DAY
BEACH
NIGHT
Lana del Rey's career thus far has been formulated through the white glow of computer screens, blockbuster blogs and leaks from Russian sites; in some respect her career is a turn of the screw. Her vocals may reflect a 50s club singer of Old Hollywood but the methods of her means have been entirely twenty-first century. Lana is a juxtaposition of ideas, consciousness and beauty. Even her name isn't quite what it seems. In terms of style she is currently dappling between the old and new, compiling them together to create vintage-nu outfits any hipster would be proud of. Evidentially, this composition is catching, with high street shops emulating her fashion sense through a mix of neon lace a la Christopher Kane, reworked vintage Levis and perfect Hollywood waves seen on a whole host of catwalks this season. Lana's style personifies her music, she is always sweet verging on sexy, effortlessly glamorous yet verging on grunge (note the white sneakers paired with shirt dresses), steadily combining something old with something new. Her palette tends to be fairly neutral, virginal whites and complimentary creams appear to be particularly favourites. The first time I saw her live was in a grimy basement club, clad in a 60s style white lace shift she crooned her way through a short set possessing the magnetism on stage of a movie star of old. Backstage she had a vintage baseball jacket thrown over her shoulders and ballerina pumps on her feet, she appeared tiny and tentative yet entirely comfortable in the style her clothes, music and videos presented.
Lana appears to play up her Lake Placid roots, with typical Americana clothing symbol; the raglan t-shirts, Disney prints, fabric emblazoned with stars and stripes, even the atypical teenage must have Converse featuring in her latest 'Born To Die' video - despite the Paris location. Contrasting these statement pieces with neutral shades and a whole host of textures: silk and lace appear to be particular favourites. There is often a splash of colour, predominantly through florals: from the infamous heavily bloomed headdresses (now often spotted in the crowds at gigs as a fans homage) to strong flower print pieces (Born To Die). And typically Lana's more girlish outfits are toughened up with denim (be it jackets or shorts) and heavy amounts of gold jewellery. The gold jewellery should be wrong - the knuckle duster rings, the oversized hoop earrings, the layered necklaces - but instead on Lana it adds to the mystery of her persona, adding fire to the ferocious trailer park rumours. Lana's wardrobe is a further illusion and emulation of the clear style she presented within the very first Youtube clip several months ago. She could be the grime Princess of Americana's consumerist culture singing in the streets to hiphop beats or she could be the Hollywood siren wafting through Chateau Marmont, her smooth vocals carrying in the breeze. There is evidence to the argument her dress parallels her music; take for instance the lionhead belt donned during her Mulberry performance and the use of lions within the 'Born to Die' video or the continued American flag apparel given the title of one of the forthcoming album tracks is 'Diet Mtn Dew.' These are the videos that captured our attention, now what Lana wears is yet another visual feast for the audience.
For all the hype Lana has still remained devoid of tabloid press attention, through both her voice and her style she appears to be fulfilling a void within our encompassing culture. Our 21st Century celebs are entirely accessible by means they have never been before; they tweet, they Facebook, they pen autobiographies in their mid-20s and they open their lives to video cameras for MTV and E! Lana del Rey, despite the Facebook and Twitter account and her internet origins remains entirely elusive. She possesses an unattainable beauty, a talent worth envying and a wardrobe we are all sure to be lusting over come Spring/Summer and all this is only emphasised by her silence more than her speech. When Lana del Rey does make an appearance it is at a exclusive designer event (Mulberry at Chateau Marmont - she wore an almost translucent ethereal pink maxi), a surprise television appearance (Jonathon Ross - a white pencil dress this time) or to add a mysteriously engrossing philosophical tweet in the early hours of the morning. But it is because of all this, that we all want to sing like her and dress like her even more.
