Ok so usual festival feature is put on hold this week as I'm sure when I come back I'm going to be brimming with festival filled posts aplenty so I thought I should give you guys a reprieve for a week.
Probably rather unsurprisingly I've fallen completely in love with the concept behind Max Vuducal's latest shoot for W Magazine that depicts ten designers with the musicians that they feel inspire them the most. Music and fashion are so embroiled within our society today; with the ever creative Lady Gaga leading the forefront of the pack. At a time when Cheryl Cole's dresses are up for charity auction on ASOS and Kings Of Leon are one of many bands with their own clothing collaborations it is evident that music icons influence what we wear. Remember the rise of sequin adorned oversized knickers after Gaga emerged from a car back in 2009 in not much else?!
Probably rather unsurprisingly I've fallen completely in love with the concept behind Max Vuducal's latest shoot for W Magazine that depicts ten designers with the musicians that they feel inspire them the most. Music and fashion are so embroiled within our society today; with the ever creative Lady Gaga leading the forefront of the pack. At a time when Cheryl Cole's dresses are up for charity auction on ASOS and Kings Of Leon are one of many bands with their own clothing collaborations it is evident that music icons influence what we wear. Remember the rise of sequin adorned oversized knickers after Gaga emerged from a car back in 2009 in not much else?!
Whilst stylistically music stars influence fashion trends: what we wear and when we wear it, the music that they produce equally influences the designers collections. It is almost impossible to identify a dominant fashion period without assimilating a dominant musical style with it; take the 1920s flappers dress as iconic to the era as the saxophone and hooch, or the skinny suit infamous choice of the Beatles mods trend, or the leather jacket choice of rock stars worldwide. Iconic fashion trends from denim, to flowing long ethereal locks, to tie dye and grunge are undoubtedly interweaved with Hall of Fame musicians from Bob Dylan, to Kate Bush, to Bob Marley to Nirvana. So what comes first, the fashion or the musician?
Coco Chanel famously said "Fashion is not something that exists in dresses only. Fashion is in the sky, in the street; fashion has to do with ideas, the way we live, what is happening." Today we expect designers to draw us in with the allure of unlimited cultural inspiration, as the Mulleavy sisters did so well in their Rodarte Spring 2011 collection which was a creative amalgamation of their native Northern California, The Wizard of Oz and The Little House On The Prairie. I can listen to a song and be instantly filled with inspiration, particularly by songs by artists such as Metronomy, Lana Del Rey and Kings Of Leon, inevitably designers are going to find an album that fills them with inspiration, an artists personal style that appeals to them and be spurred into creativity by the cult like stance artists can be thrust into by their fans. I think the W article which you can read in full here really weaves this creative relationship together beautifully.
Little Mermaid compared Siren Florence Welch and Gucci's creative director Frida Gianna share a working relationship, with Frida responsible for designing many of Florence's dramatic stage costumes. I love Frida's quote on Florence's embodiment of Gucci's "cinematic allure and seductive power." Without a doubt through her music alone Florence Welch has come to possess a strong physical presence, with a powerfully evocative voice that appears to be applicable and resounding for every occasion. I love Florence's fashion sense too, with her dresses often weaving together historic periods such as the Renaissance, they seem to have a romanticism about them and appear almost overtly dramatic and larger than life.
DJ, Producer and Blackberry sponsor Diplo and modernistic and simplistic fashion genius Alexander Wang who worked together in an Alexander Wang advertising campaign. Alexander Wang has confessed his love for the frenetic, crazy and completely out there Major Lazer, that Diplo is a member of. You could probably postulate that it in Diplo's music efforts there are parallels of Alexander Wang's designs, with surprising samples and bold decisions evidential.
Independent and free spirited music icon Yoko Ono and bold evocative designers Proenza Schouler who emphasise the extent to which they adore Yoko Ono's personal style and her opposition to following trends. Yoko Ono's personal style however has also been eclectic, from her 60s and 70s days of long hair and hippie clothes to her more tailored and dark coloured wardrobe of recent years. Perhaps Proenza Schouler's Resort 2012 collection with its strong 70s palette was even influenced by Yoko Ono.
Just by looking at this picture the relationship between R&B rising star Janelle Monae and designer mogul Karl Lagerfield is evident. Both spend their careers straddling classicism and modernism effortlessly, with Janelle Monae weaving together classic tailoring with funky jazz intoned music and Karl Lagerfield responsible for the modernisation of Coco Chanel's 1910 baby that launched one of its most iconic items - Chanel No 5 - in the jazz age. Janelle says her own notorious suit is "transcendent" and never goes out of style, much like a Chanel piece never dates. Then of course there is the added bonus of their rhyming names, Janelle and Chanel a match made in Heaven.
Rap star Kanye West and design duo Rodarte both interweave a multitude of culture and spectacle into their designs and shows, with each album or runway a carefully nurtured concept that comes to fruition in a beautifully expressive way.
Vibrant popular star M.I.A and iconic Donatella Versace are both fiery, innovative, bold and fierce independent women whose influences and style are imprinted all over their decisions. Both stand out from the crowd, drawing worldwide influence and daring fashion choices together into unique outfits and collections.
