I pity modern pop stars. It must be SO HARD coming up with original ideas all the time, especially when you don’t have any of your own and have to “borrow” them from other genuinely talented people. Such is the dilemma for Rihanna, who this week landed her third plagiarism accusation in as many months for allegedly copying the work of three fashion photographers in her music videos. In her new clip for ‘You Da One’, Rihanna writhes around as shadowy dots and stripes are projected onto her which, as
several blogs have pointed out, looks
remarkably like a shoot Norwegian fashion photographer Sølve Sundsbø did for ‘Numero’ magazine in 2008. Even her blonde bowl cut looks just like the one worn by Sundsbø’s model Edita Vilkeviciute. Whoops! It’s not a great look for Ri-Ri, coming just weeks after she paid an out of court settlement to photographer David LaChappelle, who accused her of
copying several of his fashion shoots in her ‘S&M' video. And she’s still facing legal action over that same video from German photographer Philipp Paulus who alleges the scene in which she is taped against the wall is a
rip off of a 2010 shoot he did called “Paperworld”. Uh oh.
-----------
Speaking of music videos: catsuit enthusiast and pop star Jessie J this week released the newie for her catchy single ‘Domino’ on Twitter, where the singer’s multiple outfits were immediately dissected by fashionistas and trend watchers. Over the clip’s three minutes and 55 seconds the 23-year-old sports 10 different looks in what is a virtual fashion advertisement – no weirdo Lady Gaga couture here, nearly all of J’s outfits come from the high street. So presumably the message is – dance to this song, and then get out your credit cards, kids! There’s the $129 Versace for H&M cropped bomber jacket which sold out in just 30 minutes after the line’s release in November, and has since gained notoriety via celebrity fans Nikki Minaj and Kanye West, who wore the men’s version during the recent Victoria’s Secret fashion parade. Jessie also sports a very Salt ‘n’ Pepa-ish look with a 1980s Boy London tee and cut-off denim shorts, Minx fingernails and leggings by House of Holland, for which she is the official face. Er, legs. More upscale is her limited edition $2025 Jeremy Scott “bone print” leather “Perfecto” jacket for cult label Schott, the same jacket Marlon Brando wore in “The Wild Ones” (but rather more pink). ‘Domino’ only got to number 5 on the ARIA charts when it was officially released in September, but after this stylish video drops I reckon it’ll easily be the song of the summer.
------------
First there was
Project Runway – the reality TV show that pitted budding fashion designers against each other in weekly challenges to find the next design superstar. Then there was
The Cut, which pitted budding fashion designers against each other in weekly challenges to find the next design superstar, but with a smaller budget. Then came
Launch My Line, and then
The Fashion Show which, well you get the idea. Now, to plug a hole in a clearly under-serviced market, American network Bravo is launching
Project Runway All Stars on January 5, featuring the former host of
The Fashion Show, designer Isaac Mizrahi. Confused? Bravo is probably counting on that, considering it lost the original and insanely popular
Project Runway to the Lifetime channel two years ago and has been trying to claw it back ever since. To blur the distinctions even further,
All Stars will feature 13 contestants from previous seasons of Project Runway who failed to take home the big prize, including everyone’s favourite dandy Austin Scarlett. Season 10 of
Project Runway will premiere in June with its regular line up of Heidi Klum, Tim Gunn, Nina Garcia and Michael Kors. Meanwhile, reality television will continue to cannibalise itself until all that’s left is a single home renovation show on which models cook for dancing fashion designers while others sing about them.
----------------
If you saw ‘The Hangover II’ you’ll be aware that it’s not short on offensive bits – the movie features a transsexual stripper, women doing lewd things with ping pong balls and a whole lot of semen jokes, to name just three. But if you ask Louis Vuitton, the most offensive scene in the whole film is the one in which an LV-branded suitcase is carried through Bangkok airport. “Careful, that is a Louis Vuitton,” says one of the characters, mispronouncing the “s” in “Louis”, as he is handed one of LV’s distinctive chocolate and tan suitcases. Problem is, it’s NOT one of LV’s – it’s a fake, made by a company called Diophy that Vuitton is already suing. Now, according to the Hollywood Reporter, LV is also suing Warner Bros. for “trademark dilution, false designation of origin and unfair competition”. Here’s the six seconds that caused all the controversy.
-----------------
Just like news readers and cricket commentary teams the world over, fashionistas have to get a grip on some pretty tricky foreign names to make it through the world of fashion without being burned at the stake. Seriously, ask for a glass of “Mo-ay” at your next runway show and you’ll be lucky to leave with your frock intact, let alone your dignity. And everyone remembers the first time they heard some clueless bimbo profess their love for “Ver-sayce”. (Of course you remember them – they were spat on and laughed at for 20 minutes after that.) Fortunately for those still struggling with designer name pronunciation, there’s “Pronunciation Manual”, a new YouTube channel full of helpful videos on how to say words like “Givenchy”, “Chanel” and my favourite, “haute couture”. Meanwhile – I’ve been saying “L’Occitane” wrong all this time, how embarrassing.
HOW TO PRONOUNCE ‘GIVENCHY’
:
HAUTE COUTURE:
VERSACE:
L’OCCITANE: