By Steven Roberts
With reissues of their entire catalog and their own video game, Beatlemania is sweeping the country again. Although the band has been broken up over 40 years, they have still maintained a special place in the hearts and minds of millions, as well as an undeniable spot on the pantheon of musical greats. So what better way to celebrate Paul, John, George and Ringo then to slap them on the front of a T-shirt?
The Japanese clothing brand A Bathing Ape (or simply Bape) is the latest to jump on the craze. They collaborated with Apple Corp. Ltd — the Beatles' multimedia corporation — to release a capsule collection line of clothing featuring the band. The line will feature a number shirts and sweaters as well as a coin pouch and will probably cost a pretty penny.
Apple Corp also released info about it's collaboration with another Japanese clothing line, Rei Kawakubo's COMME des GARCONS. The CDG collaboration features a variety of t-shirts, bags and jackets.
The Beatles X COMMME des GARCONS line is expected to release later this month, while there is no official word on the release of the Bape x The Beatles collaboration. Please Please Me, With the Beatles, Help! and Revolver are in stores now — along with a couple other ones, I think.
By James Dinh
By now, it's clear that Lady Gaga is one of the most — if not the most — fashion-forward pop star working today. She even has a song called "Fashion" (which she co-wrote with RedOne for Heidi Montag before re-claiming it last year). So the short film that premiered exclusively on Dazed Digital earlier today is no different.
The two-minute film, a collaboration between the singer and fashion filmmaker Kathryn Ferguson, has pop's favorite fashionista striking poses and waving her arms while a dramatic piano composition — one she wrote specifically for this project — plays underneath.
"I believe in a glamorous life," Gaga says as the camera pans to various blue-tinted shots of her face and outfit.
As the short goes on, the music shifts and the cutting between angles becomes more jittery and violent. Gaga's heavily made-up face becomes the centerpiece, and a kaleidoscope effect takes hold. Wearing shoulder pads and sitting in a chair, Gaga stands in front of a backdrop of stars. In a blend of color, light and glitter, the singer caresses her body while dangling what looks like a star pendent until the music fades black.
Gaga is no stranger to bold pieces of eye-catching cinema — after all, she did win three Moonmen at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards. Director Ferguson certainly taps into Gaga's edgy aesthetic, and hopefully the collaboration will yield more fashion-forward results in the future.
By Steven Roberts
The wait is finally over! Pastelle is here! You know, Kanye West's sorta-highly-anticipated fashion line? Remember "So go 'head, go nuts, go ape s---/ Specially in my Pastelle or my Bape s---"? Yeah, that Kanye West fashion line!
Photos finally hit the Web late yesterday of the much talked about — and nearly forgotten — clothing line by Kanye. The Louis Vuitton Don has been plugging his fashion line since his debut album, The College Dropout, when he was rocking Jordan VIs, a leather Louis backpack and a Polo sweaters — you know, the one with the cute little bear on it. Fans have waited patiently, but the only evidence of it has been a static Web site and a few pieces that Mr.West has worn at various award shows and red carpets.
Despite the delay of his own brand, Yeezy has been incredible active in the fashion world. He has released the Air Yeezys through a partnership with Nike, teamed up with Louis Vuitton to release a line of high-end, much more expensive shoes, was declared the winner of Complex magazine's Style Wars (an honor Pharrell should've won, but I digress) and of course there was Paris Fashion Week back in January.
Check out photos of the line. It's nothing we haven't seen before, but it does renew interest in the Voice of This Generation's brand.
UPDATE: Turns out Pastelle will never, ever, ever come out.
Another day brings the world another paparazzi shot of Russell Brand and Katy Perry out on a date. At least that's what everyone is calling it. Although no official word has come down that the pair are seeing each other in a romantic sense, they have been spotted all over Paris, going to fashion shows and hitting the town. And, might we add, is there a better to city to fall in love?
On Wednesday, the pair was spotted at the Galliano show looking like quite the lovely couple. Russell was decked out in a blinged-out tuxedo jacket with pinstripe pants, while Katy rocked a floor-length bubblegum gown with matching pink shoes. On Tuesday, the pair had been spotted at the Fendi show together. And they certainly haven't been shy to hold hands and touch each other while hitting up the shows.
But we realize that they also weren't shy about supporting each other right there on the world's stage at the Video Music Awards last month in New York City. With the assistance of Aerosmith's Joe Perry, she opened the show by serenading Brand with a cover of Queen's "We Will Rock You" as he made his way onto to the stage. He, of course, offered to be her shoulder to cry on when she didn't win any prizes at the big event.
So it seems like love bloomed right in front of the world at Radio City Music Hall. We here at MTV News love a good love story.
Click here for more photos of Katy Perry and Russell Brand at Paris Fashion Week!
Fashion Week in Milan was a star-studded seven days that featured appearances from Janet Jackson, Kanye West and Amber Rose. Now that Paris is celebrating its Fashion Week, a whole new batch of musicians have made their way to France to gawk at models and celebrate fashion. Katy Perry is there, and she has been tweeting about the experience, including a hilarious observation about hearing two models attempting to smuggle McDonald's without anybody seeing them for fear of outside judgment. Fashion Week has also welcomed Prince to the fold. The singer walked the red carpet at the Chanel show yesterday, and it gave him the opportunity to show off his latest, greatest ensemble.
Actually, this particular outfit is not unlike the one he wore at the Apollo Theater a few months ago, which was the last time we parsed one of his ensembles. Why he's standing in front of bales of hay is still not clear, but his ruffled silver shirt is an incredible addition to his wardrobe. But it's missing the accessory that has defined Prince's public appearances in the past few years.
Or is it? Read more...
By Gigi Abrantes
Since he first dropped his debut album in 1996, Jay-Z became an instant classic on the hip-hop scene. Now that he is about to drop his 11th album The Blueprint 3, MTV News takes a look back at the history of one of the greatest artists in rap history with The J to Z of Jay-Z.
He walked into the MTV Newsroom back in 2004 dressed in a striped button-down shirt, crisp brown jacket and smooth suede shoes. But none of what Jay-Z was rocking that day was as cool as the statement he was making: People in hip-hop shouldn't be afraid to grow up. At age 30, Jay-Z was concerned that he couldn't continue to be taken seriously as an adult and business man while dressed in a throwback basketball jersey.
At the beginning, Jay-Z's approach to fashion was all over the map. From the baggy pants and sports jerseys that were stereotypically associated with the rap game to a tuxedo and top hat, Jay-Z's music videos and songs incorporated various nods to fashion labels, styles and trends. Like fellow hip-hop moguls Russell Simmons (who created the Phat Farm clothing line in 1992) and Sean Combs (who started Sean Jean in '98), Jay-Z expanded his influence from the music world into the fashion universe. And being the sharp business entrepreneur that he is, Hova acknowledged his influence on hip-hop culture and looked to refine the rap game's tailoring through Rocawear, which he started with Damon Dash in 1999.
In 2007, Jay-Z sold Rocawear for $204 million, but he remains invested in the brand still in charge of product development, marketing and licensing.
Paramore frontvixen Hayley Williams has got a signature style that is tough and edgy but also just girly enough to remind everybody which chromosomes she carries. With a multitude of kids (and Paramore fans) headed back to school this week, Williams dropped some knowledge via her LiveJournal (how 2003 of her!) about her favorite lines and styles. She cited Dogpile as her favorite line (because it was worn by members of AFI and Brody Dalle). That green vest from the "Ignorance" video? That's from Dogpile, according to Williams. She also gives shout-outs to Katy Perry and Lucille Ball as style inspirations and notes that the dress she wore at last year's MTV Video Music Awards came from this boutique. But right at the end, she raises a glass to Miley Cyrus' Wal-Mart line. "Don't forget about Miley's clothing line in Wal-Mart. Dead. Serious," she wrote. "Good quality tees and tanks ... and if you're brave enough, there are some more daring items in the line." Highlights of the Cyrus clothing line (with an assist from Max Azria) include leopard-print leggings, T-shirts with built-in vests and some cool-looking faux-flannels (in case you want to stage your own remake of "Singles").
Williams is less helpful with her suggestions for her male fans. "As for the dudes, you're on your own," she wrote. "Band merch is almost always a good idea. Cheap too!"
No matter what Williams is wearing, it better be durable, because as soon as her band's new album brand new eyes comes out on September 29, she will once again be in demand everywhere. In the meantime, the group is currently in the United Kingdom for a show this weekend before starting their proper U.S. tour when their album drops at the end of the month.
One of the things that stood out during my trip to the Britney Spears show at New York's Madison Square Garden last night was the variety of merchandise available. After going to the Nine Inch Nails show on Sunday (which had exactly one T-shirt option, and that option was misprinted), it was amazing to see the vastness of Spears' retail offerings. The collection was quite impressive. In addition to the standard T-shirt offerings (including a $40 sleeveless number that seemed to be extremely popular, worn by one of the fans in the video below), there were a number of inventive alternatives. The underwear was most impressive: There was a thong that read "It's Britney, B----" (a catch phrase uttered often in the MSG crowd) and a pair of booty shorts that displayed the title of Spears' controversial single "If U Seek Amy." Some of the choices were slightly more confusing, like the tattered green military-style hat. I saw it at a merch stand when I was walking into the venue and thought it was something that nobody would ever buy, but those things were everywhere. There was also a jersey-style pink T-shirt that read "It's Britney" on the front and "Yo Mama" with the number 22 on the back. (The "Yo Momma" phrase also showed up on a pair of shorts.)
But the topper was certainly the black Circus-themed jacket that had Spears' name on the front and a gothic script "B" on the back. The price? $150, and they were moving like hot cakes. But when MTV News talked to somebody who purchased the item, we found that it was an incredibly high-quality garment. Britney clearly knows her audience is fashion-conscious and won't settle for anything less than top-quality merchandise that can slide into their regular rotations — another savvy move that makes the Circus tour one of the most impressive spectacles of the year. Click here for a full gallery of Britney's tour merchandise, including panties, thongs and T-shirts!
By Akshay Bhansali
Way back in February, I joined fellow MTV News team members Christina Garibaldi and Jocelyn Vena in accompanying Aubrey O'Day as she took in fittings with and walked the ramp for former Heatherette designer Richie Rich at New York Fashion Week. To commemorate the show, Rich teamed up with Vans shoes for a limited edition line worn on the catwalk. These kicks would not be hitting stores and only a few hundred pairs were made and handed out to attendees of the show. At the end of the show Rich promised us a pair and I was beginning to think it was another empty celeb promise. No big deal — you get used to it.
I may not get away with wearing a pair myself, but receiving my limited-edition pair of Richie Rich Vans in today's mail was the highlight of my afternoon. In typical Richie Rich fashion, these shoes are attention grabbers: covered with every color in the highlighter hue, Rich's signature logo, a big lipstick kiss and neon pink laces. There's no room for subtlety here. But that's why we love Richie Rich. Thanks to the homie Richie and Vans shoes for hooking me up and letting me believe in what famous people promise all over again.
Every day a multitude of stars wanders through the halls of MTV News to talk about their latest projects and goof around with staff members. But sometimes we catch stars elsewhere, and that's why we put together Spotted!, a daily compendium of stars in the wild.
The always fashion-forward Hilary Duff paid a visit to the "I 'Heart' Ronson" event in New York yesterday, which celebrated the Charlotte Ronson-designed fashion line sold exclusively at JC Penny. Duff joined other clothes horses Jemina Pearl, Mischa Barton, Olivia Thirlby, Cisco Adler, Zoe Kravitz and MTV's own Alexa Chung at the event.
Duff has been steadily drifting away from her music and movie career to focus more on fashion: She has her own line called "Stuff by Hilary Duff" and has designed jeans for DKNY. But she hasn't totally neglected the outlets that made her a star, as she's working on several films and told MTV News back in November that she was working on a new album after parting ways with her former label Hollywood Records. Most notably, she's been in New York filming her guest appearances on "Gossip Girl."
Hilary wasn't the only star to get out of the house for a little fun yesterday. Ciara took a trip to Intermix in Los Angeles for a little shopping, Kourtney Kardashian stocked up on baby accessories and Pussycat Doll Ashley Roberts hit the beach in Malibu. Check out all those photos plus the complete "Spotted!" gallery, featuring shots of Britney Spears, Madonna, Beyoncé, the Jonas Brothers, Lady Gaga and dozens more!
