single shot and light choice and mixes influences that Gaga and himself share as well the ones ever-present in all his work.

Gaga's first couple of outfits consist of a black cape (top picture) and a lace outfit both custom made Alexander McQueen pieces as well as a Philip Treacy for Alexander McQueen custom made hat. It is no secret Lady Gaga adores McQueen and we have often seen many of his pieces in her videos. This is brought to the maximum with Steven Klein, who was close to the designer (and Daphne Ginness) and who shot editorials (like the one above for W back in 2002) and adverts for him.

If you follow Klein, you'll know he is known for having a fixation with, among others, horses, Madonna, religion and sex. In 'Alejandro' the references to Madonna are endless. Gaga's "blasphemous" scenes from the video have so much in common with Madonna's 'Like a Prayer' video from 1989. crosses, rosaries and religious attire irreverently mixed with sex, custom made Atsuko Kudo (nun outfit), Hussein Chalayan (leather jacket) and custom made Jaiden RVA James (hooded dress).

'Alejandro' switches between Madonna eras mixing all the different aspects of the singers that characterise Gaga. Suddenly we're in the 'Vogue' video from 1990 where Gaga more literally replicates Madonna's black suit and famous (Gaultier) pointy bra. Once again, more genius styling from Mr. Formichetti -Dolce & Gabbana waistcoat, Fracesco Scognamiglio trousers, gun bra custom made by David Samuel Menkes and Calvin Klein underwear.

Again, the Steven Klein point of view is so present that many still shots of the video could very well be editorial pictures. The 'bed theme' has been such a recurrent one in his work, from Madonna's W editorial in 2002, to the Beckham's for the same magazine in 2007 or some of his more recent work. If you look at the 'bed dancing' scenes in 'Alejandro' you might even see some resemblance with Britney's 'Me Against the Music' video, a suggestion from Maddona?

Click here to enjoy the video in HQ. Here to go to Steven Klein's website. And here to check out Nicola Formichetti's blog.
I'm off.

PS. I really liked the Evandro Soldati cameo. Have a look at some of his work here.


[Credits: NicolaFormichetti.blogspot.com, Style.com, StevenKleinStudio.com. Screencaps from youtube videos.]

The Most Influencing

As it does every year, TIME magazine's list of the 100 most influential people was recently published. I was flicking through the magazine today and reading some of the pieces. The best thing about them is that they are all written by people who know the influential person in question or by someone that is has a somewhat relevant opinion because of what they do. And so, Lady Gaga's is by Cindy Lauper, Robert Pattinson's by Chris Weitz (director of the Twilight saga), Lea Michele's by Olivia Newton-John, Marc Jacobs' by Victoria Beckham, and Liya Kebede's (in the 'Heroes' section) by Tom Ford.

The little texts about all the 100 people try to sketch out why these people are on the list to those who might not be familiar with them. For soVIPzone, I picked out the ones that were fashion related, even if somehow remotely. Out of all of them, I found Lea Michele's addition the most surprising. Glee is quickly becoming a phenomenon and she's right in the centre of it. I had noticed her before in "Spring Awakening" and she seems to be climbing steps up the red-carpeted ladder, so we'll see where she is headed.

Do you agree with the additions to the list? Who would you add?

I'm off.

[Credits: Time.com, Zimbio.com, JustJared.buzznet.com, Superfuture.com]

Met Gala 2010: The afterparty

As you know, I am addicted to the parties section of Stye.com, so I panicked when I didn't find any pictures of the Met Gala afterparty there. Luckily, I remembered that there is life outside Style.com and found them on the WWD website. And these are no ordinary party pictures, they are all full of First of all, Blake Lively stripped down to a t-shirt (presumably Alex Wang, haha) and a pair of converse! Completely genius, and sexy. Changing for a party isn't actually unprecedented but it kind of is to me since I have never seen graphic evidence before. Then, Matthew Morrison from Glee dancing with Natasha Poly, which was simply genius if you ask me. Although nothing wins over the picture of Sienna in jeans and a tank top looking (allegedly) hammered and Jude's face of love-meets-drunkard-sympathy.

Check out the rest of the pictures from the WWD website here. And have a look at this video below for a bit of the dresses in motion.

I'm off.

PS. Is anyone coining a term such as Jenna for J&S? I feel like we really need it.

[Images & video: WWD.com]

a 'faux pas' and a 'oui plus'

Many things have been said about Gaga's wacky outfits, to most of which I've answered that whatever one's personal taste she deserves some credit for being daring and experimental. Now, there are certain things one just doesn't do, and writing on a Birkin bag is one of them. Lady Gaga was spotted touching down on Narita, Japan sporting the white Hermès staple with Japanese writing on it (translation, please). She's lost so many points for that. Contrary to Gaga, life and fashion legend Kate Moss was seen in Paris in one of her most awesome recent looks —a kind of feathered fur gillet over a white blazer together with zip-bottom skinny jeans and a pair of black stilettos very in the line of Prada FW10. Nous aimons.

[Pictures: JustJared.buzznet.com, RDuJour.com]

I'm off.

smoke gets in your eyes

Whatever the newspaper covers say, I don't care too much for Gaga smooching a girl in the lips, taping her bosom or forgetting her knickers at home. I do care, though, about the jaw-dropping work of Nicola Formichetti in every single one of her videos. Whether for or against Gaga it is undeniable that her association with the Japanese/Italian stylist and Dazed & Confused creative director is pushing the fashion envelope. Now, we are not sure where the envelope will end up. And, for the moment, we don't care.
The fascinating stub glasses that seem somewhat disturbing as they still steam. Perhaps a cliched metaphor?
Takes the whole concept of trashy chic to a complete, very literal level.
My favourite piece of clothing from the video —the black & white Thierry Mugler outfit.
I would have liked to see Beyonce fight the crazy 88 as Uma did.
I am still trying to understand the reason why this "Let's make a sandwich" bit is a part of the video. But I am really digging the latex dress and the fact that there's visual evidence of Gaga ingesting food.
Worst fringe and best eye-shadow.
One of the many Castelbajac from the video. Strikingly beautiful.

[Screen captures by moi from the Telephone video by Lady Gaga and Beyonce]

I'm off.