MUSIC'S IMPACT

Music and fashion have long gone hand in hand. Like most creative industries, they find innovative ways of gaining commercial success through collaboration. The soundtrack chosen to accompany a runway show has the ability to convey the designer's aesthetic in ways a silent show could not. The musical selection also has the power to reel in media attention and new fans. Lady Gaga premiered her song "Bad Romance" at Alexander McQueen's Spring/Summer 2010 show, which urged an overwhelming amount of people to log onto SHOWstudio, where they could live stream the collection. A few months later, the music video for "Bad Romance" came out, featuring Lady Gaga in an array of McQueen designs from the very same collection. This sort of merging of the two worlds commanded the world's attention and launched Lady Gaga's stardom to new heights. Likewise, Alexander Wang has used up & coming internet sensations such as Die Antwoord and Azealia Banks in his T by Alexander Wang campaigns, which has helped both the artists featured, as well as Wang in being recognized beyond their industry.
This, however, is more of a marketing strategy than a creative influence. Since it's popularization, fashion has been somewhat dependent on music for inspiration. The Metropolitan Museum of Art's latest costume institute exhibition, "PUNK: Chaos to Couture," is living proof of music's predominant force. The exhibit features punk-inspired garments by Commes Des Garçons, Karl Lagerfeld and Riccardo Tisci, Yohji Yamamoto and Vivienne Westwood, amongst many other talented designers. Punk icons include Debbie Harry of Blondie, Siouxsie Sioux of Siouxsie & The Banshees and Patti Smith, who all had easily recognizable aesthetics. Millions of girls were impacted by these women and adopted Harry's peroxide blonde hair, ripped t-shirts and mix-match pattern choices, Sioux's goth-punk look and Smith's androgynous wardrobe.

John Lyndon and Gary Wilson's impact on high fashion. (Commes Des Garcons Autumn/Winter 2006-7 & Maison Margiela Spring/Summer 2011.)

With the rise of disco in the late 1970s, Diana Ross made sequined dresses, big hair and effortless glamour a most desirable look. Madonna burst onto the scene in the 1980s and brought with her an abundance of bandannas, rubber bracelets, mix-matched tights and rosary beads, forever changing women's street style. The 1990s saw anti- fashion icon Kurt Cobain popularize grunge fashions such as ripped jeans, ripped sweaters, converse and Dr. Martens boots. Belly tops and sneakers were brought back into the spotlight in the early 2000s with the help of Britney Spears.

Music fashion through the decades. L to R: Diana Ross, Madonna, Kurt Cobain, Britney Spears.

In high fashion, perhaps the best example of music's impact is Jean Paul Gaultier's Spring/Summer 2013 collection, in which he drew inspiration from 80s popstars such as Grace Jones, Madonna, David Bowie, Boy George. Since being appointed creative director of Saint Laurent Paris, Hedi Slimane has launched the Saint Laurent Music Project campaigns, depicting a number of rock stars styling themselves in the label's collections. Marilyn Manson, Courtney Love and Daft Punk have all been featured so far, but the list grows by the season. In addition, Slimane's Fall/Winter 2013 collection for the brand was admittedly inspired by the 90s California grunge scene.

Grace Jones' influence on fashion, seen though Jean Paul Gaultier's Spring/Summer 2013 collection.

Marilyn Manson and Courtney Love's campaigns for Saint Laurent.

Who are your favorite musical fashion icons? Let me know by commenting below!

FILM'S IMPACT

Transience is something that always has and always will be the driving force of the fashion industry. Trends and collections come and go by the season, forcing designers and brands to often look to the past for inspiration. Luckily, film is something that has the preeminent ability to reflect a generation as well as transform it. Films also have have the power to elevate actors to new heights as fashion icons; when a Givenchy-clad Audrey Hepburn lingered outside Tiffany & Co carrying a coffee and danish in Breakfast at Tiffany's the 'little black dress' was created and forever changed the fashion world. This wasn't the first time Hepburn starred in a game changing movie; in Funny Face, she played a shy bookstore clerk turned world renowned model who opted for a black turtleneck, black pants and flats while off screen and refined Edith Head-designed gowns while on screen. This pseudo-androgynous look, brought to the limelight by Marlene Dietrich, was later expanded by Diane Keaton in Woody Allen's Annie Hall, in which she wore typically formal menswear pieces with a relaxed fit and an equally relaxed attitude. Three decades later Uma Thurman, as Mia Wallace in Pulp Fiction. was seen wearing a crisp white button-up shirt, black pants and flats while dancing to Chuck Berry with John Travolta.

L to R: Uma Thurman in Pulp Fiction, Audrey Hepburn in Funny Face and Diane Keaton in Annie Hall.

When Brigitte Bardot appeared in ...And God Created Woman lounging on the beach in a hardly-there bikini, swimwear forever changed. Hers was a new type of sultry style that nobody had ever seen before and that everybody wanted to replicate. Conservatives were outraged by the amount of skin being shown however this did not stop actresses such as Raquel Welch in One Million Years B.C and Ursula Andress in Dr. No, along with women the world over, to adopt this new look.

Although fashion was the last thing on Alfred Hitchcock's mind while directing his iconic films, he always succeeded in creating glamorous and well-dressed women that command your attention as soon as they step on screen. In The Birds, Tippi Hedren can be seen donning an over sized fur coat and a chic mint green ensemble. Grace Kelly, like Audrey Hepburn, wears many Edith Head designs in Rear Window as well as a trinket around her wrist that jingles gracefully with her every movement. Mysterious black veils, luxurious furs and opulent headpieces are worn by Marlene Dietrich in Stage Fright.
Hitchcock's legendary women have gone on to inspire many designers through the years, most recently Marc Jacob's Autumn/Winter 2013 collection for Louis Vuitton; the designer had the models walk through a hotel-like runway and enigmatically enter their supposed 'rooms' to the sound of a very cinematic score. This entire collection had a very ominous and suspenseful feeling, much like Hitchcock's films.

Tippi Hedren in The Birds (left) and Louis Vuitton Autumn/Winter 2013 (right)

On the complete other side of the spectrum, where styles are much more urban and edgy, films from the 80's and 90's reign supreme. In Desperately Seeking Susan, Madonna plays a carefree It girl living in New York  (essentially playing herself.) She rocks everything from lace fishnets paired with men's boxers to vintage tees with frilly skirts, depicting the devil-may-care attitude of 80's New York. The fashions in this film have inspired current superstar Rihanna's personal style as well as current street style.
Singles and Poison Ivy define the 90's grunge style perfectly, showcasing Dr. Martens boots, heavy leather jackets, cut offs and ripped jeans. Although none will ever admit it, these films offered fashion inspiration to devotees of this counterculture and continue to impact street style today.

L to R: Madonna's iconic pyramid jacket in Desperately Seeking Susan, Drew Barrymore in Poison Ivy and Bridget Fonda and Matt Dillon in Singles.

Movies continue to influence both high fashion and street fashion today, with films like Marie Antoinette, The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, Avatar, Coco Before Chanel and, most recently, The Great Gatsby all providing inspiration for designers around the world.

Avatar's influence on high fashion as seen through Jean Paul Gaultier (left and right) and Valentino's (middle) collections.

With so many iconic fashion films, it is impossible to list them all. Comment below and tell me your favorite ones!