Fashion & Lifestyle

Fashion & Lifestyle - E: tony@myvillage.co.uk
Video Killed the Radio Star - and breathed life into fashion 06/08/01

MTV was born 20 years ago this month with the now legendary airing of "Video Killed the Radio Star." In the last two decades, the Buggles' tune has certainly proved prophetic. But what that British band, and even MTV execs, couldn't predict was that video would at the same time breathe life into the world of fashion.

MTV redefined the concept of style trends, bringing an immediacy to fashion that even the most dedicated fashionistas had never before experienced. Just consider the frequent metamorphoses of Madonna. Only in the MTV age can a copycat population so quickly jump from virginal lace to black corsets to rhinestone-studded cowboy hats.

Would the nation have donned a single white glove and a red leather jacket if we hadn't seen Michael Jackson's "Thriller" on screen? Probably not. Would the flannels and long underwear of anti-fashion grunge group Nirvana have permeated suburban malls? Certainly not. More recently, Gwen Stefani's bindi and Britney Spears' schoolgirl ensemble spread like wildfire after their videos hit the airwaves.

MTV, perhaps unwittingly, made its first foray into fashion with the debut Video Music Awards ceremony in 1984. Sporting a lacy wedding dress, Madonna writhed on stage and into our fashion consciousness forever. The Video Music Awards have been a showcase for fashion, usually of the outrageous variety, ever since.

The network's first official nod to the world of fashion came when the "Addicted to Style" segment premièred during "MTV News" in 1986. Three years later, "House of Style," hosted by supermodel Cindy Crawford, was an instant hit. The series on fashion went behind the scenes at runway shows and interviewed models. Suddenly, designers like Todd Oldham, Jean-Paul Gaultier and Dolce & Gabbana were household names. Catwalkers Shalom Harlow and Amber Valetta took over the program in 1996; Daisy Fuentes ousted them the next year; and last year Molly Sims took the reigns as the "Style" hostess with the most-ess.

It follows that MTV's next step would be to stage its own fashion show, mixed with a heavy dose of rock 'n' roll of course. The network filmed its first "Fashionably Loud" show during New York's autumn 1995 fashion week. The program has hit cities around the globe in the six years since.

Now, in the latest development in the marriage of music and fashion, MTV video stars have started launching their own clothing lines. Jennifer Lopez has created a J.Lo collection, Puff Daddy's Sean John line brought in $100 million last year and rapper Sisqo has just announced his upcoming "Dragon Collection." Busta Rhymes, Russell Simmons, Jay-Z, and Chris Kirkpatrick have also lent their names to clothing lines. Ghetto fabulous Lil' Kim is also said to be nearing completion of her debut swimwear line. No prizes for guessing how racy these pieces will be...

 

Features

Kensington Fashion & Lifestyle
October 2002
Versace at the V&A

September 2002
Fashion in Motion: St Martin's Graduates
Street Style Sale @ Christie's
London Fashion Week 12- 17 September
Whole Life Festival = Kensington Olympia - 6-8 September

July 2002
Village Fete at the V&A
Transformation Through Sound

June 2002
Golden Jubilee Celebrations in Kensington & Chelsea
The Queen's Golden Jubilee - Britain 50 years on

May 2002
Tata-Naka - Fashion in Motion
Tiaras at the V&A
London Doll's House Festival

April 2002
Deepak Chopra comes to Kensington

February 2002
London Fashion Weekend at the Natural History Museum

January 2002
Harrods Winter Sale
London International Boat Show

Diana's Dresses @ Kensington Palace
Sotheby's Olympia
MyKensington meets Colette Harkins from Kara Kara
Michael Reed - Dream, work station
Louise Grove-White - Natural History Museum
Diane McCarthy - Personal Shopping at Barkers
Peter Insall of Kensington Roof Gardens
Morag Iona Young - Colour Analyst and Image Consultant
BIBA - Kensington Retro Chic
Ossie Clark - London's answer to Yves Saint Laurent

Features 2001
Fashion & Lifestyle Features 2001

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