Fashion Icon and Pop Idol: Lady Gaga

Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta.

Or Lady Gaga, as the world knows her. She is a chart topping pop artist, whose very well known for her unique taste in fashion and her catchy songs.

The Fame and The Fame Monster are HUGE successes, making Lady Gaga one of the most admirable and respected musical artists of our time. From 2008-2009, Gaga was able to pull out a number of top singles, such as "Poker Face", "Love Game", "Paparazzi", "Just Dance", and "Bad Romance". I had the AMAZING opportunity to see Lady Gaga in concert on December 22nd at LA's Nokia Theatre. Not only was I blown away by her amazing showmanship, vocals, and performance skills, but I also enjoyed seeing her many different yet gorgeous outfits.

From sequins, to leather, to plastic, to even moving devices, Lady Gaga's eccentric style never fails to impress. Although her outfits are quite unwearable for everyday, casual occasions, her flair and style has become a huge influence on the fashion world, and many designers are interpreting Gaga's fashion sense to their lines. Many of the trends that designers are currently using are sequins and geometric/asymmetrical looks.

Music. Fashion. Inspirational, also. Lady Gaga wants to change the world. She is also very well known for her love for gays, and is known as a "Gay Culture Warrior". She is currently fighting hard for gay rights, and believes in equality. Lady Gaga was seen at a Gay Rights March wearing a pin saying "Gaga for Equality".

"The younger generation, my generation, we are the ones coming up in the world. We must continue to push this movement forward and close the gap. We must demand full equality for all. . . We need change now. . . As a woman in pop music, as a woman with the most beautiful gay fans in the whole world, [I will do] my part I refuse to accept any misogynist or homophobic behavior in music, lyrics or actions in the music industry. I will continue to fight for full equality for all."-Lady Gaga

She truly is an icon.

Artist Spotlight: Dirk Mai

A fantastic and imaginative photographer: Dirk Mai.
I love the portraits that he does with musicians, and even pretty nobodies.
He is a very creative artist and his photographs speak for themselves.
Some people that he has worked with are:Demi Lovato, Hanna Beth and The Maine.
Check out his work on his site HERE!
And follow him on Twitter ;D

Oh, and I made a Tumblr for myself as well, because I like the layout better ;p
I'm going to use it for more simplistic and personal things.
My Tumblr
It'll be more of an inspiration thing for when I have little to write about.

Enjoy!

Old Hollywood

TREND REPORT: Old Hollywood.

Such a classy time period. The fashion, the style, the people, the streets...I wish I lived in that era. Hints of Old Hollywood looks have made a comeback this Fall 2009 season.

Style Icons of the past [and today, still]:


Audrey Hepburn: Timeless and classic beauty. You can NEVER go wrong with a simple black dress! Stunning in Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961) Hepburn IS perfection.



Marilyn Monroe: Her sex appeal is in her simple yet glamorous style, and she always looks flawless. Monroe brings back the glamor of sequins and metallics, as well as winter whites.

Shirley Temple: Adorable when she was a child, and gorgeous as an adult. The cute, little Shirley brings back the whimsical style of tulle, ruffles, and ribbon details.



Grace Kelly: Style and posture is classy. The styles of bold shoulders, such as the one-shouldered and off the shoulders dresses are based off of her gorgeous gowns that show off her gorgeous features.

“My look is attainable. Women can look like Audrey Hepburn by flipping out their hair, buying the large sunglasses, and the little sleeveless dresses.”~Audrey Hepburn

Lost in Pacific Time

I don't care how many times The Academy Is... shows up on my blog. This band is going to keep showing up, so long as they keep on creating the most beautiful music ever. The new EP, Lost in Pacific Time was released today on iTunes, and I've been streaming it on Youtube because I prefer my music in hard copy CD's [; (And then loading them on my iPod...hehe). Anyways, this EP is phenomenal--some of their best work yet. Every song on it is inspirational, relatable, and absolutely breath-taking to listen to. Addicting stuff. Love every song, but personal favorites off the EP would have to be I'm Yours Tonight and Sputter. Beckett is a musical talent.

Enough said.

Buy the EP.

"You can’t stay a saint that long in the city."

~Joyce

Jac Vanek

So, today's blog is focused on Jac Vanek, who is a pretty big deal in the world of fashion and music. She is more popularly known for her rubber bracelets that bear phrases to express yourself, such as "TRAINWRECK", "EQUALITY", "LEGIT", and "PEACE". Vanek has also created several bracelet designs by collaborating with music artists such as Cobra Starship, Push Play, William Beckett from The Academy Is..., and Alex Gaskarth from All Time Low. Some celebrities, such as Demi Lovato, have also been seen wearing one of her bracelets. Demi was spotted sporting a "Trainwreck" bracelet by Jac Vanek on one of her webcasts. Besides bracelets, Vanek also designs t-shirts and necklaces. Her designs are very simple, but they are also very stylish and sometimes, simple is best. I am definitely planning on getting the LOVE MORE dog tag necklace soon! You can find Jac Vanek's designs at certain music festivals, such as Warped Tour, or at her online store here! Hmmm...I'm also thinking about getting that "MONDAY EYES" bracelet that Vanek collaborated on with William Beckett. ;D Hahaha......

My Top Picks:

~Joyce~

End of Summer~Hello Fall 2009.

Hello! I haven't written in a long time because I was on vacation in Taiwan (which, by the way, is seriously the BEST place to find new trends and to shop like CRAZY because everything is CRAZY CHEAP!) Ahhh..I miss it. But seriously, if anyone ever wants to visit there, GO SHOP at XiMenDing and WuFengPu because you will nottttt regret it. I got the cutest outfit for $20USD, and I spent over $3,000NT on bags and bags and bags of clothes. That's only about $100USD, by the way, which is a GREAT DEAL. Wow, America sucks.

Anyways, today was the first day of school. Senior year of high school. Can I graduate now? Hahahaaa....ha. My life sucks.

Ok, so, fall trends peopleeee. This season it is all about neon pink (goodbye purple?), leather pants, and sequins! I see sequins everywhere...(oh, hello, Forever21.)

Blake Lively in a neon pink dress, Audrina Patridge in leather skinny jeans, and Taylor Swift in a sequined dress (and a sequined guitar...double BAMMM! Glitter!)

Mmk, some of these may seem unwearable on an everyday basis...like school. But here are some cute casual finds on an otherwise more glamorous look.

Courtesy of Forever21, oh yippeee! And let's stick with faux leather, ok? Ok. Save the critters.

Have a good year, everyone.

Joyce Chen~

Artist Spotlight: Heisuke Kitazawa

One of the most creative and beautiful artists I have ever seen is Heisuke Kitazawa. A few weeks ago, I was in Little Tokyo, LA's Weller Court and noticed some beautiful artwork printed throughout the building. I found out the artists name and checked it out.

The art is very Japanese and very childish, but in the most professional way possible. I immediately fell in love with the style of Kitazawa's art, and the art became an inspiration for me. When I looked at the artwork, I felt like a child lost in a magical storybook of mystical wonder and breathtaking mystery. It's truly a wonderful experience for the eyes.

In a way, the style is very modern and contemporary, and a little bit pop art-sy. It's also somewhat haunting and makes you wonder about the inspiration and deeper meaning that lies behind the art. This is Japanese art in a different light, and completely unique from other Japanese artists. Not only is Kitazawa's art cute, like most Japanese art, but it is also a type of twisted beauty that I have never seen before.

But other than Kitazawa's more traditional-like drawings, He also has some very modern and graphic-design like drawing such as this:

It's a little bit terrifying in a way, but still brilliant because it represent's one's crazy imagination and dreams. Anyways, his art is extremely enjoyable to browse through, so I hope everyone will support him and take a look at his art! Just search for him on Google, or something like that, hehe! [; Enjoy!!

-Joyce Chen