I’ve always been a big fan of Aqua so it was quite exciting to see that Lady Gaga was performing at Children in Need Rocks, Manchester wearing an Aqua Python Jumpsuit. It’s great to see her wearing a Leeds label. Aqua opened it’s first London shop off Carnaby street a year and a half ago and more recenlty they opened a menswear shop. They also have a concession at Harrods and sell online at Asos.com. It’s one of the labels that all stylists love as each piece is strong and distinct and can be styled to give a unique look. The price point is from £40 to £180 and it always seems like there are new pieces in the shop!
Listening to Lady Gaga’s Goverment Hooker while on the treadmill got me thinking about Diamanda Galás. Diamanda Galás is a very amazing, very influential singer with a distinctive operatic voice and she has a range of three and a half octaves. It can be very unreal listening to her. She was born in 1955, she’s Greek but has lived in New York since the 70’s. There really is no one else like her.
I don’t find the product placement of Lady Gaga’s Telephone video subtle at all. It runs smoothly and is well integrated but it’s not subtle. If I was a brand manager for any of these products I would be delighted, no matter how much we paid as the associations would be worth every penny.
Branding used to be subtle, like the breakfast cereals on Seinfeld, then it suddenly exploded and we expected to see product placement – just look at Sex In the City (Carrie’s notebook), to skits about Snapple on 30 Rock. Product placement has been going on a long time, though: in the silent film Wings, released in 1927 (the first film to win the Oscar for Best Picture) there is product placement for Hershey’s chocolate, and even earlier in the 1925 movie The Lost World a Corona typewriter.
Product placement is no longer inappropriate, but it used to be. Somehow if you noticed a product in a film it was like a faux pas of some sort.
Now it’s something to be respected, because everything has become a brand – even Lady Gaga is a brand – not just a person or artist. The House of Gaga is so popular that we want to buy into it. Lady Gaga is one of the Creative Directors of Polaroid, so it only makes sense that she use a Polaroid in her video. Virgin Mobile, Plenty of Fish (an online date service), Hewlett Packard, Chevrolet (the car has a pretty cool name: it’s a "Silverago SS 502, Pussy Galore" and is the same car Uma Thurman drove in Kill Bill), Wonder Bread, Miracle Whip, Honey Bun and Heartbeat headphones are all in the video and relevant to the story – the Diet Coke hair curlers are my favourite! The video is like a list of what’s hot what’s not - HP in, Apple out, Virgin Mobile in, AT&T out. I don’t remember the last time I had Miracle Whip with Wonder Bread and I’ve never had a Honey Bun but would I try it – might be fun for a kitsch picnic.
Really it’s quite an efficient way of working. It’s expensive to make a video – especially a 9-minute one – so why not find the right product placement and create some sort of synergy.
It’s not about selling out anymore, and it will get to the point where pop artists who are not able to associate themselves with big brands will not be considered that good. It might also become an opportunity for lesser known bands to have a platform. Youtube gives bands a place to launch their video and with product placement they now how way to afford the video.
One of my earliest childhood memories is from when I was four years old, sitting at my vanity staring into the mirror and deciding that a) I need a haircut (I was trying to channel my inner Audrey Hepburn à la Roman Holiday) and b) I am going to take care of it myself, immediately! The next morning to my mother’s horror she woke me up to find that I had cut a large chunk of hair from the top of my head. To hide this hair tragedy my mother promptly covered my head with an oversized bow headband. And it is this small act that lead to my lifelong love (obsession) with bows. Thankfully, the fashion G-d’s, from couture houses to TV’s Gossip Girl, have finally picked up on this fantastic accessory and spring 2009 is at last, the season for bows!
What is especially special about bows is their ability to add a touch of romance and femininity to any look; it can even add a bit of cheeky girlishness to a tougher look. Chanel, Moschino, United Bamboo and Marc Jacobs were just some of the many shows which featured bows in their S/S collections. Unlike the past shows, where bows were featured as an accessory, this season bows are featured as part of the structure of the design, woven into the piece itself. From origami style bows at Marchesa to soft slouchy bows at Lela Rose, there are many different styles and options available to a girl who wants to add a touch of femininity to any outfit this spring.
From pins to necklaces to ribbons there are so many different ways to add bow details to an outfit. A bow around the neck or waist can add splash of flare to a traditional plain shirt or sweater. A bow headband or hat looks great with the hair down and pulled back hairstyles; very preppy chic. A bow pin is one of the most fun of the bow accessories as it can accessorize so many different looks. A pin on the back of a sweater, with hair pulled back is an elegant touch to any simple look, while a bow pin in the hair can be youthful and feminine. A bow ribbon accessorized with layered necklaces can make any High Street find into a unique piece.
The best part about bows is whilst they look chic they can be very economical. I have used ribbon purchased at the fabric store to make bow belts, and turn old black flats into ballet slippers by accessorizing them with a ribbon bow. TopShop and Miss Selfridges have large collections of bow embellished accessories with bows on bags, belts, earrings, rings, and most for under £30. My favorite bow find has been London based jewelry designer Anna Lou, who creates beautiful, fun, bright bow hair accessories and jewelry.
The ultimate bow is the hair bow! Love Lady Gaga!
Bow Shoes!
With so many available options it is easy to get excited about bows! So my fellow fashionistas, I hope after reading this you are inspired to add bow to your wardrobe!
I'm a fashion stylist and consultant based in London. I'm Fashion Editor at Phoenix magazine, and I've styled for many musicians from Kate Nash to... (more)
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I’ve always been a big fan of Aqua so it was quite exciting to see that Lady Gaga was performing at Children in Need Rocks, Manchester wearing an Aqua Python Jumpsuit. It’s great to see her wearing a Leeds label. Aqua opened it’s first London shop off Carnaby street a year and a half ago and more recenlty they opened a menswear shop. They also have a concession at Harrods and sell online at Asos.com. It’s one of the labels that all stylists love as each piece is strong and distinct and can be styled to give a unique look. The price point is from £40 to £180 and it always seems like there are new pieces in the shop!
