Fashion: “Popculture’s” Trumpet

Popculture; the circle of life for the ideas, perspectives, and social attitudes of our society, often expressed through writing, music, art, and fashion. Fashion being the expression of one’s Social outlooks, Timely appearance, Yearning admiration, Laudable thoughts, and their Ecardinate attitudes (style for short) allows those with the creativity to envelope onlookers with the many colors, and shades that fashions their personal tapestry of the day. Outlined and seamed with trends, fashion is often led by societies most influential people. Hip-Hop artists, the fashion leaders of today often reflect what is said, or expressed in their music through their outfits of the day.

Rihanna – Her style, “Dirty Haute” bedraggled, yet an elegant beauty that fits her snug, and voluptuously. Rihanna once tweeted, that she is in no shape or form a role-model for those who may look up to her. In majority of her songs, this sentiment is reflected: pure vagrancy aligned with dark beats, and estranged tempos. On her 2013 Diamonds World Tour, “RiRi” literally wore the phrase “PMW” three outfits, for three different segments, one reading p*ssy, the second, money, and the third showcasing an image of the marijuana plant.

Kendrick Lamar – With a style fit for one in 77 degree weather, and nothing to do, but chill on a small shaded porch, Kendrick Lamar, Compton native rhymes with a rhythm that captivates listeners often leading them into a dream-world of sunny nostalgia. With an “unsupervised” fashion parallel to characters in “Friday”, the TDE heavyweight very rarely seems to “dress to impress”, often donning simpler threads allowing onlookers to truly revel in his humble beginnings. Wearing a simple plaid button-down, jeans, and red chucks, Lamar resembling the “average Joe” is far from it. He excretes a level of normalcy that camouflages his supernatural genius, creating his image of a “good kid”, with a “spiteful chant”.

Pharrell Williams – With the anomalous ability to be contemporary, hipster, and urban, Pharrell Williams truly sets the bar for music that defines, or better yet personifies his personal style. Though a jack of all three fashions his finest niche would be a mixture of contemporary and hipster – white Comme Des Garcon tee, blue jeans rolled ankle high, A pair of white leopard lace-less sneakers, and a bluish-gray fedora to top it off. Though the outfit described is composed of subtle colors, he is often found in the most vibrant spectrum s, he exclaimed that “I’ll never forget I was like 7 years old, I closed my eyes and that’s when it started, I started seeing sounds”. This statement resonates with the producing legend’s music and personal fashion, the music he has spun, creates an image as loud as the colorful, stylish attire he has worn.

Hundreds of speculations have been made in the past weeks as to what to expect concerning the 56th annual Grammy awards ceremony. Despite most of those concerning what performances will be made, and how grand they will be, I am most concerned with what will be worn. With fifty-five years of glamour, and creativity to look back on, I am antsy to see what will be displayed this year. Rihanna’s 2013 “Red Dress” was one of the finest of the night, the bright cranberry, accenting the tones of her “sunny cafe” skin, truly a complimenting couple. Her liquid-like flowing train, shimmering in compliance, along with her soft-hugging bodice worked tirelessly in adding to her already queen like aura. Many others, in previous years having strutted down the red carpet as skillfully as “Ri-Ri” will also “I am sure” continue to amaze and personify the meaning of “making a grand entrance”. I tend to think of musical ceremonies such as this, as kinds of “Ground-hog days” for the fashion world. Usually they tend to set the trends of the coming “fashion season”, in other words these events provide either an extension of what is old and tired, or a new budding trend.

The trend of today is loosely based off the concept of simply “being different”, which often leads to the thought that the more outlandish one’s outfit is the more awe he/she would gain because of it. With the insane wardrobe ideas of icons such as Asap Rocky, Lil Wayne, and queen of insane Lady Gaga today’s fashion trends easily range from men leggings, to women full-bodied naked suits leaving little to nothing out of the norm. Though my taste is more classic, and subtle I do have respect for the creativity, and ingenuity of those around me. The flavor that spices today’s popculture entices me greatly. When different ideas come together, colors splash painting a vivid image of togetherness, a tapestry of universal beauty involving everyone’s personal style, and…. Fashion.

SAMUEL TROTTER