Gaga shows her goolies
Last week David Beckham debuted an artsy, black and white commercial in which he stands around looking hot in his underwear. This week, Lady Gaga’s male alter ego Jo Calderone has done the same. Unsurprisingly, it’s not quite as swoon-worthy. Helmed by fashion director Nicola Formichetti, Gaga’s “Haus of Ü ft. Jo” clip shows the pop star wearing Calderone’s signature greased-back mullet, a T shirt and undies, chain smoking and grabbing her (his?) crotch to the song “You and I”. It’s dubbed a “fashion video” but I’m not sure what “fashion” it’s promoting, unless Y-fronts stuffed with packing foam are going to be hot for women this season. It feels a lot like a Calvin Klein commercial – if a Calvin Klein commercial got drunk and accidentally wandered down a dark alley in the wrong part of town, got roughed up, did some bad drugs and then decided to get a sex change in the back room of a bar. One thing I know for sure – cigarettes have never looked less appealing.
Wham! Vogue editor in 1980s spoof vid
I knew the 1980s were back in vogue, I just didn’t realise they were LITERALLY back in vogue. Vogue magazine, that is. The fashion interweb went totally cray-cray this week after Vogue Paris editor in chief Emanuelle Alt released a video spoof of Wham’s 1984 hit ‘Wake Me Up Before You Go Go’ on its website. Backed by a choir of models, Alt prances about in white denim hotpants and a Vogue t-shirt, awkwardly lip syncing and playing air guitar in a quirky promotion for the magazine’s new website, vogue.fr. It’s a pretty safe bet that if Anna Wintour ever does anything like this Satan will have to turn up the temperature on his thermostat, but just in case she’s reading this and considering following Alt’s example, I suggest she goes straight to the top and does Madonna’s ‘Vogue’. Duh. (Also: Grace Coddington could dress as Cyndi Lauper and sing backing vocals.)
Woah! Mean couple wangles way too much Wu
Here’s a modern dilemma: If you’re first on the scene when your local Target releases a new designer fashion line and you buy ALL of it to sell later at grossly inflated prices on Ebay, are you a savvy business person or just an arsehole? Thousands of web users are voting for the latter after a couple was caught on camera buying up a Miami Target store’s entire collection of Jason Wu designer wear, released across America last Sunday. Dubbed “fashion vultures”, the couple was filmed pulling clothes by the famed New York designer off racks and checking out two whole trolleys full of stuff as angry customers jeered. I guess Target forgot their two-item-per-person limit that day. The couple reportedly told miffed onlookers they could buy the clothing from them outside the store. Meanwhile, I’ve looked up the relevant payback details for this cruel and unusual behaviour in the Official Karmic Index and it says these two scammers are due to return in their next lives as Matt Preston’s jockstrap, so have faith that order will one day be restored.
A sneak peek in James Franco's jeans
He’s got two new movies about to come out, TEN currently in production including one he’s writing and another two that he’s producing, is lusted after by millions and is set to play the Wizard of Oz in 2013. He’s also judging the Vimeo short film festival and working on a new web comedy series about American college life called “Undergrads”. So in the masses of spare time that James Franco obviously has, what else would he do but film a jeans commercial? The past Oscar nominee has shot a series of 10 videos for cult denim label Seven For All Mankind, which he describes as having a “vintage 1970s California dreamy feel”. I’m not exactly shocked that Franco is moving into fashion – he’s already spruiking for Gucci, after all – but if he develops a stress ulcer any time soon, we’ll know why. Note to James: Take a nap occasionally, buddy! The ads will be released on 7FAM’s YouTube channel from February 15, but in the meantime you can check out Franco’s camera action in this behind-the-scenes look.
Stella McCartney gives leather a hiding
Finishing on a sombre and serious note this week: Fashion designer Stella McCartney has made global headlines for animal ethics group PETA, taking on the leather trade with a very graphic video plea depicting the horrors of the industry. In the three minute clip McCartney, who has always opted for faux leather in her designs, explains how millions of cows are slaughtered annually for the fashion industry and frequently tortured in the process. The video was originally intended to run in New York city taxis during Fashion Week, which starts today (February 9), but after being banned by the ad placement company it’s now being promoted through a viral web campaign. It will be interesting to see if PETA’s new focus on leather gets as much support as their longstanding campaign against fur. After all, fluffy bunnies are an easy sell – convincing people to give up their designer handbags, boots and luxury car interiors will be a challenge.
WARNING: This video contains extreme graphic footage of animal cruelty which may distress some viewers. Please view with caution.
Petra Starke is a New York based writer from Adelaide. You can read more about her here.