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On Monday, November 8, pop music and style icon Lenny Kravitz was awarded the Fashion Icon of the Year award at the 2022 CFDA Awards. Long recognized for his in-your-face sexy man fashion, Lenny Kravitz since his rise to fame in the late 1980s has successfully found a way to combine with rocker vibe with his African American roots made evident his glam rock/street style.
What I’ve learned along the way is being yourself is the most important thing you can do,” said Kravitz. “And that you’re going to make mistakes. I certainly have had my fair share of fashion fails, but that’s part of evolving.”
Well, Kravitz didn’t fail on Monday night, Kudos, Lenny, you’re a winner!!
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Cher aint going nowhere
If have heard the adage,” “The only thing that will be left after a nuclear holocaust is Cher and cockroaches,” then you know that this quote is very true. There is no last act for Cher. In her 70s, Cher continues to turn heads and keep it moving.
Letting no grass grow under her feet, Cher has a new gig. Cher will star in the latest campaign for the Balmain Blaze, a luxury handbag designed with Cher in mind by Balmain creative director Olivier Rousteing.
“More than anything else, I wanted the Blaze to be a bag that was definitely going to be noticed,” Rousteing said. “As I explained to my team, I imagined these bags as being key components of the boldest entrances. For me, these designs evoke the impressive shields carried by the fearless superheroes of my youth—and I really love the idea of our Balmain Blaze adding an empowering sensation of invincibility as the perfect final touch for every ensemble.”
In the campaign ad, Cher stars as a futuristic goddess sitting on a throne in the same catsuit she wore in the spring 2023 Balmain runway show. In her own words, “All of us invent ourselves—some of us just have more imagination than others.”
Image courtesy of fashionnetwork.com
Hip Hop at 50
Can you believe that hip hop is fifty years old. Well, it is!!!
Hip Hop traces roots back to the Bronx in 1973 and was the brainchild of black and brown young people of color who were celebrating their life experiences through an innovative cross pollination of music, fashion, dance, and the written word. Fashion was a central element of hip hop evidenced Adidas sneakers, tracksuits, and shearling coats popularized by Run DMC; the Karl Kani clothing worn by Tupac Shakur; and Aaliyah’s iconic Tommy Hilfiger bandeau and jeans ensemble, as well as other designer looks worn by Lil’ Kim, Cardi B, and Lil Nas X.
The Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) will celebrate this incredible amalgam of music, fashion, dance, lyrical voice with a celebration of the 50th Anniversary of hip hop at an exhibit at the FIT Museum opening on February 8, 2023. The exhibit will also feature designs by 5001 Flavors, April Walker, Misa Hylton, Cross Colours, Karl Kani, Shirt King Phade of the Shirt Kings, FUBU, Rocawear, Wu Wear, Mecca USA, Baby Phat, Pelle Pelle, and Sean John, as well as Ralph Lauren, Tommy Hilfiger, Louis Vuitton, Gucci, and Versace, among many others.
“It was important for The Museum at FIT to organize this exhibition, because hip hop—the most influential music genre of our era—has had such a profound impact on the world of fashion,” said Dr. Valerie Steele, director and chief curator, MFIT. “Furthermore, hip hop fashion and music are cultural expressions of the African and Hispanic cultural diasporas, which MFIT seeks to amplify as part of our goal to expand the understanding of fashion.”
—William S. Gooch
