Alex Perry Tells Us How To Channel Lady Gaga And Dress Uniquely

13th OF July 2011

By Alex Perry
www.alexperry.com.au

Lady Gaga has certainly made an unforgettable impression on our media, music and fashion consciousness. She doesn’t merely reinvent her look with each album like other artists; rather she pushes fashion to its absolute boundaries (and sometimes beyond!) with every single appearance, making each Gaga sighting a “show” and spectacle in itself. She has single-handedly thrust Haute Couture and wearable performance art into our mainstream faces. Some of her choices are questionable, even to a fashion savvy couturier, however they are never dull and always keep us talking, thinking and guessing. Fashion is foremost about fun, and expressing your personality, especially if yours is a little offbeat.

So how can you “Monsters” embrace your own “Baby I was Born this Way” individual style, without going to the extreme of donning a silly, not to mention a bit smelly, pork chop on your head? Follow my tips below so that you too can look uniquely individual, yet amazing...

1. Know your passions and quirks, embrace them and celebrate them. If you have a thing for 1950’s retro rockabilly, then Op Shop for swing skirts with cinched waists, shirts tied under the bust and quiffed hairstyles. If Audrey Hepburn is your fashion idol, then gravitate towards boat necklines, sophisticated tailoring, kitten heels and a flick of liquid eyeliner. If it’s an era you love, like the 70’s, then research it well. Explore all aspects of the look, not just the clothes themselves. Consider the hair, makeup, shoes, handbags, colours, prints, dress lengths, pant hem width, headwear and jewellery.
2. Keep some anchor in reality. Draw inspiration from your favourite icon, era or theme, “borrow” from them but keep the look relevant by incorporating some “now” pieces and current styling to keep the look in a modern context. If you simply copy the look, you could wind up as a sad parody, or an extra from an ABBA tribute act.
3. Don’t get too lost in the “art” of fashion to the point where you forget the rules for dressing your frame. Know your body type and always dress to flatter it – stick to the body shape rules. There’s no point shimmying into a Mary Quant micro mini with a 1960’s Beatniks feel if your heavy thighs are more won-ton than waif-like.
4. Just as with cooking where certain food flavour combinations just “work”, it’s the same with certain colour combos in fashion. A bold and strong colour combination will always deliver a bold and strong look. Try perennial favourites black, white and red, fuchsia with tangerine, acid lime with navy or aqua blue. They have been tried and tested for decades, and they work.
5. Exaggerate proportions. Over-scaled details can be eye catching and emphasize your fashion point of view. Remember the overblown flowers Carrie became known for wearing in SITC? The white gold edged one she wore in the opening scene of the movie was ridiculously ENORMOUS. The exaggerated motif really reminded us that this was her “thing” and she was committed to it.
6. Find a signature motif, colour or item that tells people what you are all about, make them remember you by and then stick to it. Uber stylist to the stars, Rachel Zoe’s signature look always includes at least one oversized cocktail ring and huge Jackie O style sunglasses. These motifs reinforce her Boho Chic look and she “owns” it. I have a friend who only wears red, black and white, and the result gives off a really strong sense of personal style and conviction (plus it makes shopping more streamlined!)
7. Accessories are the simplest way to inject some personality into an otherwise chain-store look. Scour thrift stores, markets and out of the way boutiques for special and unique brooches, cocktail rings, hand-made jewellery, hand printed scarves, bespoke millinery hats, one-off samples and limited edition pieces. Unique accessories can reinvent, brighten, lift and transcend an ordinary business suit, classic white shirt, LBD or trench coat to an entirely different stratosphere - one only inhabited by YOU.
8. Unique doesn’t mean weird, strange or scary, or even worse, ugly. Should you need to indulge your avant-garde tendencies, be sure to do so with wit and style. Don’t be weird for weird’s sake or you will come off just…. Weird, and looking like a ghoul on its way to a Halloween party - mothers will shepherd small children from your path, shielding their eyes for fear of inducing nightmares. Beware of the fancy dress realm – channel the high glamour theatre of Haute Couture instead.
9. Wear your look with confidence and attitude and embody the persona. Own it ,work it, strut it. Be sure that the clothes don't wear you - YOU wear the clothes. Be definite as there’s no room here for fence sitters. Commit and go all the way.

Now that you are Gaga for tackling the stylishly unique, enjoy this Fine Romance and let your flights of fancy run wild with glamorous abandon. [Gaga] ooh la la ...

Alex
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Image Credit: Zimbio (Lady Gaga out in Sydney, Australia)