Ever wonder who could possibly think up Lady Gaga's outrageous outfits, whether walking the red carpet or falling off twelve-inch platforms at the airport? Blame it all on the innovative head of stylist Nicola Formichetti. Taking the craziest looks straight from the runway and mixing in his own extreme creations, the Gaga stylist has made some of the most memorable looks in the past few years and a serious name for himself in the fashion world. Under Formichetti's advisement, his protégé Franc Fernandez created Gaga's infamous meat dress that left the fashion and animal rights worlds reeling last year. In an epic act of BFF-ness, Lady Gaga made an exclusive remix of "Scheiße" - a track off her upcoming album - for Formichetti's Fashion Week debut.
As an arguably integral part of Lady Gaga's success (if she looked like another Britney, would we care as much?), Formichetti was recruited as the new Creative Director of high-end fashion label Thierry Mugler last fall. Given that Mugler has a long history working with musicians, it was an obvious match. Yesterday, Formichetti showed his first menswear collection for Mugler at Milan Fashion Week with Lady Gaga credited as the show's Music Director. The remix was made just for the occasion, complete with "Vogue"-style chanting partially in German and repeating "Monster, Mugler" over the rave-y track. The thing about catwalk music is that it needs to be like a video game song: something that doesn't draw attention away from the clothes and is easily repeatable, as runway shows average between 10-15 minutes. So if you were expecting a dance-floor banger with the crescendos and hooks, this remix isn't for you.
The press was in a flurry this morning when the official collection video was released with Gaga's track, causing the Thierry Mugler site to crash from the overwhelming traffic. Directed by photographer Mariano Vivanco, the video features clips from the show and what could be this year's rising fashion star: the full-body tattooed model Rick Genest. That's right, those are REAL tattoos meant to make Genest look like zombie. The collection was Formichetti's own dark twisted fantasy, with rockabilly creepers, ghostly veils, and a full gamut looks from latex motorcycle jackets to fitted suits. If any punks or goths are looking to upgrade their looks, this is the way to go.
Turns out Lady Gaga isn't the first lady in the House of Mugler. Lady Miss Kier of '90s dance group Deee-Lite (remember "Groove Is In The Heart"?) has been a longtime Mugler muse, catching his eye with her signature '60s throwback style. Lady Kier walked the runway for him in 1991, and most recently DJ'ed Mugler's summer 2007 runway show. Mugler designed the entire couture warrior look for Beyoncé's "I Am... Sasha Fierce" tour, and even directed and styled George Michael's famously supermodel-laden music video for "Too Funky" in the '90s. No word on if Lady Gaga will be making a personal appearance on the catwalk for a women's collection, but with her irreplaceable stylist at the Mugler head, it might be just a matter of time.
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