Katy Perry's Super Bowl Style

Pop diva Katy Perry nailed her Super Bowl Halftime show last night. I’m not a football fan per se, but I was entranced by Perry’s spectacular costume style courtesy of fashion designer Jeremy Scott. Her concert looks were not just a feat of style, but also logistics as each costume design had to fit inside another for quick changes during the performance.

Katy Perry roared onstage on top of a giant metallic lion in an intricate flame suit. A frequent collaborator with Perry, Jeremy Scott took inspiration from the flame shoes of his previous collections. This outfit consisted of leather flames airbrushed with an ombre effect and bound in black leather, appliqued onto patent gold leather.

Her next look was revealed to be a cheeky beach ball dress to coordinate with dancing backup sharks, palm trees and a troupe of ladies that looked like they had escaped a Fanta commercial from 2003. The beach ball cups in her dress were amply filled…No deflate gate here.

Jeremy Scott Sketches

The choice of Katy Perry and surprise guest rapper Missy Elliot was not a frivolous one. Football as a sport has had several controversies with regards to assault and domestic violence. Showing strong women at the top of their game was a deliberate message.

Jeremy Scott insisted on the sparkling hoodie costume for Katy Perry to complement Missy Elliot (who looked and sounded great BTW). This look was not a part of the original lineup, but Scott felt the pop star really needed a look “to get her freak on”.

The immense amount of bling Perry wore can be attributed to accessories designer Erin Lareau. There were reportedly 22 000 crystals applied to Katy Perry’s costumes and bedazzled microphones for the night’s performance. Along with Lareau, the singer wore elaborate diamond pieces by Lorraine Schwartz.

The final costume, Katy Perry’s star spangled dress was actually a look by Jeremy Scott’s collection for Moschino. He used Mylar and holographic materials to create the stars that were applied to the slinky silver lame dress. The silhouette was very “Jessica Rabbit”. The intent was a mix of B-movie Science fiction and Old Hollywood glamour.

The look was perfect to watch Katy Perry soar into the sky on a shooting star. Her style, the fashion, the show was something dreams were made of!

Screenshots from NBC

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Atelier Swarovski Celebration

It was a night that sparkled.  The prosecco, the crystals and all of the gorgeous bling at Midtown's Willow Club.  Harper’s Bazaar accessory editor Avril Graham hosted the evening featuring Atelier Swarovski’s holiday lineup.  

It was a diverse range of accessory pieces created with up and coming designers as well as legends.  Glittering stilettos from Stuart Weitzman, snake-like jewels from Karl Lagerfeld.  Stephen Webster had a rock n’ roll inspired collection for men with jewels with edgy, animal jaw settings.  

My favorite pieces included the “Eclipse” necklace from Kirt Holmes.  It consisted of intertwined crystals with grosgrain ribbon woven through.  A spectacular statement piece came from Baby Phat veteran Jerome Lamaar with his first jewelry collection, “Compleated”. 

The signature souvenir of the event was a Swarovski encrusted limited edition issue of this month’s Harper’s Bazaar with Katy Perry on the cover.  

I am a big fan of crystal accessories.  Anyone looking for my list to Santa only has to look at the pictures above.  

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Manish Arora's Fish Fry

Fish Fry?  Are you wondering why it is relevant to this fashion blog?  I am not sure  how the name came about either, but that's the quirky sense of humor of Fish Fry clothing designer, Manish Arora. 

Katy Perry wears his clothes. The renowned fashion writer for the International Herald Tribune, Suzy Menkes, adores him. I, too, am now caught up in Manish Arora's wacky, colorful world.

His brilliant collection caused spine tingling chills as the monitors lit up Lakme Fashion Week in Mumbai

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Victoria's Secret Fashion Show Extravaganza

Forget Fashion Week.  Victoria's Secret has absolutely no intention of playing with the rest of the industry.  Their big presentation is for the purpose of pure spectacle and Wednesday night, they proved they do it best.

The check-in was reportedly tougher than going through U.S. Customs with a ticking suitcase.  The guest list was a who's who of multiple celebrity disciplines...Movie stars like Gerard Butler and Malin Ackerman. Chef Daniel Boulud and athlete Serena Williams made their appearance as well. The music industry contingent was represented by Maroon 5.  The fashion industry elite, like Alexander Wang and Zac Posen were the rare males in the room who were actually there to look at the clothing.

The show itself was an over-the-top glitterfest.  The runway sparkled with gold, with shiny metallic props that looked like they came from Jeff Koon's garage.  The famous 'angel wings' were bigger and better than ever.  They seemed to be inspired by tough tattoo babes and preening peacocks.  The lingerie pieces are generally not the same outfits you would find at the mall.  However toned down versions of the novelty pieced corsets, wired and cleavage-hoisting lace bras and embellished panties will be on the racks soon.  Katy Perry and Akon serenaded the crowd with fantastic performances.

Which angel was your favorite?

Photos by Josh Wong 

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