Fashion has Music at the Reins

We can all agree that that there is an ongoing symbiotic fusion, a ying and yang, a push and pull relationship between music and fashion but who's the one really wearing the pants, and on occasion the hot pants in this relationship? Who really influences whom?


In the last decade or so the music industry has not been the one at the reins; we haven't seen a major influence on the fashion industry from its music counterpart since the days of Tupac or Madonna, when our singing fashionistas were so influential they infiltrated the design dons with baggy pants or punked-out gloves. What we are seeing is that designers are using the music industry as a way to promote their own lines, and as the mass populace latches on to certain trends this in return influences the demands on the fashion industry.

Now I wouldn't say there isn't a possibility that Alexander McQueen does not kick back listening to Kanye West for inspiration, but Kanye is a well-known fashion junkie, recently signing on to a Louis Vuitton campaign, again expressing his enthusiasm for fashion.One may feel that the music industry is the one influencing fashion but this is because we usually see celebs in the eye catching gear before we see it on the runway. Most of us can only dream of what it would be like to sit front and center at a Jean Paul Gaultier show, and so instead our chart topping heroes become our liaisons to the fast and fabulous world of fashion.

James Brown wouldn't have been singing about hot pants if it wasn't already H-I-P to do so; and it didn't really matter how many times Elvis sang about his blue suede shoes, we don't all have a pair in our closet -thank goodness!

So like Beyonce in a Valentino gown, music and fashion are great alone but better together- music just won't work without the fashion, like Lil'John without the dark sunglasses. And we all know why we watch the pre-shows to the MMVA's; and it's not for the very eloquent interviews,it's for the "OMG, so who are you wearing?"