VIDEO KILLED THE RADIO STAR

October 25th, 2011

Culture

by Bridgette

Award shows got a little out of control around the millennium. It seemed as if every month brought a slew of new award ceremonies on TV. We’re sure there was a difference between the Radio Music Awards and Billboard Music Awards, but really, did it matter? As the years went by the volume of these shows subsided a bit, and we were left with the majors that we really looked forward to: Oscars, Grammys, VMAs and a few others. One that we do really miss however, are the VH1/Vogue Fashion Awards. With trophies handed out to stylish musicians, actors, models and designers alike, we’re super nostalgic for this over-the-top indulgence of a show that ran from 1995 to 2002. In the spirit of fashion fused with music, we decided to do a little music video retrospective of our own, highlighting some of our favorite and most fashionable music videos from the last four decades, featuring some of our favorite new arrivals from NASTY GAL.

BEASTIE BOYS “NO SLEEP TIL BROOKLYN” 1987

This video saw the “Triple Trouble” MCs poke fun at their hair-metal contemporaries, but half-way through the classic tour anthem the Beasties strip down to their signature 80s punk-meets-hip-hop looks. We can still see their style influence on the streets of Brooklyn today.

Get the look:

TARDY in red leather.

MUUBAA MOTO JACKET in distressed grey leather.

GOLD CHAIN.

AVIATOR SUNGLASSES.

HOLE “VIOLET” 1995

Love her or hate her, Courtney Love broke new ground not only as a rock goddess, but as a style icon when she took the scene by storm with Live Through This in the mid-90s. Copy-Courts everywhere traded in their flannels for baby-doll dresses and disheveled blond locks. Courtney’s reign as fashion diva didn’t end there. In the late 90s, she traded grunge for glam becoming the face of Versace and a red-carpet darling. Recently she even started a blog, WHAT COURTNEY WORE TODAY. She may not have been in Givenchy and Lanvin back in ’95, but we sure loved her look!

Get the look:

ROSCOE in black distressed leather.

BELLADONNA BLACK LACE DRESS.

MAGIC STONE RING.

OUTKAST “HEY YA” 2003

Long before their album Speakerboxxx/The Love Below Outkast were known as both acclaimed MCs and style icons. Group member Andre 3000 in particular had been followed by the pre-blogger fashion police and his outrageous looks were heavily covered. But not until “Hey Ya” did the ATLiens’ style hit the mainstream. With it’s rich use of color and vintage feel, “Hey Ya” is both a nod to the likes of Prince and The Beatles as well as an original fashion vision itself.

Get the look:

LITA in green velvet.

STRIPED IN LINE BLOUSE.

FREYA FAUX FUR COAT.

WOOL TRILBY HAT.

LADY GAGA “BAD ROMANCE” 2009

We debated about including “Bad Romance” on our list. The clothes and shoes are so iconic that we didn’t want to attempt to re-create any of the looks. In fact, the entire video could serve as a fashion show for Alexander McQueen’s Plato’s Atlantis collection. That being said, we still stand by this being one of the greatest music videos of all-time, especially from a fashion perspective. It’s also the second most-watched YouTube video of all time, so to not include it would just be silly.

RIHANNA “WE FOUND LOVE” 2011

We’ve had our eye on Rihanna ever since her 2006 breakthrough “SOS”. Over the next 5 years, she has been embraced by the fashion community as one of the most exciting and refreshing dressers in the business. Effortlessly evolving from one look to another, while daringly pushing the envelope with her controversial videos, it’s safe to say we have another Madonna on our hands. In her latest video, “We Found Love” Rihanna pushes fashion buttons even further. Our favorite look is the Trans Am scene where Rih is decked out in Jeremy Scott SS12. We can’t wait to see what she does next!

Get the look:

ROSIE CUTOUT COMBAT BOOT in black distressed leather.

RAHA DENIM DRESS.

UNDERCOVER ANORAK.

ARROWHEAD STUD EARRINGS.