Fabfrocks loves: Lady Gaga and Giorgio Armani

Hi guys,
My love of Lady Gaga is well documented. From copying her make up to lusting after her dresses, if she does it then I want it. I normally despise all forms of pop music, but with my hand on my heart I can say that going to see her on her last tour was one of the best musical nights of my life.

So how excited was I when I saw the sketches of the costumes for her latest Born this Way Ball tour (which hits the UK in September)? The answer is pretty damn excited: The custom Giorgio Armani wardrobe created for Lady Gaga is characterized by extreme forms and futuristic materials – latex, metal, studs, PVC – crafted with couture savoir faire. Each outfit is completed with detailed, other-worldly accessories.

The first design includes a black bodice made of tubular PVC elements connected with metal studs, with mirrored metal inserts to define a curvaceous design. The ensemble is highlighted by a matching headpiece, robotic thigh-high boots, and exaggerated gloves ending in mirrored nails.

Another look is created via a shiny black grid-patterned PVC bodice with matching headpiece and embroidered ankle boots. Highlights include shoulders outlined by a play of sharp spikes, black Swarovski jet crystals and flowing fringe, creating a moving architecture.On the third black bodice, transparent Plexiglas, black crystals and luminous studs create a Cubist composition of abstract guitars. The matching headpiece follows in the shape of a keyboard; the boots are black vinyl.

The final design is a long tunic with leg-o-mutton sleeves made of skin-toned latex. Luminous PVC elements create flashes of synthetic light inside the garment. The same avant garde lighting is featured on the triangle decorating the chest, on the headpiece, and on the platform of the matching latex ankle boots.

So what does the man himself think of his creations? “Collaborating with Lady Gaga is always an exciting experience for me. I admire the way she uses fashion as a scenic element and as a means to build a character," says Giorgio Armani. "She is an artist of many talents and great intelligence. Creating stage costumes for her is a stimulating and creative exercise." And what do I think? Well I have only two words: "Yes please!"

I can't wait til Gaga lands in London in all her glory!

Love Tor xx

Aussie colour mate tribe party

Last night was the Aussie colour mate tribe party: All of the Aussie Angels have been divided into tribes according to their hair type, and of course the colour tribe was the one for me!

We were asked to come in costume as our colour idol, and who else would I choose but Lady Gaga? So with the help of an awful lot of make up, some empty coke cans, thirty hair pins, and more than half a can of hairspray, I Gaga-ed up! My beautiful guests Amie and Louise went as Lily Allen and Audrey Hepburn respectively. We met with our other tribe members, and enjoyed a range of cocktails whilst having a demonstration of a handy updo that looks chic without applying heat to damaged coloured hair:So far so good. But things were only going to get better....

...The evening's entertainment was truly outstanding!! Drag queen Lady Gaga and drag queen Beyonce came to meet us and perform; i'd never seen a man do the splits whilst shaking his booty before! It was a sight to behold! I fell slightly in love with Gaga, although it's slightly upsetting that he looked better in his costume than I did (and had considerably more impressive legs than any other woman in the room!) We had an amazing time.

De-Gaga-ing this morning wasn't quite the nightmare I was expecting: I shampooed twice using the Aussie colour mate shampoo and then absolutely drenched it in the colour mate conditioner and left it for five minutes. It combed straight through and felt smooth and soft. I also tried one of the tips we were told by the stylist: I only conditioned the bottom 2/3 of my hair. Usually I condition it all, but apparently it leaves the hair really heavy. Well I can't believe what a difference it's made: my hair has bounce and a little volume it doesn't usually have at the roots!

Such a fun night out, and great hair tips to boot: what more could you want for an evening?

Love, Tor xxx

Fashion thoughts of the day....

Photo shows: Madonna's daughter Lourdes, genuine dutch clog (say with accent), tricksy jumpsuit, banned diesel ad, and Lady Gaga dressed as a man

- No doubt you've read about it, but have you actually checked out Lourdes (as in Madonna's daughter) blog? It's not actually her blog I don't think, but the blog for the tween clothing collection the pair have launched - of the three posts so far my guess would be that she's written half of one. Effectively its a corporate blog designed to sell the collection, but I can't help but wonder if its the wrong decision to put Lourdes "out there" so much when she is only 13: blogging ultimately brings you closer to people (fans and critics) and I don't know if it's fair to ask someone so young to deal with that. Interested to know what you guys think about it!?

- I'm beginning to wonder if fashion is less about taste and more about habit. I remember wearing clogs shoes the first time round back in the nineties (my mum worried they'd warp my feet and my dad used to always ask if I was from Holland) and this left me very anti their revival. I was not cool in the nineties! At one point I even insisted it was a trend that I wasn't buying in to. (and there are very few of those) Until I saw clog sandals on every blogger and in every magazine and on passing feet on my way to work - at first I got used to them, then that acceptance turned to like, and the like to desire. So yesterday I bought a pair!

- Why are jumpsuits so impossible to remove when you really need to go to the loo?! I'm addicted to my jumpsuits on hot sunny days but find myself hopping around with my elbows bent like a contortionist trying to get them off whenever I need a wee. Is there some trick that i'm missing??

-Whenever you're told somethings been banned for being offensive, do you immediately want to know what it looks like? Diesel have had two posters banned: one showing a woman flashing a CCTV camera, and another showing a woman photographing her crotch. The text on both says "smart may have the brains but stupid has the balls. Be stupid. Diesel." All I can think about is how I wish I could see these banned ads: which is why it's in the picture above. I always think banned ads are great PR for companies - it's the only way you can get so many national papers talking about your brand and product.

- I love Lady Gaga and I love her even more now i've seen the pictures of her dressed up as a man! The pics are for Japan Vogue Homme, and I love her for having the balls (excuse the pun) to tackle the rumours that she is a man/hermaphrodite etc head on, and on her own terms. I also think she makes a seriously handsome man!

This are all little bits i've noticed or been thinking about today, but none of them are big enough to warrant a post of their own. I'm addicted to Glee and want to end this with a tribute to Sue Sylvester (That's how Tor sees it!) but i'm just not cool enough to pull it off! Maybe i'll mumble something cool in "youth speak" like Lourdes did instead.....

Love, Tor xx

Gaga: Ooh la laa!!

On Friday night I went to see Lady Gaga at the 02 arena in London. It was absolutely fabulous! I'm a massive Gaga fan and the show didn't disappoint: the music, the spectacle, the costumes! I could gush for hours about how wonderful it was .

Naturally I decided I had to Gaga up a little: I went for a skin coloured lace jacket, sparkly top with leggings, and a giant sparkly hair bow. My piece de resistence was the lightening bolt below my eye: I practiced it on my hand before I dared apply it to my face: it was all very Gaga! There were quite a few other people in costume: one girl was wearing a very skimpy leotard, but not as many people were in costume as I thought there would be.

For those of you that want to try the lightening bolt yourself (who wouldn't!) I found the best way to do it was to draw the lightening bolt with a pencil liner, then I filled it with Urban Decay eyeshadow which I mixed with water to make it a paste. Then I went around the lightening bolt again with a liquid liner. It stayed on all night, and was still on my face when I woke up with a hangover the next morning!!

I am aware though that you don't want to see pictures of me: you want to see pictures of the lady herself!

The middle dress was fantastic: it's called the living dress and it moved as she danced, like it had a life of its own. Towards the end of the performance giant wings flew out from the back. The studded boots in the final picture were fabulous, though they broke mid performance. She didn't take them off though and joked that she didnt want her audience to see her without heels. And isn't it time someone brought back the keyboard guitar?! Love it! I know i'm gushing, but I'm developing quite the girl crush! I heart Lady Gaga!

Love, Tor xx

EDIT: When its finished processing, here is a brief video I made of the Lady singing Love Game. Such a great song!

Lady Gaga at the Grammys

I don't usually write posts about what celebrities are wearing because usually it doesn't interest me, but over the last 12 months I have fallen slightly in love with Lady Gaga and her unique sense of style (evidence: my new hair) and none so much as I fell in love with her last night. She looked incredible:

Her performance outfit was a little too crotch-exposing for my personal tastes but this, to me, is perfection. It's a custom made Giorgio Armani Prive gown and the icy silver and lilacs gives the dress a space age/snow princess feel. I'm not a big fan of the yellow in the hair and I have no idea what she is holding in her hand, but those quirks are just Gaga: she has the most incredible sense of personal style and whether you love it or hate it, I think you have to admire it.

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I know this photo is going to be all over the bloggosphere today, but I couldn't resist throwing my opinion out there! I wonder if this means someone in the Independent will accuse us "awful bloggers" of being influenced by the lady gaga pr machines instead of those horrible designers and high street stores?

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Love, Tor xx

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PS - I'm going to see her at the end of the month and I can't wait!

PPS - Apologies for the slight "teenage girl" overtones of this piece!

Going GaGa

Last week Lady GaGa said in the Independent: "Fashion is everything to me. Its just as important as the music." And whilst there are hundreds of artists spouting the same generic rubbish all the time, in this instance, I actually believe her!

I'm not normally one to follow music industry hype (I love music, but I know what I like!) but I am genuinely interested in Lady GaGa (apparently just Gaga to her friends) and her progress: with her metallic breastplate and crazy stage gyrating, how can you not compare her to the conical bra wearing uber performer that was Madonna in the 80s? The girl has the potential to become an icon.

Apologies for the stolen photo from Mr Paparazzi.com, and I still get goose bumps when I see madonna in that Jean Paul Gaultier set up!

Like Madonna, she obviously loves the "underwear as outerwear" trend, and she's quite the expert: she made the nude bra for her love game video herself!

However, it's not her underwear that interests me: Any outfit that leaves you at risk of arrest for over exposure is definitely not for me! No, what I am loving, nay, slightly obsessed with, are her stage costumes; they're elaborate, have real attitude and yet like most things you see on the catwalk, you can imagine a toned down version that would really work on you:

The feathered eyelashes GaGa is so fond of (i'm guessing, as she wears them all the time!) are by Shu Uemra. They also do lace ones, which are immediately on my wish list!

OK so its a bland outfit with a little too much leg and a Star Trek vibe until....wow! Check out those shoulder pads!!

I've looked everywhere, and i have no idea who made those wonderful spikey dresses: if you know tell me! I am however, in love with the idea of using your own hair as a hair ornament and tying it in a bow: if i've got time tonight, i'm going to give it a go!

Lady Gaga leaves London at the end of the week and this makes me a little bit sad: I love reading about her antics of the night before on my way home in thelondonpaper every day. And if, after seeing all the wonderful pictures you still need another reason to fall a little bit in love with Lady Gaga, then don't worry because I have one for you. I've got it all! Christian Siriano, winner of Project Runway season 4, is responsible for some of her outfits, including the massive black patent bow she wore on MTV. Which sadly I cant find a picture of, but still...

Isn't that fierce?!

Love Tor x