Fashioning February: Olivia Hearts New York

I came across this fantastic video last week on Diary of a Fashion Muse which features PR lady, Olivia Palermo showing off her favorite haunts in NYC. Olivia Hearts New York is produced by FashionAir which was set up by music mogul, Simon Fuller and is quickly proving to be a real force in online fashion. The documentary is part of a lifestyle series which features stylish women living in stylish cities. I was immediately drawn into the video because not only is it very slick it is also produced in a very quintessential way. I also loved watching the fabulousness of a la Palermo. Olivia Palermo for those who do not know stars in the reality show, The City where she is seen working as an editor at Elle magazine. She also known for impeccable poise and fashion sense so I was piqued to see where she hung out in New York. We see her in Calypso Room whee she shops for stuff for her new apartment in Brooklyn, picking out some cool pieces in Topshop, at Hair Party 24 Hours getting her nails done, shopping for some ballet flats at Foot Sole and at The Standard where she chills out for the evening.

As well as Olivia in NYC you can also watch Erin Hearts Paris with the fashion designer, Erin Fetherston taking us round Paris and Daisy Hearts London with model, Daisy Delevigne hanging out in London. The Heart slogan has been used in abundance over the last few years and you have to admit it is one pretty cool slogan. So it is no surprise that FashionAir have adopted the phrase for this lifestyle series which features high profile fashionistas showing us round their chic cities. We see Erin lounging around in Paris in places likeToraya where she relaxes with a cup of tea, David Mallet where she gets her hair done, Palais Royal where goes to have a moment of relaxation and Bibliotheque des arts decoratifs to pick up books and art stuff. Daisy shows off London's eclectic side by taking us to Chanel in Brompton Cross, Daylesford Organic where she not only buys her food but also relaxes with a cup of coffee, Les Senteurs to pick out a present for a mate, the Electric Cinema where she catches a film with some chums and Firehouse where she spends her evening drinking and dancing the night away. A city is very much what you make of it particularly large ones like NYC, London and Pars. They mean different things to different people. So what happens is that people create havens for themselves ie mini communities that they live in with shops, cafes, bars and restaurants that they frequent.

You can catch the rest of the videos on FashionAir here.

Picture taken from Diary of a Fashion Muse.

Fashioning February: Pop Idol or Stylista?

2009 was most definately the year of Lady Gaga and it was also a year which Rihanna would never forget for personal and career reasons. Both singers sold bucket loads of albums; Gaga had collaborations with Akon, Beyonce and Rihanna dueted with Jay Z and Kanye West. However as successful as these women are I find it hard to warm to them because I do not think they are great vocalists. You see I am a bit of a purist and I believe that people should hone their craft before they kick start their career and to me neither ladies can sing. I don't get any joy listening to Gaga's voice the way I do when I hear Whitney, Mariah or Lauryn Hill and Rihanna's voice frankly just jars me. As far as I am concerned both ladies are all about the image nothing more and nothing less and Lady Gaga and Rihanna's looks have most certainly been their fortune. Take yourself back to 2005 when Rihanna first came on the scene. With her long brown weave and sexy outfits she was dismissed as a poor man's Beyonce. Fast forward to 2007 with a monster hit, Umbrella and she was on everyone's lips. So what happened between those two years? Simple, a stylist. Out went the long brown weave, jeans and cropped tops and in came an edgy asymetric bob that you would die for as well as a funky designer couture which consisted of man suits, netted skirts and shoulder pads. Not many artists deserve to be compared to Madonna but I would say that Lady Gaga does. Her revolving image is rather akin to the Queen of Pop. The mini blonde manages to combine pop, performance art and fashion in the same way that Madonna has been doing for over 20 years. With her own production team called Haus of Gaga, Ms Gaga takes her fashion very seriously, pity she can't hold a note though. We all know that image is everything in the music industry and your success is all about the way you look and the way you brand yourself but somehow I think we have gone a bit too far with Gaga and Rihanna.  The only people who seem to show any talent from the Rihanna and Lady Gaga camp are Mariel Haenn and Nicola Formichetti who style them respectively. So maybe it should be the stylist going up to pick up all the awards?

I decided to ask two ladies who breathe fashion and music to share their thoughts on Rihanna and Lady Gaga.

Ruki Garuba, stylist and founder of Neon Style by Ruki.

Lysa Cooper is the stylist who introduced Rihanna to the world of European labels and couture. I believe that�s where her true passion for fashion started then Mariel Haenn came on board and helped her grow and develop a look that�s like no one else out there. In addition Mariel is also a designer, so even if what they want isn't in the store, they can have it made. Gone is the tomboy we met in Pon De Replay and the girly girl in SOS. The Rihanna we have now is so hard and so sexy. She is lucky to have been blessed with two amazing stylists, I admire the work both stylists have done with Rihanna as well as their other clients. I think her musical success means that the label give her a bigger buying budget for appearances and promo, therefore it�s slightly easier to get creative. Her musical success and model like proportions also mean that brands will be more open to working with her because they know that their pieces will be look amazing on her and they'll get international exposure. Lady Gaga definitely has people talking again and excited about seeing life shows. She�s a brilliant entertainer and very talented, plus no one else looks like her right now. She�s like a modern Madonna. I know that Gaga is very hands on when it comes to her wardrobe selection and also how she wants to look. In the beginning she was going out and buying pieces herself and customising them herself too. So now it must be easier for her to have a stylist that gets her vision and evolve it for her � which means she can focus on the music and performance side, which is how it should be.

Janice Spence, founder and editor of Mad News. 

Rihanna doesn't have a very good voice. I have heard her sing live and her backing band were playing their instruments extra loud, which kept on drowning out her vocals. I'm guessing that this was done deliberately. Lady GaGa on the other hand can sing. I am not a big fan of her music but the woman always delivers with her live vocals. I think that Lady GaGa has made a huge impact on the industry because to many she's original and brings the fun and wierdness back in to pop music. She creates a buzz. As for Rihanna, I don't think she's made much of an impact musically. I think the situation with former boyfriend Chris Brown has made more of an impact. In today's music industry I would say that it is more about image than singing talent. All you need is a pretty face, a nice figure and a top class stylist, make-up artist and hairdresser. When Island Def Jam signed Rihanna they were only interested in her looks and figure. They knew she couldn't sing a lick but that didn't matter. They used "studio magic" to make her vocals sound half way decent and brought in the best production teams and song writers to create the illusion of talent. The same can also be said for Ciara, Ashanti, Christina Milian and even Keri Hilson.

What do you think? Are Rihanna and Lady Gaga great music artists or just brilliant clothes horses?

Fashioning February: TGI Friday

Wow what a week it has been. New York Fashion Week had barely kicked off when the tragic news of Alexander McQueen's death exploded on the twittersphere and the news. All I can say is what a great loss and that my heart goes out to Lee McQueen and his family.

Today is the end of the second week of Fashioning February and I have been overwhelmed by the wonderful feedback and support that I have received. Selecting the links for TGI Friday was really difficult; there were so many fantastic posts published this week that really rocked my world and editing them down to the final five was not as easy task. So once again here are the blog posts which truly and utterly rocked my world this week.

The Satorialist
As you can expect there were lots of posts about the late Alexander McQueen but this post by The Satorialist stood out to me.

Disney Roller Girl
As the impending event of London Fashion Week draws closer, DSR shares with us her favourite fashion tweeters.

Fashion Editor at Large
The Satorialist and Face Hunter are not the only street style watchers around. Fashion Editor at Large tells us about her admiration for Tommy Ton from the much admired blog, Jak & Jill.

Style Amor
Most aspiring fashionistas start out as interns and a lot of them are not treated as well as they should be. This fabulous delivers some much needed advice on what to expect from an internship and what to do when you are not.

The Coveted
Remember Tavigate? Yes that drama from a few weeks back?  Well Jennine from The Coveted gives us her views on the scenario.


Image taken from The Satorialist.