Fashion in Make Up during New Romantic movement

 From 1980 the New Romantic movement spread gradually in the Blitz, Hell and Billy's, where the club-scene queens Leigh Bowery, Steve Strange, Boy George and Marilyn patented gender-confusing, feminine nightclub faces.
 In 1981 Steve Strange's post-Punk, New Romantic world of frills and furbelows was opposed to the old ethics of the new wave because of its glamour. Although, partly a reaction against dressing down and the image of violence, which Punk had deliberately projected, New Romantics shared the same roots in extreme stylization...
" New Romantic movement was the most radically stylised youth cult since punk".

Boy George says, "With make up I could certainly look exotic".  His creamy porcelain foundation, gloss-red pouting lips, soaring eyebrows and hot-red blush from temple to the hollow of the cheek. Back in 1981 Boy was mistaken for a girl! Since then the tabloids christened him a "gender-bender".
The godfather of New Romantism, David Bowie, peopled his "Ashes to Ashes" video with Blitz club regulars and had a make up artist Richard Sharah paint him as Pierrot with red, magenta and azure eyeshadow, a beauty spot and seagulls painted on his temples. 

Present Music Artists

Lady Gaga and her outfits which I love. She likes to dress up. "Big time".

The main idea of Lady Gaga's style is closely placed with surrealism. I love people who chose not to follow the crowd, therefore I love Lady Gaga. 

Lady Gaga and a "Bathtub" outfit.. No wonder why she looks so beautiful, her secret is a good old soak in the bath :)

I love her pearl layered glassed, they give an idea as if she wears glasses to see the world in four dimension, maybe to create illusion of another world. Certainly her creative world is not ordinary and boring: 

Lady Gaga in "Fern" Costume:

Mermaid and Kermit the Frog Style are quite funny and sweet. You are never too old to do anything you want:

The Lobster Dress, "this is not a lobster, it's fashion statement", I remember from our summer assignment the lobster dress by Elsa Schiaparelli and was worn by Wallis Simpson.

 I find that most Lady Gaga's outfits to be allegorical and this one is not exception. For some it may seem absurd to stick a lobster on ones head. Allegedly Lady Gaga loves lobsters. 

But in reality she always purposely tells a story or bears a message in her professionally set costumes. Perhaps this particular look (like many others) pushes the boundaries for daily outfit, but for alternative clubbing it's perfectly wearable :)

 "Disco Blood Bath" style. Myself I don't like using blood even if it's fake. This look reminds me of Party Monsters movie. It's quite disturbing, nevertheless she looks really sexy.

Famous Poker Face

Brooke Candy with her new video "Das Me" - (unsuitable for under 16s for sure!)
I came across Brooke Candy by accident. I follow Wonderland magazine on Twitter and they came up with this female performer. After some research I found out that she is apparently ex-stripper and now she is a rapper. Her music does not excite me at all, it fact I think it's ugly. What caught my attention is one of her cool gold outfits:

Make up is quite good with long false hair extensions plats:

and gold 8 inch "walking on clouds" platform boots and her rebellious attitude reminds me of Party Monsters:

YouTube Interview with Brooke Candy:

Fabric Land

I thought I will browse around the shops in town to get some inspiration as to resources. I poped around few local charity shops. Also, theres one great shop called Fabric Land which situated right on the High Street of Southampton. Whilst there I found some colourful textiles, which might be suitable for my new Club Culture project. 

Here some pictures:

Some really nice vibrant stretchy material. And wow! How colours have evolved. 

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Follow up* I got back here few days later and bought some electric blue fabric. This beautiful metallic colour has this feel of authentic 80's culture look with modern twist:

I've created these leggings for my First Look:

Movie review

- I have watched the events of Michael Alig's years as a club promoter up to his arrest which portrayed in the 1998 documentary Party Monster: The Shockumentary. Michael comes across as a psychopathic actor, and crazy fun loving human-animal. Maybe he was not always on drugs and alcohol, but instead he loved to act and entertain in his own way, he "wanted to be everyone's worst nightmare!" His very mischievous personality led him to huge success, fame with limousines, money and drugs, and later his fall and imprisonment. Which on one hand I find is a shame, because he wasted his life so stupidly. But on the other hand without Michael Alig there would be no Club Kids. 



The 2003 feature film Party Monster starring Macaulay Culkin as Alig and Seth Green as St.James

    

James: "That's all you really need to know. That and don't dream it, be it...Although James stated to Michael Alig: ".. I'm not addicted to drugs. I'm addicted to glamour". I love the idea of dressing up and be creative. Still drugs were a major part of Club Kids culture. I think that partly drugs as well as Michael's love of horror movie's from the very young age have influenced him to create most outrageous costumes.
Michael Alig: "It was so nice being dead. Oh my God. I just had a great idea. The emergency room. We'll all get dressed up like nurses and doctors and give out prescriptions for free drugs and Keoki will DJ and you can be a serial killer nurse with an enema!"Also, murder in Clubland was described in "Disco Bloodbath" in 1999 by James St. James about his life as a club kid.