Fashion Meets Music: Marry The Night

*Another MISS exclusive for you, check it and the amazing images as laid out by C_Rocka at Fashion Meets Music: Lady Gaga Marry The Night.


After splitting with her creative director of four years, Laurieann “Boomkat” Gibson, Mama Monster has taken the reigns and delivered a music video wrapped in a 14 minute short film. With less than subtle nods to “Fame,” “Black Swan,” “Desperately Seeking Susan” and a touch of “The Bell Jar,” this somewhat dark trip into the recesses of Gaga’s mind is worth the 14 minutes just to hear her muse on BeDazzlers and next season’s Calvin Klein.


According to the lady herself, “Marry The Night” depicts the worst day in her life. If the worst day in her life included well phrased monologues, custom Giuseppe Zanotti shoes, break downs in Manhattan lofts, mint hair dye and blowing up cars in over the knee Christian Louboutin boots, I’d gladly trade. Of course like she says at the beginning as she’s being wheeled to a room in a psych ward after an undisclosed operation, this is her version of the truth which is more true than the actual truth. Whatever break down that lead to Stefani becoming Gaga was devoid of the sick clothes, amazing choreography, over the top imagery and hard hitting sounds that we see in “Marry The Night,” but it undoubtedly lead to it.

Break down over and done, the beauty in “Marry The Night” is not just the metaphor laden overarching theme but the clothes of course–I mean seriously, it IS Gaga. From the moment we see a barely conscious Mama Monster being wheeled down the hall by two hot nurses in sterile white dresses with sick white heels and mint hair nets, we know this is a Gaga production. Fast forward to a newly released Gaga losing her mind in her studio, bathing in honey nut Cheerios and dying her hair mint green as she sings the opening lines of “Marry the Night” in her bathtub wearing, as we see later, nothing but a pair of sparkly platforms. She has her Madonna moment in BeDazzled denim and a pair of awesome custom shades, and slides into the roof of a car in a black pleather outfit that is equal parts Batgirl and dominatrix. Through the quick flashes of the moments leading up to her break down we get glimpses of a pre-meat dress Gaga circa The Fame. While I loved every outfit from beginning to end the most beautiful, and wearable ones, were worn by the nurses as they wheeled our little “morphine princess” back to reality.


Whatever you think about Gaga, her backstory or her abilities as a director, you have to admit that the girl is smart. I mean only someone with a mind full of references addled by self induced trauma could come up with such a fitting homage to the struggles of fame and reinvention,  and everyone’s favorite city all while wearing heels so high that falling off of them would break a major bone.

Give It to Me...Now!

*This is a MISS exclusive, featuring me tapping into my inner Veruca and demanding asking for some lovely Christmas gifts. View it in its original format at What I Want for the Holidays 2011: Anastasia. 

It’s the holidays again and you know what that means: family is driving you bananas, the mall is crowded as hell and it’s time to get your wish lists in order to ensure that you don’t end up with leaping lords, milking maids and water fowl under your tree on Christmas day. As a “grown up,” my Christmas list usually begins with requests to pay off my student loans, pay off one of my credit cards or a brand new car, and eventually ends with things my parents, friends and boo can buy without taking out loans to do so. This year, after a rocky past few months, I’ve decided to keep it relatively simple and only ask for stuff I’ll actually use and get, not that I wouldn’t be happy with something not on the list that is green and can be used to buy whatever I want. However, I have a few people in my life who are bad gift givers–daddy–and need to use this as a visual aid to find the present that will guarantee I don’t go all Veruca Salt on Christmas day.

1. Carrie’s Lost Choo aka Jimmy Choo’s Marlene Sandal- I’ve always had a thing for shoes, my friends can tell you that in college they watched me work up the shoe ladder from Steve Madden, Nine West and Aldo to Calvin Klein, BCBG and Michael Kors so it was inevitable that Choo would be my next step. While other girls are eying practical red bottom shoes just to say they have a pair of Louboutin’s, I’m embracing my inner Bradshaw and going for Carrie’s iconic Marlene sandal. At $1995 these violet platform sandals with hand-applied feathers and crystals may be more of a shoe dream than a reality, but you can’t knock a girl for asking.

2. Rebecca Minkoff Snake Stamped Metallic Leather Laptop Case- Last Christmas, in addition to boots on boots on boots, I got the most amazing grown up life present ever: a 15″ Macbook Pro. She’s a life saver and my best friend, unfortunately she’s a bit smaller than my old Toshiba and doesn’t have a laptop case to call her own. Sooo…she needs this more than I do. I mean my Mac is a fly chick and deserves a fly place to sleep when she isn’t busy hanging out in coffee shops, on my coffee table or working her tush off.

3. Spiritual Gangster Limited Edition Guru Yoga Mat- On top of being a bomb dot com writer and fashion addict I’m also a huge spiritual gangster and in love with yoga–although I’m just getting back into it after a brief hiatus that has lasted several years. To get back in my yoga groove I need a new mat–I had crawfish and beer on my last one years ago and ruined it–and this one is certified gangster, like listening to Jay Z while reading Deepak Chopra and retweeting @UncleRush kinda gangster.

4. Vitamix Blender- With the call back to my yoga mat finally being answered, my body is now calling out for a break from pizza, tacos, burgers and all the other junk I feed my body. The best way for me to get my body back on track is to blend and the best bet in the blender department is the Vitamix. It blends smoothies, frozen big-girl beverages and juices, which is the real reason I want it since buying fresh juice from Whole Foods is a good way to be healthy and poor.

5. Tiny Devotions Transition Mala- Part two of my spiritual gangster path brings us to my mala, aka prayer beads. This particular set is made with labrodorite and amethyst and is supposed to protect you during vulnerable growth stages and add a little peace and tranquility to your life and outfit. With a big move from the dirty south to the big apple looming on my horizon, I figure I can use all of the protection, peace and tranquility that I can get.

Remember, ’tis the season for giving, gathering, and being grateful so keep your head up and pass those unwanted fruitcakes my way, because I’m strange and I actually like fruitcakes. Happy Holidays y’all! 

Fashion Meets Music: Our Deal

This is a M.I.S.S. original so....you know the drill. Find the original at Fashion Meets Music: Our Deal.

What do you get when you put the beachy, SoCal sound of Best Coast in a blender with some of Hollywood’s hottest up-and-comers, The Warriors, West Side Story and tons of eyeliner? Drew Barrymore’s music video directorial debut for Best Coast’s “Our Deal.” Shot for MTV’s Supervideo series, videos shot sans the band under the premise of telling a story not selling a single, “Our Deal” features my favorite under 20 actress Chloe Moretz as a star crossed lover in an L.A. gang kicking ass and falling in love with the wrong guy–who hasn’t been there.

“Our Deal” is a typical easy, breezy Best Coast track that would fit right into one of Drew Barrymore’s smaller budget romantic comedies or a movie about a modern day Romeo and Juliet who are members of rival houses and gangs–wait Baz Luhrmann already made that movie. Either way Barrymore’s four and ten minute long videos both accomplish what so many videos fail to, telling a smart story with good acting that does not rely heavily on seductive dance moves and over the top costumes. Although it was tough to watch as a recently single gal, this video gets an A for storytelling and an A+ for style.

Speaking of style, Drew Barrymore told the people over at Pitchfork that the entire video was inspired by the timelessness of the jean jacket and Best Coast’s modern meets retro sound. Sound aside, it is beyond obvious that pre-filming Barrymore was on a strict visual diet that included The Warriors, West Side Story, The Outsiders, and Rebel Without a Cause. Her girls sport Winehouse-esque hair, tons of eyeliner and the kind of bad chick attitude I’ve been trying to cultivate for years with little success–I don’t think my hair gets big enough to hide eyeliner and razors in for that. The guys in the clip have that dangerous mix of James Dean and that cute hipster dude you always want to ask you out but never does. Channel this urban rebel look with skinny dark denim, biker boots, an amazing leather jacket, vintage tees, black liner and enough Aqua-net to kill the ozone layer dead.

Fashion Meets Music: Shake It Out

This was written exclusively for M.I.S.S. To view this post in its original format please go to Fashion Meets Music: Shake it Out. Big thanks to C_Rocka for doing all of my FMM images, no matter how late I get them to her. 

Blame it on the economy, Boardwalk Empire or next year’s Great Gatsby release but designers have gone head over heels for the Jazz Age. In almost perfect timing, Florence Welch is embodying the joie de vivre of the prohibition era in the video for her latest single, “Shake It Out.”

 Before I dig in on the inspired and inspiring fashion sported in the video, I have to talk about the track itself. As the second single from Florence + The Machine’s upcoming album Ceremonials, slated to drop on Halloween, “Shake It Out” is filled with the beautiful and stirring lyrics that we’ve come to expect from Flo and Co. Seriously, “Shake It Out” will be to Ceremonials what “Dog Days Are Over” was to Lungs, you know the catchy, poppy hit that strikes a chord with everyone from self help devotees to Gleeks. The magic one this one is not only in the lyrical content, which is spectacular, but the instrumentation as well. It literally makes you want to get up and shake the bad juju out of your hair before attempting to start again.

 Sartorially speaking the entire video is a send up to the raucous all weekenders that we who did not live through it associate with the Jazz Age thanks to a Mr. F. Scot Fitzgerald. While the fashion isn’t 100% true to the era that brought us the little black dress and the bob, it does touch on important high notes of the defining style of the time. Florence floats ethereally in a flowy red dress, becomes the life of a masquerade in a gilded sheath with serious back emphasis--a hallmark of evening gowns form the 30’s--and gives us a little Victor Victoria vibe in a black dress that would be at home in the decade preceding Gatsby and Daisy’s. Not only are Florence’s looks beyond ideal but the looks of her fellow revelers, clad in 1920’s-ish pieces and Venetian masks, hints at next spring’s love affair with decade that perfected excess a generation before the 80s .

Incorporate a little 20’s glam into your wardrobe, and look like such the trendsetter by picking up on next season’s trend before it hits the mags, by seeking out pieces that pour on the glitz. Think dropped waists, t-strap, moderate hight heels--leave the super high skyscrapers at home, lots of gold, silver, sequins and feathers, and rich fabrics and colors. A perfect way for girls no blessed with Florence Welch’s mile long legs to get in on this trend and the video’s vibe is to pair a knee length dress like this one by French Connection with t-strap heels, a great cocktail ring and a perfect red pout--lipstick only came in varying shades of red way back when. Taller girls can shake it all out in a dress similar to the red chiffon number that Florence gets down in and float into their next fete with all eyes on them. Just be sure to top it off with costume jewelry to bring the look together.

Fashion Meets Music: Bjork

This is M.I.S.S. original. To see it in its original format go to Fashion Meets Music: Bjork.

“The pop landscape, not to mention the fashion scene, is always a duller place without Björk.”

Truthfully, the world would be a little less bright without the quirky sounds and styles of this Icelandic performance artist who brought strange to the mainstream long before meat dresses were in vogue.

This pixie-like siren with a voice as distinctive as her look, has been bringing her eccentric style to the masses since she was 11 years old. After fronting various bands since the age of 14 Bjork finally hit the big time as a member of the Sugarcubes, an alternative rock band that gained a cult following in the states and abroad during the late 80’s/early 90’s. Post Sugarcubes, Bjork moved to London to pursue a solo career where she linked up with producer Nellee Hooper and her first super hit “Human Behavior” was born. While “Human Behavior” didn’t get much air time, the video directed by frequent time Bjork collaborator Michel Gondry went into heavy rotation on MTV and that was pretty much history. Several albums and awards later, this singer-songwriter/composer/producer/occasional actress has earned acclaim across several genres and influenced and mentored several struggling recording artists. While her eclectic sound and three octave vocal range have cemented her as one of the greatest voices of all time, according to NPR and MTV, her striking appearance is as distinguishing as her sound.

Who can forget the impish Bjork bopping down the red carpet at the Academy Awards dressed in a swan? Her signature coal black hair framing her face as she baffled every red carpet commentator with her Marjan Pejoski creation. After seeing Gaga carried to the Grammys in an egg, Bjork’s 2001 choice seems tame in comparison. As the answer to “What came first, the mama goose of the egg,” Bjork’s unconventional style has spawned legions of fans and admirers. She’s collaborated with fashion’s favorite rule breakers, Alexander McQueen and Jeremy Scott, and came up with outlandishly amazing creations more for art’s sake than to shock and garner attention from a crowd. Face paint? Yes. Dresses that are more papier-mache art projects than dresses befitting an in the flesh start? Check. Dark hair that adds a certain mystery to her strikingly East-Asian features? Banged and falling around her face or tightly wound in Princess Leia like buns.

While most avant garde, performance artist types from the 90s have fallen into anonymity, Bjork has recently released her 8th album Biophilia, the world’s first “app album” in collaboration with Apple which was partly recorded on iPad. To top 2011 of right, Bjork has also collaborated with the Dirty Projectors on their album Mount Wittenberg Orca, due out in late October.

Whether you are a fan of her quirky fashion sense or phenomenal vocal and musical talents, we can all agree that Bjork is one iconoclastic performer.

Fashion Meets Music: Beth Ditto

This is another MISS orignal for my weekly Fashion Meets Music column. To view this piece in its original format go to Fashion Meets Music: Beth Ditto.

Mary Beth Patterson has been compared to a punk version of Melissa Etheridge, a character from a John Waters’ flick, Pink meets Divine, and a whole host of other characters since she blew up the scene with Gossip (same band as The Gossip) in 2006. While whatever people say she is she isn’t, Beth Ditto is for sure the kind of girl who blows stereotypes out of the water and could soothe a savage beast with her voice.

Hailing from Searcy, Arkansas, this 30 year old performer with more energy than an atomic bomb went from a wannabe singer who thought her weight would keep her stuck belting out songs in the Bible Belt to a bonafide star after toiling for years with her bandmates, Nathan “Brace Pain” Howdeshell and first Kathy Mendonca then Hannah Billie. Since forming in 1999, working the underground club circuit in the Pacific Northwest, changing drummers, and dropping the “the” from their name, Gossip has won several awards, released four albums and experienced the kind of mainstream success that VMA’s are made of.

When it comes to style, this self professed “fat, feminist lesbian from Arkansas” has broken every rule that attempts to confine plus-sized beauties to dark, structured pieces pushing them into the background. If there is one thing Beth Ditto is not, it’s a background type of girl. This one woman revolution dons spandex dresses in bold patterns including the taboo horizontal stripe, shows as much skin than her svelte counterparts, and has been known to love Miu Miu’s (not muumuus) flowy frocks. Whether she’s changing up her hair color, piling on the eyeliner, or proclaiming that she doesn’t shave her arm pits, how punk of her, this girl from the backwoods doesn’t have killer style in spite of her roots she has it because of them. While she’s come a long way from shoplifting from Marshall’s and Goodwill, the style she developed out of necessity has carried her from Arkansas to Paris Fashion Week where she opened John Paul Gaultier’s Spring 2011 runway show.

Although this punk rock, plus-sized charmer may have landed on the cover of Love magazine’s first issue, stark naked might I add, and had her own collection of clothes sold by UK retailer Evans, she has empowered countless girls to be who they are no matter what size they are. In fact, her unique ability to embrace every inch and ounce of her body, something most women struggle do regardless of their size, lead to her contributing an advice column on body mage for The Gaurdian.

Whether you love her for the way she growls and gets down on stage or for her sincerely in your face style, Beth Ditto is for sure the real deal and worthy of our adoration.

Fashion Meets Music: Amy Winehouse

This is a MISS original, making the copy and layout all theirs. To see it in its original format go to Fashion Meets Music: Amy Winehouse.

By now most of the world has heard the news that the 27 club has gained a new member in Amy Winehouse. While this talented, young singer may never get the chance to make the comeback we were all rooting for, her talent and bold sartorial choices will go on to inspire generations of young women for as long as the Internet still stands. Since we have already covered the life, times, and brief career of Amy Winehouse, I’ll skip the pleasantries and get straight to the fashion.

Before exploring 50’s and 60’s girl groups sounds in her Back to Black album, Amy dressed like any other recording star on the rise in her late teens. As evidenced by the album covers for Frank and Back to Black, Amy’s early style was quite tame compared to what it would eventually evolve into. Her dark hair didn’t even have the crown fullness of Snookie’s pouf and her eyeliner had yet to reach Cleopatra-like proportions. Somewhere between the 2003 release Frank and the 2006 release of Back to Black Amy fell in love with duwop and embraced the style of women like Etta James and Ronnie Spector, or Veronica Bennett as she was known during her days with The Ronnettes.

Instead of carbon copying the style of 50’s and 60’s icons, Amy added her own spin on things and came up with a look reminiscent of a character from a John Waters flick complete with skyscraper hair and Tracy Lords like body con outfits. To accessorize her modern girl group member meets pin-up girl style, Amy seemingly used an entire pot of MAC fluidline to draw an exaggerated cat eye that would make Elizabeth Taylor’s Cleopatra make-up artist jealous. On top of the over the top beehive, that sometimes sported a white streak or two, the drape like outfits, and the eyeliner that launched one thousand make-up tutorials, Amy made sure to show off her impressive and always growing collection of ink. Amy Winehouse’s distinctive style was so innovative and in demand that she was asked to collaborate on a 17-piece collection with the Fred Perry label which hit stores in October 2010.

Years after Amy’s “Rehab” and “You Know I’m No Good” put her on the map stateside, girls are still embracing the modern pin-up look, piling on the eyeliner, and pulling inspiration from Amy’s muses. While her look may have inspired a fad that died out the minute she began to give in to her self-destructive drug habit, the true legacy of Amy Winehouse’s style is in showing her fans that it is okay to be who you are. From Adele and Duffy who benefited from Amy taking the soul revival mainstream and making a way for them to move from the UK to the US, to Lady Gaga who credited Winehouse with making it easier for non-Britney pop stars to have mainstream success, down to the girl next door experimenting with her make-up, we all can learn a thing or two about expressing ourselves from Ms. Winehouse.

JUDAS!!!

This is another M.I.S.S. exclusive, so you know the drill. To see this post in it's original format go to Fashion Meets Music: Lady Gaga's "Judas".

Stefani Joanne Angelina Germonatta has obviously done her fair share of time in catechism and art history, because the video for her latest single, “Judas” is dripping with odes to religious iconography and popular culture. Instead of serving up a blasphemous video with an anti-Christian theme, Gaga merges the Renaissance with The Wild One and gives us a modern day version of Jesus Christ Superstar.

While a storm of unnecessary controversy swirled around “Judas” from the moment Gaga announced the track’s title, the lyrics are intelligent for a pop song, making the connection between Judas, Mary Magdalene, Jesus, and our little fame monster, the beat is sick albeit familiar, and the video is a sartorial feast for the eyes from the first frame. Although her chola version of Mary Magdalene felt like a continuation of her “Telephone” character, the Byzantine style crown she wears while ripping up the streets with Jesus and his chosen twelve, which calls to mind both Mary the mother of Jesus and the Empress Theodora another historic bad mamajama, and her leather top embroidered with a Sacred Heartmerge Renaissance portrayals of one of the most celebrated disciples with a modern day bad girl image.

Gaga’s fashionable play on religious imagery only begins with a Sacred Heart and a bikini top with a few strategically placed crosses. She carries the image of the beloved chola disciple from her mother superior with a lipstick loaded gun to her final scene as a Harajuku bride in creepers being stoned by her detractors. Despite her over the top fashion reeling you in from the first frame, the most striking image of Gaga comes when she bathes the feet of Jesus and Judas in simple leggings and a crop top with Botticelli like curls, but that’s just me you may prefer the Elizabethan Gaga entering the biker bar.

Clothes and Christianity aside, Gaga’s makeup was the underlying star of this video. Her thick eyeliner recalled on of history’s ultimate femme fatales, Cleopatra, and was very apropos considering her role as Bonnie to biker Jesus’s Clyde, who was very easy on the eyes mind you. Not only was her makeup game locked but Gaga’s stiletto nails were more than worthy of a place in our weekly Mani Monday wrap up. From a set boasting 3D nail art and what looked like a hint of denim to those amazing black and red nails dripping in gold chains, Gaga’s nails almost make me long for the days when I kept a fresh acrylic set.

Whether you are the fan of the makeup, the fashion, or the artful use of Gaga’s one year at NYU, most little monsters will agree that the only sin committed in “Judas” was mixing Chanel with Lacroix.

Josephine Baker, the Bronze Venus

This is a M.I.S.S. original and therefore the lovely graphics and my thought provoking prose all are their's, which is A OK with me. To see it in its original format go to Fashion Meets Music: Josephine Baker.

When Laurel Thatcher Ulrich said that “well behaved women seldom make history” she must have been thinking of the incomparable Josephine Baker, whose life proves that being well behaved is overrated. This trendsetting chanteuse became an international star despite being born with milk chocolate skin in a country that treated her like a second class citizen for it. While some style icons come in and out of fashion as trends change and evolve, Josephine Baker’s iconic status has never wavered.

Born Freda Josephine McDonald was born in 1906 in St. Louis, Missouri to Carrie McDonald and, according to her birth certificate, Eddie Carson, who may or may not have been her biological fathe-cue Maury. By the age of 12 the young girl who would go on to the labeled the Bronze Venus, had dropped out of school and was living on the streets of St. Louis dancing on street-corners to survive. Luckily, her talent garnered the attention of the right people and by 15 she was recruited for the St. Louis Chorus vaudeville show. Eventually her talent as a performer coupled with a Jazz Age love for all things seemingly exotic landed Josephine opening at the Théâtre de Champs-Élysées in Paris, where her practically nude erotic dancing made her an instant success. From there she moved to the Folies Bergéres where she performed the infamous Danse Sauvage in a skirt consisting of a string of artificial bananas reportedly designed by a lover of either Paul Poiret or Jean Cocteau. (To this day that iconic performance has been referenced by everyone from cartoon characters to Béyonce and beyond.) In due course, like many great performers Josephine’s act evolved to encompass dancing en pointe and singing which took months of training with a vocal coach. After a short while the “petite danseuse sauvage” who became “la grande diva magnifique” became the most successful American entertainer in France and starred in three films, becoming the first African-American woman to star in a major motion picture. While Josephine’s star burned bright abroad, she was the toast of Paris café society and served as a muse for everyone from Langston Hughes and F. Scott Fitzgerald to Pablo Picasso and Christian Dior, she never obtained the same reputation in America due in large part to her divine complexion.

While Josephine’s career spanned decades and even helped resurrect France’s fashion industry post-WWII with a few well designed costumes by Christian Dior and Pierre Balmain, Josephine Baker is and will always be synonymous with Art Deco. Her Eton crop, adopted almost the second she stepped off the boat in Paris, sparked a fashion trend and her over the top costumes accentuated her exotic looks which were all the rage in a decade that had just seen the discovery of King Tut’s tomb. It was rumored that it was no coincidence that tanned skin became popular during her rise to stardom-that has also been credited to another rags to riches chanteuse turned designer Coco Chanel. Always one to start trends and never follow them, Josephine Baker was also known to have an intense love of fashion, occasionally sketching over images in Vogue when she was traveling by train as a chorus girl. This elegant chanteuse who definitely knew that normal gets you nowhere was also known to perform on stage with her pet cheetah, Chiquita, adorned in a diamond collar. Its also worth mentioning that in true trendsetter style, Josephine was lightyears ahead of Brad and Angeline with her own Rainbow Tribe.

Armed more gumption than a little bit and the ability to evolve without abandoning her true inner voice, Josephine Baker set the stage for legions of aspiring performers despite never gaining true success at home. As one of my personal muses, right up there with Coco Chanel, Josephine’s drive and passion prove that if you believe in yourself and are true to who you are, nothing can stand in your way.

Straight ZEF!!!

This is a M.I.S.S. original for their weekly Fashion Meets Music column where I play connect the dots and wax poetically on how music and artists influence our sartorial choices. To view this post, and the images accompanying it, go to Fashion Meets Music: Yolandi Visser of Die Antwoord.

Ask anyone under a certain age who is the hottest female MC rocking a mike these days and I’m sure 85% of them would say Nikki Minaj. Not one of them would tell you to check out a bleached blonde, mullet sporting, South African who could probably eat Nikki and Lady Gaga for breakfast and wash them down with a 40, but I would.

As the female co-front of South African rap group Die Antwoord, Yolandi Visser is one of the most wholly original ladies stepping on stage in the past few years. Instead of relying on recycled, tried and true formulas showcasing big boobies and nasty-as-I-wannbe lyrics, Yolandi’s lyrics are so zef-which means trailer trash fantastic as far as I can tell- that they border on satire. (Side note: As I was doing a bit of research for this week’s FMM I found that Die Antwoord is Yolandi and Ninja’s third hip-hop project together and may really be more of satirical comment on South African society than a real couple from the ‘hood making a way where they can.) While her lyrics are explicit, duh, they are far from your typical my lady-parts are so good everyone wants a taste/I’ll take you and your man/I’m so ride or die I’ll hide the murder weapon in my panties. Actually, her fun, flirty tongue-in-cheek minus the overused clichés and metaphors flow reminds me more of what female MCs did in the late 80s and 90s than anything being played on your local Top 40 station-satire or not.

With an ultra blonde mullet, a too long to type acrylic set, cropped tops salvaged from Goodwill and gold leggings, Yolandi’s style is straight trailer fab. Her nails are sicker than anyone I’ve seen working the desk at the DMV and the fact that she seemingly prefers sneakers to heels speaks very highly of her. Although she has a special love for American Apparel’s shiny gold tights, she’s also been spotted in outfits that seem to be composed of 80s and 90s castoffs found at the thrift-store and worn as is-no clever remixing vintage to look brand new in Yolandi’s closet. While she loves old school ghetto-gold and sneakers, it seems as Yolandi’s favorite furry accessory happens to be white mice...you know like lab rats. Not that I’m judging but since mice kind of gross me out, couldn’t she just go Paris Hilton and carry around a toy dog? They look mouse like, but I guess that’s kind of the point.

Whether you love her style, and music, or not, no one is going to argue that Yolandi Visser, née Anri du Toit, is far from your run of the mill star. Check the videos and see for yourself-warning they are not for kids.

Always a lady, Lena Horne

This is a M.I.S.S. original, the images and content are property of that publication. Go to Fashion Meets Music: Lena Horne to view this post in its original format.

When it comes to exuding class and lady-like charm, no one has ever been able to come close to the legendary Lena Horne.This incomparable quadruple threat, singer, dancer, actress and activist, broke barriers and set the standard for generations of female prefomers.

Born in Bed-Stuy on June 30, 1917, Lena Horne was destined for greatness-with an actress for a mother, a famous inventor for a grandfather, and an uncle who would go on to advise FDR how could she not be amazing at something. At 16 Horne joined the chorus line at the famous Cotton Club and a few years later she was touring with Noble Sissle’s Orchestra, recording her first album and replacing Dinah Shore as a featured vocalist on an NBC radio show. By the time she made her silver screen debut with MGM in Panama Hattie she already had two films under her belt and was established as a nightclub performer. Just to back track a bit, when Horne signed with MGM in the 1940s she became the first African-American performer wot sign a long term contract with a major studio. After appearing in Stormy Weather, Cabin in the Sky, Ziegfeld Follies, Meet Me in Las Vegas and a handful of other films, Horne was blacklisted from Hollywood for her left-leaning political views in the 1950s and returned to her first love, the stage. She briefly returned to film, girl was gorgeous as Glinda the good witch in The Wiz, and eventually went back to performing, squeezing in a few TV appearances here and there, until her death in May 9, 2010.

Before I move on to Lena Horne’s oh so lady like fashion sense which was typical for a woman of her era who made her name during Hollywood’s golden age, I have to comment on her role as an activist which may be reason number 1 that she was blacklisted. Coming from a middle-class, well-educated family, Horne was nothing like today’s starlets. She lent her star status to the Civil Rights movement, spoke and performed at the March on Washington and worked with Eleanor Roosevelt to pass anti-lunching laws. Most importantly, her work in films and on stage allowed little girls to dream that they could one day be in the movies no matter their skin color.

Sartorially speaking, Lena Horne was very much a woman of her times from her well coiffed do to her gorgeous gowns and manicured nails. As many of our grandparents can attest to, back in Lena Horne’s day women were ladies down to the way they entered a room. Horne’s amazing gowns worn on and off screen were so breathtakingly beautiful that they could still take best dressed at the Oscars over 50 years later. Although her style evolved with the changing times and her changing body -no woman looks the same at 65 as she did at 25- her classic sense of old Hollywood glamour never faded. One could say that as Lena Horne aged her grace and beauty only began to shine more.

Rihanna's S&M

I originally wrote this one for the ladies over at Miss, however it has yet to post so...I'm housing it here. That is all....Wait no it isn't. I wrote this before learning of David LaChapelle's intent to sue Rihanna over blantly ripping off his aesthetic. While I do not claim to know a thing about the law there is something sketchy about shopping around a LaChapelle-esque video without talking to LaChapelle and trying to reproduce his work without consulting him because he's pricey, oh and it makes you instantly lose street cred when people start accusing you of stealing their creativity and attempting to pass it off as your own. fin.

This week Rihanna burned up the blogs and stirred up ton of controversy with the release of her latest video S&M. Filled with overtly sexual imagery and lyrics, this video affirms Riri’s status as a good girl gone bad for better or worse. While I haven’t been a fan of Rihanna since Pon de Replay, I can say that I generally love her style and S&M does serve up a huge helping of our girl’s signature edgy style. So for a brief moment let's forget about the fact that Rihanna, who we all know is not baby, is sending a very profound message about sexuality to the legion of girls under the ripe old age of 21 who are her fans and who are already suffering the effects of being over-sexualized in the media and that as a woman of color she is perpetuating the stereotype that all brown girls are insatiable nymphos who deserve to be treated as such everywhere form rap videos to real life, and focus on the fashion.

From the first frame, when Rihanna pops onto the scene sporting a fuzzy vest, huge frizzy hair and tiara, the video feels insanely familiar almost like an update of something I saw around the turn of the millennium. Despite the deja vu I get from beginning to end with S&M, I am head over heels for the hair and makeup Riri dons in this one. The close ups of her when she’s holding her mock press conference from behind a sheet cellophane remind us that she is indeed capable of injecting a bit of old school charm into this less than classy video. Moving to the complete opposite end of the spectrum, Rihanna’s huge, frizzy mass of hair is amazing in a Christina Aguilera in Lady Marmalade kinda way. I also love how she brings in some of spring’s beauty trends, juicy lips, bright eyeshadow and Dynasty-esque blush. Oh and as usual, her nail game is tight. Instead of opting for over the top nail art, she keeps it simple with pale pinks, bright red and what looks to be shimmery white color-its hard to tell with her moving so much. While her hair and make up are perfectly on point in this one her fashion earns her another gold star in my book.

Starting with the newspaper print gown and matching thigh highs, moving to the nude number she wears to walk Perez Hilton and ending at the sick hot pink spandex number, Rihanna definitely shows off some sick style. Even her lingerie inspired looks are sick, especially the one she wears in the scene reminiscent of Basic Instinct. Although I would never be caught dead in any of this stuff, aside from that gorgeous gown, I can say that I will be taking a few notes from this video’s overall love of body con styles.

At the end of the day I don’t care if Rihanna has a high freak number or not, she’s grown, I do however take issue with the fact that her fans, most of whom are still trying to come to terms with their own sexuality, are not mature enough to really understand what exactly goes with having a “whips and chains excite me” image. Other than that I love the video, not the track its pretty generic, and I can’t wait to do big hair like Rihanna this summer.

FMM: Astrud Gilberto

Another MissOmniMedia.com original. To view this post in its original format go to FMM:Astrud Gilberto.

Tall and tan and young and lovely, Astrud Gilberto coolly strolled onto the bossa nova scene when she sang on the album Getz/Gilberto, at the suggestion of her then husband, João Gilberto the father of bossa nova. Her recording of “The Girl from Ipanema” established her as a jazz and pop singer, and ensured that people getting off and on elevators would be entertained for generations. Despite the fact that you’re most likely to hear her tunes on an elevator or a 50s/60s style lounge, Gilberto isn’t strictly for the geriatric set. Her recording of “Once I Loved” was featured in Juno, Cut Chemist sampled her in the song “The Garden”, and the Black Eyed Peas sampled her on their Monkey Business album-for better or worse.




This jazz vocalist’s cool and sultry voice was equally matched by her style. With her perfect black liner, blunt cut bags, and just the right amount of height in her hair-take notes Snookie and Flo-Gilberto is the kind of pretty that most girl’s today aspire to. Unlike June Cleaver or Doris Day, Astrud Gilberto has a bit of an edge to her, like a cool aunt who dresses a bit risqué, smokes, and dates around, you know like a classier Cher in Mermaids. I say classier because while her hair is closer to God and her eye-liner gives off just a hint of sex, the fact that the rest of her face is bare and her outfits are understated keeps her from going off the deep end. She also gives off the perfect balance of sex and innocence that escapes most girls today. I mean what pop-star now could rock just a fur coat and a smile and still look like the girl next door? Just saying

Fashion Meets Music at New York Fashion Week

This is another MISS original, meaning this post is all their's. To view it in its original format got over to Fashion Meets Music at New York Fashion Week.

It’s that time of year again when fashion editors, stylists, bloggers, and anyone remotely involved in the fashion industry turn into Barnum and Bailey and travel from city to city in the name of fashion. While what started out as a way to attract attention from French fashion houses during World War II and has since evolved into a month long fashion marathon. While the industry folk sit front row and plan photo shoots, buys, and client pulls for next year, everyone in the audience knows that there’s more to fashion shows than the clothes.

Year after year designers, production staff, publicists, DJs, and whomever else has a say get together to figure out what music will be the best backdrop for the ‘’practical, matter-of-fact, not too over styled” clothes at Vena Cava (apparently it was Klaus Nomi). The same way that Abercrombie and Fitch insists on blasting whatever they think kids are listening to these days out into the mall, designers blast whatever music best suits their brand and collection in an effort to create an atmosphere and give models something to walk to. (How boring would it be to watch 30+ looks stroll down a runway in perfect silence?)

Since fashion is all about being new and fresh while simultaneously giving a nod to the past, it comes as no surprise that this season, like those before it, featured music from up and coming indie faves as well as tried and true acts. From Nina Simone and David Bowie to The Cure and Stereolab right down to Telepathe and LCD Soundsystem, it seems as though everyone dug deep into their iTunes and came out with playlists that are a music lover’s dream. (Check out Vanity Fair’s list of playlists from NYFW S/S ’11. Billy Reid, Timo Weiland and Prabal Gurung’s lists make me want to download some new music asap.)

According to MISS music editor Randi Hernandez the folks over at Betsey Johnson and L.A.M.B. were just as fond of mixing old school and new school on their playlists as the Vanity Fair group. While Betsey kept to a New York influenced playlist complete with songs about cycling around the city to follow her Le Tour de Betsey theme, over at L.A.M.B. Gwen further expressed her love of Ragga and laid back tracks that were the perfect accompaniment to her relaxed collection. Both ladies mix genres and obviously appreciate Kanye and Jay-Z, since they popped up on both playlists. Check out the playlists for both Betsey Johnson and LAMB, as gathered by Randi with the help of everyone’s pal Shazam-don’t know what I’d do without him sometimes- and load your iPod up with tracks to get you through the upcoming winter months.

Ears to the Street: These Boots Were Made For Walking

This is another MISS original, meaning this post is all their's. To view it in its original format got over to Ears to the Street: These Boots Were Made for Walking.

Everyone knows that your fall wardrobe isn’t complete without the perfect pair of boots. With cool weather finally knocking on our doors, slipping into a flimsy sandal is definitely not advisable however pulling on a stylish pair of boots will keep your toes warm and you out of the doctor’s office. This season the catwalks and sidewalks are filled with boots of all heights, shapes, and textures, so finding the right ones for your wardrobe needs shouldn’t be too difficult. While combat boots, over the knee styles, and calf height boots are closet staples, my favorite boot trends this fall are the kinda rugged hiking inspired ones that are the perfect mate to scrunched socks.


I’m not really the great outdoors type, I love camping and hiking in theory but in real life meh, however Tory Burch’s fall 2010 collection filled with Timberland-esque wedges, stacked heels, and stilettos would have me climbing a mountain in no time. Since we all can’t afford Tory Burch, I’ve gathered a few camp fire inspired boots by Nine West, Steve Madden, and Seychelles to satisfy your urge for new boots while keeping your wallet from hitting E. Personally, I’m already pairing my yet to be purchased boots with a comfy knit, a mini and scrunched wool socks or maybe a pair of jeggings. Actually, I could’ve used a pair today when I wore my black romper and cable knit sweater duster. Ahh the possibilities.





Tell 'em John!

This is another MISS original, meaning this post is all their's. To view it in its original format got over to Woman is the N-word of the World.

John and Yoko said it, I just agreed

If she won’t be a slave we say that she don’t love us. If she’s real we say she’s trying to be a man…

In 1972 John Lennon and The Plastic Ono Band released the song “Woman is the N—– of the World.” The song was inspired by the statement by James Connolly “the female is the slave of the slave” and tackled the issue of women’s subservience to men across all cultures. Due to the song’s usage of the N-word, which I am not completely opposed to in this particular instance, the song was banned from radio air play and Lennon’s hope to show the world how women had been and were still being treated was lost to the general public.

We insult her every day on TV, and wonder why she has no guts or confidence

If you have not heard the song yet, I suggest you give it a listen, because the issues that it raised in 1972 are still issues that plague women around the world. Women still are taught to be strong but appear weak, to be intelligent but not speak too loudly, to stand by her man through thick and thin, and to be pretty above all things. We turn on the television and are forced to choose between watching over sexualized video girls, materialistic man starved fashionistas, or strong intelligent –itches, mostly due to the appallingly low number of female directors who receive support from big studios. We are still underpaid despite having the same degrees, and we are still expected to make dinner, clean house, take care of the kids, and hold a 9-5 without complaining or asking for a day off. As far as we have come in regards to improving the condition of women and girls in this country in the past 30 odd years since this song has been released, we still have a long way to go baby. I’m not even going to touch on the countless atrocities committed against women in the developing world.

No matter what you feel about the use of a word steeped in a history of hatred and wrong doing, which is actually quite apropos, there is no denying that across all cultures, ethnicities, creeds, and colors, that women are indeed the slave of the slave.

Woman is the n—– of the world, yes she is…think about it.

You Gotta Love Yukimi Nagano!

This is another MissOmniMedia.com piece, and therefore all images and such are property of that publication. To view the piece in its orginal format go to Fashion Meest Music: Yukimi Nagano

For a country that is about the size of California with 15% of its area sitting pretty inside the Arctic Circle, Sweden definitely proves the adage that size doesn’t matter when it comes to producing a culture of cool. The country that gave us the Nobel Peace Prize, Ingmar Bergman, Ikea, H&M, and True Blood’s Alexander Skarsgard, is also the home of Little Dragon and their amazing front woman, Yukimi Nagano.


If you haven’t heard of Little Dragon, I suggest you scroll down to the bottom of this post and check out a few of their videos or even better, Google them. Both the band’s first and second releases, Little Dragon and Machine Dreams, are filled with the typical experimental electronic beats that our generation is so fond of layered with elements of jazz, soul, and 80’s pop with Yukimi’s angelic voice serving as the band’s center piece.

The 28 year old half Japanese half Swedish-American vocalist, who started out as a jazz singer, was born and raised in Gothenburg, Sweden listening to the wide range of music her mother played, and eventually developed a love for R&B. With influences that range from Prince and Chaka Khan to John Coltrane and Kraftwerk, it is easy to see how Yukimi is quickly becoming the muse of quirky indie loving fashionistas. Her style is as soulful, energetic, and innovative as her voice, and is far removed from the mass produced fast fashion brought to us by her fellow Swedes Hennes & Maurtiz. With her adorable short hair and ability to look at both times quirky and polished, like those cool art/design/music school girls you see on the train and immediately want to style jack, reveals the accessibility of her style that refreshing when compared the sea of stylist-on-speed-dial pop stars on MTV. This accessibility is perhaps the most endearing quality of Yukimi’s style for me; girls love seeing their favorite singers dressed in things they can put together themselves without the need of a glam squad.

Check out the videos and performances below to familiarize yourself not only with Yukimi Nagano’s almost spiritual voice but with her fresh sense of style as well. With a current spot on Gorillaz’s latest, Plastic Beach and internet rumors that Little Dragon is working on their third album, it’s safe to say that Yukimi isn’t going anywhere any time soon.

Vogue Africa Denied by Conde Nast

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For a continent that is often grossly misrepresented in the mainstream media, fashion publications included, a chance to change the way that the rest of the world view’s their shared culture and contributions would have been mind altering to say the least. However, with Condé Nast denying Cameroonian photographer Mario Epanya’s proposal to develop an African edition of Vogue, the culturally diverse continent once again is relegated to safari spreads and pleas for aid.



Condé Nast has yet to comment on why, with 18 editions of the magazine published and distributed from India to Australia, Vogue Africa did not fit their criteria for licensing the Vogue name and likeness. Speculators have alleged everything from the more pressing issues plaguing the people of Africa to the logistics of distributing a publication to 1 billion people in over 2,00 different languages. The most disturbing reason being cited has to do with the lack of diversity in the mainstream fashion media.



After Vogue Italia’s Black issue way back in 2008 and the recent calls for more realistic models, Condé Nast had no problem with Vogue Italia launching Vogue Black and Vogue Curvy sections of their website-all in perfect English by the way-to satisfy the masses calling for diversity. The problem with both of these sites is that, as we Americans learned over 50 years ago, separate is not always equal. By segregating these populations into their own online editions, we are in fact placing a band-aid on an issue that need to be remedied not covered. Instead of focusing on featuring more girls who look like Sessilee Lopez and Crystal Renn on the pages of Vogue-did you notice its always Vogue Italia attempting to display more diversity-we push these girls into their own site on away from the mainstream. I didn’t know Vogue Black existed until recently, and as an African-American woman I was appalled to find a site where Tyra Banks interviews people and stories on stereotypical Black issues are featured-FYI there is already a Vogue Black in print, it’s called Essence. Again, the issue with this is not the clichéd images of women sporting natural hair and Black models smiling backstage, the problem is that there needs to be equal representation on the pages of mainstream outlets to remedy the diversity issue.

Getting back to Vogue Africa, without a definite statement from Condé Nast all we can do is speculate as to why they passed on the opportunity to showcase such a culturally rich continent in a positive light. All too often Africa is still portrayed as a war-torn land of savages ravaged with infectious epidemics, the fact that there are areas of affluence, a rich tradition in textiles and the arts dating back centuries before the founding of America, a diverse array of cultures and traditions, is often left out when mainstream media attempts to define the entire continent with brief snippets from a few countries. Hopefully with this story burning up the blogs, Condé Nast will at least look into expanding the Vogue brand to Africa not only in an effort to inject more diversity into the fashion periodical section at Barnes and Nobles but to also show more of the world the truth about Africa, which is not a country despite that popular misconception.

FashionMeets Music: Kelis "Acapella"

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Kelis is one of the most underrated performers out there. By and large her work before and since “Milkshake” has slipped under the radar, which is the main reason why it has taken me almost three months to see the video for “Acapella” the first single from her latest album Flesh Tone which will be released on Tuesday.


Acapella is the perfect mix of a high fashion editorial and a native hunting excursion with Kelis as the model, art director, and hunting guide. Her barely there outfits, showing off her post baby body, reminds us that long before Gaga was playing with her Haus, Kelis was that beast. On top of the vividly colored outfits and the visually stunning sequences, Kelis rocks some seriously next level make up. From the white face paint and Coming to America meets Pocahontas head dress to the Bond Girl body paint with the Statue of Liberty crown, Kelis keeps us entranced for the full four minutes of Acapella. Let’s not forget that she’s rocking a silver mullet of sorts on top of her head that at times looks both awesomely bad and crazy good-don’t act like you didn’t know Kelis has as many fashion hits as misses.

All fashion and visuals aside, the best part of the video is at the end when we get a glimpse of her adorable son Knight strapped to her back. Not only is he ridding piggy back in his mom’s hottest video, but he’s doing in style. You know this kid is going to be amazing with parents like Nas and Kelis and his first video cameo before he can walk.

Flesh Tone hits stores, and iTunes, tomorrow July 6.

Fashion Meets Music: Grace Jones

This post was originally produced for MissOmniMedia.com, all images and words are property of that publication. To view this post in its original format go toFMM: Grace Jones, don't miss the videos I linked to when you check out the original.

Androgynous, enigmatic, and by far one of the most original divas to ever lend her voice to the disco scene; Jamaican born, New York raised Grace Jones is the definition of fashion meeting music. The amazing Ms. Jones began her career as a model before moving into music and eventually wooing Andy Warhol and being photographed by him and his longtime collaborator, Richard Bernstein. At the height of her career Jones was in several films, including a James Bond flick, where she always played an over the top, eccentric, independent woman who was a bit of a caricature of herself. Currently, Jones is playing the part of ultimate muse to some of pop music’s most popular performers.

Model turned muse, Amber Rose is obviously a serious fan of Ms. Jones as a model and performance artist. From the top of her blond, buzzed head to her well heeled feet, Amber Rose is taking cues left and right from the diva. She even recently recreated one of Jones’s most iconic poses, FYI this isn’t the first time Amber has paid homage to Jones via a photo and surely won’t be the last. If Amber Rose is the president of the Grace Jones fan club, Lady Gaga is her second in command.


La Gaga has done the best job of channeling Jones as a performer. Her music clearly has its roots in the high energy beats of disco and like Jones, Gaga’s sound moved from the club scene to the main stream thanks in part to her kooky style. Both women used their eccentricities to catapult their careers and both insanely talented. However, while Gaga dreams of having worked with and known such prolific artists as Keith Haring and Andy Warhol, Grace Jones actually did. Jones was the pioneer for bringing the underground art scene into the mainstream through her visual appearance, thereby making performers like Gaga possible. Both women are aware of this fact, which is why Gaga recently asked Grace Jones to collaborate with her to which Jones replied,"I’d just prefer to work with someone who is more original and someone who is not copying me, actually."

Burn. It seems as though while Gaga may be enamored with the iconic songstress, Jones is less than dazzled with the younger performer. I guess she isn’t flattered by imitation, then again no old school diva ever really is.