Goddess of love - the worlds new G.U.Y?

A worldwide rush of excitement is in the air, as earlier this morning Lady Gaga surprised us all when she released teasers of her new video for the latest single G.U.Y. I thought it would be interesting to try and predict what this video would me made up of. Take the concept... Aphrodite surrounded by her servants or lovers? I think not... Look a little more in depth and you will realise that Gaga is actually posing as Aphrodite (the goddess of love) surrounded by her offspring (Himeros and Eros). 

I found that the initial concept for the video has a slight connotation with this thesis by William Blake Richmond (1953) then again, this is a fashion blog and not a history blog.

Looking at some of the outfit Gaga presents in these teasers, we see two swimsuits... A black, PVC, panel cut swimsuit and also a metallic gold, ribbed, fibre flaked swimsuit... Both of which bear string resemblance to this old outfit, which I sure you don't remember...

That's right, she's bringing out the old guns again. Will this mean another hit, or will people sense that's she's desperate to make it back again with another outlandish yet stylish video? One thing for sure is that she will be taking influence from Donatella this time. Of course I love this woman, and Donatella just as much, but I'm sure your career outside Versace still exists.

Here are a few photos to refresh your memory when it comes to Versace and their sleek, panel tops and dresses, and again with the sketches Donatella thought up way back in the day, for all of those who think the Gaga-tella trend is brand new.

End of life crisis?

An amazing designer he may be, however in my eyes this is the fashion equivalent of Paris Hilton bringing out her own line... Overrun and saturated. From an advertising perspective, it's pretty unclear to make out whether the label formulates of just accessories, or whether a full spread line of clothing has been produced.

 However if you're lucky enough to wander into a Lagerfeld (brand) store by accident, you'll come across a wilderness of I sorted and somewhat misplaced garments. The mens collection is somewhat reminiscent of the back page in a Boden catalogue. Certainly not to my taste, however the shirts are embossed by a pattern I thought died at the birth of Superdry's 'washbasket shirt'

something that could be best described as a 'Darren Shirt' (inside joke).

Staring out of the window and trying to remember the last time it rained, analysing droplets run down the window creating an ever so subtle spectrum is the best way I can describe the boredom I feel with this brand. Surprisingly Karl Lagerfeld himself didn't have complete control over what was produced, his team, know as the LAGERFELD brand pride themselves on their work and never let us forget it.

Transcending into the womenswear and my heart somewhat lifts, seeing a Chanel-esque touch. Not so much the Lagerfeld era but what I feel could have been an Ode to CoCo, or perhaps Karl had no idea what was being approved, and by so doing purge himself of the ability to design freely for the brand again. Or perhaps I'm getting too psycho-analytical?

An urban feel dominates the womenswear, with a very slight sweep of class... Not much though. Although a damn sight better than the mens it could still be a campaign for a new River Island collection. It's a little odd in my opinion, to start your own brand and not tailor to the consumer, by producing a line you would wear yourself. Forgive me but I can't remember a time when Lagerfeld wore anything but an 8 year-old boys suit. 

An ever long bus journey reminds me of a sobering fact, and that is no matter who you are, investing in your own brand at a career mid point is a sure way to credit ultimate demise when it comes to your image. Never the less, who is to say this won't be the next big thing? Oh wait, me.

Fabulous in human form.

True to her word, 'Trip the Light Fantastic' is a fantastic album, so after accompanying me on my daily morning commute through London, I decided this bitch is just too fabulous. Not only is she known for her eclectic music career, but she is also known throughout the fashion industry, be either for her unique sense of style, her perfect advertising complexion or just a look that would even turn Kate Moss into a green eyed monster.

Asides from her music, Bextor has truly adopted a unique sense of style, (remember this was a decade ago, so those of you dressing like this now, you're not trendy, you're old). Designers love her, photographers love her and so we do, but it's not just because she's drop dead gorgeous, or multi talented... It's because clothes love her. Behind the camera she is dressed in anything, from boxy shapes to low cut and loose vee dresses, she makes the cut. On the other hand, her day to day life suggest that she doesn't spend all of her money in designers boutiques. Broke bitch? I think not, she just knows how to dress amazing on a budget... On second thoughts, maybe she is broke. Hope those album sales are raking in!

No matter what you think of her music or attitude you can certainly agree that clothes love her, perhaps a modelling career? You heard it here first! No matter what I can safely say this girl is fabulous in human form. I mean for fuck sake she even looks amazing getting off a bus, snap a candid of myself and you'll see a sweetly mess, dropping coins and spilling coffee all over people...

I fancy some of this man beef...

This year, three things stand out the most with mens SS14:

- A block piece consisting of heavy print.

- Double breasted blazers.

- Man Bags.

Thankfully all of which I wear, so it's nice for once to see that I'm not utterly atrocious when walking around shopping. However over the past few weeks I have seen some guys wearing utterly grotesque outfits. This is a chance to redeem yourself, for the first time in fashion history, menswear is on par with womenswear in terms of how unique and outspoken the outfits are. 

We no longer have to hide who we are, surprisingly it's actually being encouraged. So come on you homos, slap on some floral shorts, a blazer and slip the beer in a man bag and join in the sunny Calif Coast...

Most wearable trends of Summer 2014

Get your skates on bitches. If you want to look half decent this summer, don't do the usual and run down to the beach in those soccer mom jeans and baggy T-shirt, get Geometrical and put a classy spin in those day to day outfits. 

The focal point of SS14 for womenswear has seen the reinvention of the 'gym look' and of course the 'soccer mom' look. Being either a wise move or a desperate attempt to hold onto clientele, it has worked. Of course fashion is eclectic, so you may love or hate the season, or you may pull off a trending outfit or look like a whale. 

The only thing I could wish for, would be for women (and men) to be more unique. Stop sheeping trends and yes, take a spin, but me more creative. We all know that an outfit defines a woman... In particular the shoes.

3 for £1 on Chanel?

As SS14 is in full swing, the more sporty side of fashion comes into play as Karl Lagerfeld presents Chanel and their AW14 collection. With a more relaxed feel to the clothing this season, I was hoping the elaborate catwalk didn't take all of the shine from the runway. On a positive note, it didn't. Although the pop art themed supermarket seemed to place an uncanny reference to Damien Hirst's 'Pharmacy' installation:- something I distinctively remember experiencing as a child. Or perhaps I'm just the sceptic blogger. Needless to say it has been the focal talking point of pop culture over the past two days.

The clothing seems to reflect what a lot of people feel at the moment, which is a boredom of high maintenance, I am not one of those people. With easy and manageable outfits, you would think this may distract from the on point, avant garde feel of modern day Chanel... It doesn't. Lagerfeld really shows us how to present a collection with a relaxed feel without going down the gym route. I'm sure we can all agree that the 'everyday housewife' look is starting to become a more permanent set with a seasonal refresh, this however was by far the most overt we have seen. The theme bears good reflection in the set, showing that it's a line of clothes that can be worn for mediocre, everyday chores...such as grocery shopping.

The first few lines we see feature generic tendencies of the modern day Chanel look; covetable, dramatic and youthful with a typical Chanel hybrid of dramatic and chic. This feel carried through the entirely of the show, except for the couple that flaunted through the supermarket, he carrying her bag of Chanel purchases. All in all the majority of the collection with emphasis of colour and material follows through with the sporting feel with sudden appearances of a dramatic edge, true to the image of the brand.

I can safely say that if anyone is to successfully and continuously re-invent the image of a brand while raising the bar for fashion, it is Lagerfeld. A true legend in the eyes of most. Although amazing, I'm pretty sure CoCo would turn in her grave at the thought of her classic and respectable brand being bent into a pop art era. I suppose we can't leave that for her to decide.

Images: Lea Colombo/Dazed Digital

www.chanel.com

Design ventures ruin the modern day fashion industry.

No doubt everyone reading this owns at least one piece of clothing from an independent company. You know, the type of 'company' that either creates shit logos and plasters them on a bad quality tee shirt, or completely rips off an urban brand. If you don't, then I applaud you. It is the rapidly growing portion of people who think they can make money from their diabolical designing, that will ultimately ruin Western fashion.

Designers are constantly challenged with new ways of selling their brand and creating enough exposure for the next season. It is for this reason we won't see half as many fabulous bitches walking around London wearing new season Chanel, Versace or a Westwood and owning designer clothing is almost frowned upon. The main cause of demolition is the near extinction of the British Gentleman. When was the last time you saw a hot guy walking the streets wearing an ensemble of Tweed blazers, Oxford Shirts and of course those gorgeous Oxford bag trousers? Exactly. These shit clothes have wiped out any need for a guy to dress well. 

Wherever possible I try to dress smart but with an edge. Unfortunately I'm caught in a world of little funds where I can't afford the amazing Westwood pants I was eyeing up all last night. I can't event find Oxford bag pants online that I can afford. For this, I blame all you cunts that make the world dress bad. Thumbs up. A prime example is of course Rudolph Valentino, I'll let you compare the images. One hundred years ago, he would be my boyfriend.