Originality in Fashion

   When asked about Lady Gaga, Tim Gunn commented, "Who would want to emulate that? It's not even fashion. Those are costumes." Not even any props for Lady Gaga’s meat dress? Or what about her Alexander Mcqueen Armadillo shoes? Tim Gunn, Project Runway's delightful host, along with many others think Gaga's fashion is utterly ridiculous and over the top, while many fashion gurus and other celebs praise Gaga's ambitious style and over the top trends.

   Is she trying to make a statement, portray a message, be herself or just trying to stand out? If you ask a crowd of people they would all answer differently. If you're a true Gaga fan like I am, you know she's expressing herself in a unique way- through her fashion. The meat dress, the outrageous heels, the masks, the hats, the leotards, the wigs, you name it she's worn it - and done it justice. Being at the top of the pop charts and having four top 10 songs on iTunes charts at once, Gaga is an all around sensation. She can work the strangest things and have a reason behind why she's sporting it. Sure her outfits are risque and confusing but the deciding factor about if her outfits are fashion or not is her originality. She isn't typical and she's not like anyone else, she's Lady Gaga.

   Originality entails fashionistas to have the quality of being new and original, and not have ideas derived from something else, however most people generally have inspiration for their ideas, but does this mean their ideas aren't original? Inspiration initiates creativity, but originality means having the creativity in the first place. They both have different meanings, but can come together and create a sensation. Lady Gaga gets her inspiration from experiences, and average people obtain inspiration through experiences also. Inspiration can come from anything you can relate to. In Gaga's case her inspiration comes from her fans (or her "Little Monsters"), life lessons and from her music/lyrics. Many critics don't see the creativity behind her mayhem which causes them to judge based on what they see.

   Tim Gunn might not have understood what Gaga was trying to portray in that meat dress, or in the Armadillo shoes, but that doesn't mean he had to conclude that she has no fashion sense. So for Gaga, and for anyone else with a unique sense of style, people can assert their opinions and criticize, but there's always a story behind an outfit- especially for Gaga.

XOXO, ZM