De-Sex: Phoenix Keating - Spring/Summer 12/13

henryk lobaczewski

With Australia's biggest frockfest - Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Australia - just around the corner, the off-schedule action continues apace. This morning, Carla Zampatti confirmed that one of the biggest fashion stories of recent seasons – the lace dress – is far from over with, among other looks, a sensational series of second-skin, stretch lace dresses and separates in a sugared-almond palette, popped with tangerine. Tonight, it's Phoenix Keating's turn. In the year since we first profiled Keating, the now 21 year-old Sydney designer managed to attract the attention of Lady Gaga, who wore several of his pieces during her appearances in Sydney in July last year. Unlike some other emerging Australian designers, Keating isn't just all show and no sell. He sells through four Australian stockists and has a custom 'couture' business. But Gaga might well be interested in Keating's new 'De-Sex' SS1213 collection which is all about "the de-sexualisation of fetish" and blends some mid century vintage silhouettes with sharp tailoring and a little Latex and rope binding. Here is a first look at the collection – via a series of images shot by Henryk Lobaczewski, starring Lauren Moody. 

Gaga outbuzzes MObama as fashion's hottest term

getty via daylife


Has there been a fashion force to match Lady Gaga? In terms of outrageous performance factor, surely few have come close. Interesting to see therefore that she just displaced Michelle Obama on Global Language Monitor’s brand new 2010 Fashion Buzzwords list as the fashion world’s most buzzed-about name. Here’s a first look at the yet-to-be-published annual list, which kicks off with Lady Gaga – with MObama dropping to 15th position, down 13 spots from last year. Also of note, “no pants” in third place, which of course go hand in hand, or rather, leg in leg, with Gaga. Frockwriter did have to chuckle at Armadillos coming in at number 10. Some might recall the recent controversy in which Alexander McQueen's extreme shoes recently found themselves mired. Global Language Monitor is an an Austin, Texas-based not-for-profit which tracks and analyses language. Nominated by the global fashion media (including this journalist) the buzzwords were then run through GLM’s "Predictive Quantities Index", a proprietary algorithm that tracks words and phrases in print, electronic and online media. Here's the list.

"1. Lady Gaga - Enigmatic performance artist has had outsized impact on the world of fashion.

2. Leggins 2.0 – Flourishing from Milano to Main Street, leggings are now differentiated as jeggings (jeans + leggings) and meggings (male leggings), and the like.

3. No pants – Hot pants for the 21st Century; not much pant (see Lady GaGa).

4. Off-shoulder – One shoulder and Off-the-shoulder assymetrics are now combined with cutouts, draping, or heritage stylings.

5. Chandeliers - Earrings, that is.

6. Boyfriend (the jacket, jeans etc) – It’s getting to be like an Audrey Hepburn movie out there with boyfriend jackets, jeans and the like.

7. Peek-a-boo – Peek-a-boo fashion is back once again; this time as cutouts.

8. Camo – Camouflage is back, this time with an Urban Jungle vibe.

9. Hippie-luxe – Haute Hippies? That’s the Hippie Luxe movement inspired by the 40th anniversary of that classic New York Daily News headline:  “600,000 Hippies Mired in Mud”.

10. Armadillos – Shaped like a lobster, made of Python, and called Armadillos - the highly controversial sculpted shoe designs of Alexander McQueen.

11. Mixed prints – Mixing various print in sometimes surprising ways:  florals, tropicals, geometrics, polka dots, psychedelics, modernism-inspired, even plaids.

12. Embellishments – Delicate, all, including ruffles, transparency and tulle.

13. Ethical fashion – Echoes of PETA here.  No furs, no armadillos, no leather.

14. Fashion 2.0 - Incorporating streaming techniques that bring designer showcases and shows to the buyers and consumers in real time.

15. MObama – OK, so she wears ‘mom’ jeans, but everyone seems to notice, after all Michelle is The MObama."

Source: Global Language Monitor

Lady GaGa finally goes a little gaga in Malta

La Toya Jackson can be forgiven for the dramatic face-shading fedora she wore to her brother's memorial. But overnight there has been some discussion of this press conference in Malta, to which Lady GaGa rocked up wearing what has been described by some as a "gimp" mask, a reference to the S&M subculture. Given that this video was published on the blog of the performer's stylist mate Nicola Formichetti, one assumes Formichetti shoulders some responsibility. The mask was authored by Paris-based designer Vilsbol de Arce - who accessorised one entire collection with similar headgear. But while it's not unheard of for a designer to mask models for a runway show (hello, Martin Margiela?) and might work in video vignettes, the practice does not seem terribly conducive to the concept of a press conference, the whole point of which is communication with your audience - as opposed to portraying yourself as Hannibal Lecter. While some ridicule Lady GaGa's idiosyncratic costume choices, frockwriter may have to agree with them for once. There is a fine line between flamboyance and freak show and on this occasion, Lady GaGa appears to have crossed it.

Gaga for V

A sneak peek inside the engine room of a Lady Gaga fashion shoot, this just-posted video shows preparations and vignettes from an upcoming editorial in the 60th edition of edgy US fashion title V magazine. Styled by Nicola Formichetti, it was shot by Argentinian Sebastian Faena - who recently transformed Australians Catherine McNeil and Abbey Lee Kershaw into campy 60s horror heroines for another V editorial, entitled 'Hell's Bellas'.