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.

Things That Made Me Smile This Week

OK, sooo my life is pretty much a roller coaster--the kind that is super awesome but can make you sick with so many twists, turns, loops, and drops that can leave your stomach in your throat. In an effort to keep me grounded while my life pulls turns sharper than an ice skate, I've decided to take a page from Gala Darling's blog and list all of the little things that make me smile each week. Sorta like counting your blessings but not so much, you know. Oh and I know the magazine is mirror imaged since I took the pic in Photo Booth.

* Skype dates with the BF * Brunch at Flying Biscuit with BG * Free coffee at the FNO Atlanta press conference * Mint chocolate cupcakes from Cami Cakes * Tan Louboutin spiked loafers, I died * Getting my credentials wrapped up with a bow for Jeffrey Fashion Cares * "Since when did like every dress at BCBG cost $400?" * Spending the week with Toro y Moi, Washed Out, Little Dragon, Tune-Yards, How to Dress Well, Wild Nothing, The Weeknd, & George Benson courtesy of the BF * Seeing the day of work I put in styling and profiling with the Jezebel team on the newsstand, despite them misspelling my name * Going to Fellini's with Patrice after Jezebel's Most Eligible party * Learning all about Namibia via daily emails from the BF who comes home 9/6 * Recapping True Blood with Keisha, Gabs, and Christina at work then Amber via text and Ari while it was on * Seeing my articles tweeted by @FashionCares, @ CarenWest, and @FNO Atlanta, ranks up there with @PeoplesRev tweeting at me * New bathroom decor

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.

Mondays with Gaga

In an effort to actually enhance my abilities as a writer, I ditched my Monday night freelance writing class to hang out with Stefani Joanne Angelina Germonatta and her little monsters at the Gwinnett Arena thanks to one of the most amazing beauty PR girls ever. While Stef won be back as a fan with her stirring version of Born This Way and her impressive vocal and running in heels skills, her fans as usual stole the show and placed it firmly back in her hands by the time the last note was played.

Getting back to the beginning, I met up with the most awesome group of girls ever, including Ren of Makeup By RenRen, Tiffany of Makeup by Tiffany D and AJC style writer Nedra, for a pre-show sip and chat about everything from dressing up as the artist for concerts, a la Gaga's petits monstres, to twitter apps. As a group of beauty/style bloggers and PR types you know arriving in style was number 1 on our plate so, we hopped into the same SUV Gagaloo was chauffeured in the last time she was in Atlanta, according to the coolest driver ever, and made our way waaaay outside of the perimeter to the Gwinnett Arena in record time. After freshening up we took in the sites, and by sites I mean tons of fans from 2-92 dressed in their best Gaga-esque attire, which was strikingly similar to what people wear on Halloween and during Mardi Gras. There was tons of this...

A couple of these.

Of course a few of these...

And thank heavens I didn't see any of this...

But my favorite incarnation of Gaga had to be this...

Two 13 year old girls, out way past their bed time on a school night, screaming at the top of their lungs in a fever pitch "WE LOVE YOU MAMA MONSTER!", while their parents occupied the seat next to them. (Side note: Apparently parents and grandparents love Lady Gaga, which is a very different reaction another tongue in cheek, Italian American, performer who started out on the same LES received in the 80s due mostly in part to the fact that these parents were teenagers and in their 20s in the 1980s.) The amazing thing about these girls, aside from their black, bee stung lips and their home made Pokerface masks, was the ability to cut through the dangerously high decibels being generated in the room with their barely pubescent voices-ahh teenage girls. Oh and did I mention that their parents were with them!

Before I finish up on how the entire thing made my week, it was a great show and I hardly ever get out with a group of ladies these days, I have to tell you about Gaga's opening acts Lady Starlight and Semi Precious Weapons. Lady Starlight seemingly lives by Ke$ha's motto and brushes her teeth with a bottle of Jack every morning because girl did a 30 minute set and downed an entire bottle of whiskey between DJing and dancing on stage in what looked like the kind of pants that football players wear on game day. Lady Starlight, who has been pals with Gaga since her Tisch School days, was followed by Semi Precious Weapons, another group of Gaga pals from her LES days. All I have to say bout these guys is that their frontman, Justin Tranter, has the best legs I've ever seen on anyone and made me want to hit the treadmill harder than a Gaga fan at a wig shop on the day before the Monsters Ball.

Like I said, this show for sure made my week, form the great group of girls that I enjoyed it with to Gaga leaving everything on the stage as she ran around and danced in over 6 inch heels. Kinda makes me look forward to her upcoming video for Judas, which already has the Catholic League sweating in their pews, just like Mama Madonna would have done.

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.

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.

Thoughts on Kanye West's Runaway

Hmmm....Aesthetically pleasing at times, annoying at others. Unnecessary dialogue. The emperor's new clothes. We are witnessing the death of the narrative/

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.

FashionMeets Music: Kelis "Acapella"

This post was originally produced for MissOmniMedia.com and all images, logos and copy are property of that online publication. To view this piece in its original format go toFashion Meets Music: Kelis "Acapella"

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

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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.

Death of a legend

This morning the world mourns the passing of the incomparable Lena Horne. Born in Bed-Stuy in June of 1917, Ms Horne made history, broke barriers, and became an inspiration to all with her beautiful voice and graceful good looks. From a chorus girl at the Cotton Club to an award winning actress and singer, Lena Horne's career has spanned generations. Her presence will surely be missed althogh her legacy is sure to live on.

Fashion Meets Music: Andre 3000

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Since it ain’t where you from its where you pay rent, it is seemingly safe to say I’m an Atlantan, for now. That fact, in addition to me being born and raised in the South, makes this post a little bit sweeter for me. Since hitting the scene in 1994, Outkast and Andre 300 have become the ambassadors of cool for the South in general and for Atlanta in particular.

Before the cartoon, the clothing line, Erykah Badu, and being named one of the “World’s Sexiest Vegetarian Celebrities”, Andre 300 was Andre Benjamin, Atlanta native, a student of the violin and already picking up both musical and sartorial influences like a sponge. When Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik dropped in ’94 Andre was far from the space-aged, Southern gent that we now know him to be and was more of just your typical guy from around the way knocking around in his Braves jersey. Nothing about mid-90’s Andre hinted at the brilliance simmering under the surface. From there both his style and Outkast’s music took a turn to the surreal, obviously influenced by funk and his relationship with the equally trippy Erykah Badu, with the release of both ATLiens and Aquemini. At the same as his music took a turn to the space age, so did his style. What began with turbans to accent his outfits turned into high-waisted pants, wigs, and a sort of 70’s revival complete with multicolored outfits and crocheted hats. Eventually, Andre exited the mother ship and returned to the influences from his middle classed with his album The Love Below and again his style followed suit, with the introduction of Depression Era threads, seersucker, and pastels.

Perhaps the most appealing element of his style is his ability to constantly reinvent himself. Andre’s evolution, unlike that of some other celebrities, has as much to do with his own personal journey towards truth and discovery as an artist than it does record sales. His ability to find something from the past and reinterpret it for today’s audiences in a way that keeps him constantly perched on the next level.

FMM: Malcolm McLaren

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If Dame Vivienne Westwood is the mother of punk then Malcolm McLaren was certainly punk’s bawdy, provocative father. With the recent passing of the iconoclast who managed The New York Dolls, helped form The Sex Pistols, and outfitted them all with the help of his main squeeze at the time, Dame Viv, it is only fitting that we spotlight the far reaching influence of the man behind the hype.


If you’ve been keeping up with your MISS readings, you already know in opening his shop at 430 Kings Road in London McLaren became responsible for helping to turn Vivienne Westwood from a school teacher into the Dame of British fashion. You also know that it was in that shop that McLaren met John Lydon, who would eventually take on the moniker Johnny Rotten and become the lead singer of the Sex Pistols, and John Ritchie, aka Sid Vicious. In this little shop, which went be several names since its opening in 1971, punk rock was defined and given its iconic look by McLaren and Westwood. It also goes without saying that through his work managing acts like the New York Dolls and the Sex Pistols and his work as a solo artist and performer, McLaren has influenced a generation and will continue to do so.

However, while McLaren’s shop and Westwood’s fashions played a huge part in shaping the development of and look of the UK’s early punk movement, it was the Bromley Contingent, those fans and followers of the Sex Pistols that really brought punk to the forefront. Members included Siouxsie Sioux, Billy Idol and Jordan, who worked at McLaren’s SEX boutique. The fashion statements made by many of these artists continue to live on in today’s punk and goth circles.

As a child of the 80’s, it was McLaren’s involvement with the New Romantics that continues to inspire me. During the 80’s McLaren managed Adam and the Ants, the ultimate New Romantic band, whose front man’s elaborate tribal inspired/pirate make up has undoubtedly prompted many a cute hipster girl to take a brush to her face. McLaren also found a 13 year old girl singing while working at a dry cleaner’s and made her the lead singer of Bow Wow Wow, in an effort to promote Vivienne Westwood’s latest designs. With her exotic looks and stupid cool mohawk, she rocked the shaved side look waaay before Cassie, Lwin happens to be my choice for most underrated 80s style icon. While I’m at it, you can’t talk Annabella Lwin and Bow Wow Wow without mentioning the fact that at 15 Lwin posed fully nude on the cover of the group’s first full-length album, which of course caused a swarm of controversy.


After managing acts and helping to kick start a movement, McLaren went on to be a successful performer and self promoter in his own right. His singles “Buffalo Gals” and “Double Dutch” became top 10 hits in the UK and his album Duck Rock, which mixed influences from Africa and the Americas, helped to bring hip hop to a wider audience in the UK. More recently his song “ About Her”, based on The Zombies “She’s Not There” featuring a sample of Esther Bigeou’s “St. Louis Blues, was used in Kill Bill Vol 2. In 2008, nine pieces McLaren’s 21-part sound painting series, Shallow, premiered in Times Square via MTV’s insanely huge HD screen and was the first installment of an on-going public arts project between MTV and Creative Time.

Check out the video Double Dutch, these girls have some skills that would have killed on the play ground, and for Madame Butterfly which was sampled by Amerie.

Although he may be gone, Malcolm McLaren’s work will continue to inspire musicians, artists and fashionistas alike