Fashion Models and the Hottest Designer Trends

Lady Gaga is the hottest thing on the planet right now. Not because she has a great bikini body, or a great head of blonde hair but because she’s changing the music game more and more everyday. If Madonna and Marilyn Manson had a baby girl mixed with couture& glitter you would get GAGA. From her outrageous (for lack of a better term) outfits, over the top performances to her catchy, tongue-in-cheek hit songs, Lady Gaga is the voice of this generation.  Every time I’ve seen a performance or a music video I always wondered to myself, “Where does she get her outfits?!” So after some research I found the answer. His name is Terrence Koh. He’s a Canadian artist that was born in Beijing, China, raised in Canada and now living in New York City. He creates handmade photographs; sculptures, installations and eventually started putting together live performances for singers and dancers. Koh has described himself as a prodigy. And after seeing some of the works he’s done, I believe it. When asked his inspiration he responds, “queer, punk and porn.” His work has been the subject of solo exhibitions all over the world including Love for Eternity in Spain, Captain Buddha in Germany and Dirty Blind God in Switzerland. His work is beautiful yet strange. In 2006, Koh actually gold-plated his own feces and sold it for over $500,000 dollars to collectors overseas. To each they’re own, right? Koh also created his own YouTube channel/show in 2008—Terrence Koh Show. The clips are short, sweet and weird. For example: One of his interviews with a British dancer was 4:24 long however the video was playing forward as the sound was edited to play backwards. I was confused at first too. He interviews people he has over to his home in New York City. He’s had some big names including performance artist Marina Abramovic, Contemporary artist Hans-Virich Obrist and none other then Miss. Lady Gaga herself. In their episode together, Koh and Gaga sat for 6:00 and counted a bowl of 88 pearls together laughing and joking about life. Gaga has described Koh as, “The other half of my brain.” Koh and Gaga first came together for the 2010 Grammys. Koh designed the two-headed piano that Gaga played with Elton John. Since then he has designed the piano Gaga played for the February AmfAR Gala and most recently the piano she played at GAGAKOH!. A legendary performance at club Tabloid, where only 900 guests got to witness the debauchery. Koh used his “88 pearl” designs for an all white piano with a mold of Gagas body sitting on the bench as well as on top of the piano with a large dramatic headpiece. The dynamic duo is doing good and auctioning off the piece for their charity. Bidding ends today, May 13 at 1 PM EST. These two artists are giving ‘pop culture’ a whole new meaning and they don’t seem to be slowing down anytime soon…

Lady Gaga singing with Elton John at the 2010 Grammy Awards.

Once a year the Metropolitan Museum of Art converts from a place filled with priceless still paintings to a place filled with the industries hottest celebrities and style icons wearing fashion art. The Metropolitan Costume Gala has a reputation for being filled with dramatic styles and outrageous looks. Katy Perry literally lit up the runway in her LED light constructed gown however, the one who really stole the show was the Gossip Girl herself, Blake Lively. Lively showed up in a royal blue Marchesa mini dress accented by the perfectly sun kissed skin and slicked back hair. Not only did she look ready for summer, but she looked chic, high fashion and effortless on the runway.

Katy Perry’s blush pink dress made by Cute Circuit looked seemingly simple on the outside but once night fell it came to life.

Katy Perry arriving with the designer and creator of Cute Circuit.

Presenting her fourth collection last Sunday, February 14th during Mercedes-Benz New York Fashion Week, 35-year-old singer-turned-designer Victoria Beckham has received a very positive response for her fall/winter 2010/2011 collection. The collection was focused on dresses and high platform shoes embodying her own personal style.

For a change, Victoria opened the show by greeting the audience, which designers normally only make an appearance on the runway at the end, and continued to comment on the designs as they came down the runway. She said, “I feel the clothes express how my own personal style has evolved, more relaxed, a little more slouchy, but still structured.”

The dresses are classy, chic, and sophisticated ready for any red carpet with the use of draping throughout the backs and necklines. Puffed hemlines were used to enhance the strict silhouettes and long slits were added along the sides to add a sexy touch. The range of dresses were inspired by the comic book detective Dick Tracy using deep reds, blues, greens, nudes, and a dazzling pale gold. With this collection, Victoria feels that the fashion world is finally taking her seriously as a designer and her dream is to open her own boutique within the next five years. As a designer, she says, “But, I’m still learning. I still feel I need to prove myself – all my life I’ve had to prove myself. Each season, I have to better myself. I really want to grow as a designer.”

About Victoria’s collection, WWD said, “The collection Beckham showed for fall … presented none of the neophyte awkwardness one might expect from a four-seasons’ new designer (and not just one with a pop star past).”

Lauren David Peden of British Vogue praised Victoria’s collection saying, “Beckham presented a very beautiful collection that evolved her body-con aesthetic while still leaving room – literally – to breathe, thanks to a new-found focus on draping and fluidity.”

Lisa Armstrong of The Times also said, “These clothes are not being churned out to make a quick buck (leave that to her jeans, perfume and sunglasses) – they’re extremely work intensive. I like the collection a lot, it’s just what I prefer wearing.”

Every season, designer Betsey Johnson doesn’t just show her collection. She always creates a party on the runway with a theme and decorations enhancing her eccentric collection. Presenting her fall 2010/winter 2011 collection, Betsey decided to open the show with none other than 25-year-old Kelly Osbourne parading down the runway with a bandana over her face. Reaching the end of the runway, Kelly tore off the bandana to reveal the Wild Wild West theme for a cops and robbers style show.

Blowing kisses and sashaying down the hay-covered runway, Betsey allows her models to be themselves playing and showing off their personalities to the audience. Her fall 2010/winter 2011 collection consists of colorful tutus, catsuits, faux fur jackets, and funny frilled bloomers for a whimsical, bold, fun, and flirty collection.

About this season’s collection, Betsey said, “I’m working on my stuff, being very true-blue Betsey.’” She also claims, “We’re not in seasons anymore, anyway. We’ll show a little bit of now and a lot of later.”

Doing her part to raise money for Haiti relief, 39-year-old British supermodel Naomi Campbell did what she does best by organizing the Fashion For Relief Haiti runway show on Friday, February 12th at Bryant Park’s The Tent in part of Mercedes-Benz New York Fashion Week hosted by 50-year-old Duchess of York Sarah Ferguson.

The show consisted of models and celebrities walking the runway in some fabulous designers threads styled by Rachel Zoe with celebrity models in the likes of Chris Brown, Fergie, and Kelly Osbourne. The show featured designers such as Diane von Furstenberg and Donna Karan with looks from Dolce & Gabbana, Ralph Lauren, Christian Dior, and Carolina Herrera to be auctioned online at at Net-A-Porter.com starting Monday, March 15th. Having held 950 guests and with tickets from $100 to $150 per seat, all the proceeds are going to CARE, an organization dedicated to rebuilding Haiti’s health-care system for women and children.

Although she rarely walks the runway nowadays, Naomi took three trips down the runway with her last look being dedicated to her good friend designer Alexander McQueen, who committed suicide just one day prior, in a thigh-high, multi-colored graphic print dress by McQueen. Along with Naomi, seven other models paid tribute to McQueen by showcasing his creations in a tribute set to Patti Smith’s “Because the Night” to close out the show.

For the finally farewell, Sarah Ferguson told guests, “Thank you, by being here you’ve made a difference.”

In the past, Naomi has also staged Fashion For Relief shows in New York after the Hurricane Katrina disaster as well as the massacre in Mumbai, India. To further benefit Haitian women, Naomi is holding a similar show this Thursday, February 18th during London Fashion Week.

Karl Lagerfeld’s Chanel Haute Couture Spring 2010 collection takes inspiration from a mix of romanticism and space age to quite eye-tricking handwork in pale pinks, straw yellows, almond greens, beiges, and grays with whites. The collection, steering clear of any gold, which is rare for Karl, black, and navy, was presented during Paris Fashion Week featuring top models Freja Beha Erichsen of IMG, Siri Tollerød of Marilyn Model Management, Kasia Struss of Women Model Management, Jacquelyn Jablonski of Elite Model Management, Magdalena Frackowiak also of Elite, Lindsay Ellingson of Viva, Anja Rubik of Next Models, Angelika Kocheva also of Marilyn Models, Sofia Fisher also of Marilyn Models, Skye Stracke also of Viva, Hanne Gaby Odiele also of Women Models, Sophie Srej also of IMG, Abbey Lee Kershaw also of Next Models, Liu Wen also of Marilyn Models, Shu Pei Qin also of Next Models, Dorothea Barth Jorgensen also of Elite, Isabeli Fontana of Silent Models, and more.

Karl does not like to describe clothing as ‘futuristic’. He says, “I don’t believe in avant-garde clothes for a future that will never happen. Fashion is always now.”

The collection is very young and joyful exemplifying luxury through light using sequins, crystals, embroideries, silver threads, and ethereal volumes from short suits to liquid togas. Some pieces even had embroidery resembling smashed glass and molten metal using jewelry as part of the structure of the garment. This Haute Couture collection is very dreamy full of bows and girly embellishments that would make any women feel gorgeous and confident.

20-year-old designer Bradley McLennan has created an architecturally appealing dress entitled ‘Pre-Packaged Lover’ crafted from hand-painted silk and intricately detailed Swarovski crystal embellishments. Not only is the dress a stunningly fashionable creation with exaggerated shoulders and a perfectly figure hugging form, it is very deeply thought out which you can easily at any angle. The modern works of Japanese architect Toyo Ito inspired the design, which Bradley strived to instill within his garment constraints with a sense of conflict between man and nature.

Bradley’s fall 2010 collection will be featured at the Avant Garde section of Fashion Exposed at Sydney Exhibition Center from February 14-16, 2010.