You won’t read his full story in a book any time soon. He’s singing his tales through original music and photographs in intimate performances. He’s performing now through this weekend in San Francisco, and June 19-23 in New York City.

Now meet Peter Asher through a fashionable lens.

When you started performing as Peter and Gordon, was there a switch in your style? I think even before at school, you wanted to look good at school. Where Gordon and I went to school, we were obliged to wear grey suits and white shirts. But the trick was to see how tightly you could taper your trousers before they complained. Where were you shopping at that time? The customized thing, we’d just go to the cheapest tailor we could find. Other than that we shopped on Carnaby Street. It was through The Beatles we met [their tailor] Dougie Millings who made our stage suits. He made their stage suits and we liked the way they looked. You’d use this shiny material called Tonic. Shiny and tight. Luckily we were young and thin then.

Between you and Gordon, was there one who took the forefront in deciding what should be worn on stage? No, in the case of the stage suits, we’d go into Dougie Millings, and play with details. Lots of extra buttons, or double buttons, or extra buttons at the cuffs, or cuffs that folded back. Then the whole velvet thing, where you put the velvet on the collar, but then on the cuffs as well. The pockets were velvet. You’d sit there thinking up fancy details that Doug was very good at doing, just trying to make them as decorated as you could. Were there any bands on the road that influenced your style? I loved The Drifters and The Shirelles. Their whole choreography on stage was amazing. We never tried to copy them in any way, but I was certainly impressed by it.

Which designers were influencing the music scene at that time? There was Biba, but I didn’t know Barbara Hulanicki until later. Mary Quant. Suddenly these people were big stars! And they weren’t just big names like Dior, a sort of god-like status. They were on the ground, same as we were. You would actually get to meet them. Of course Twiggy was at the height of all that. Whatever she wore immediately became cool, and she’s still going strong. Actually, Twiggy was then and still is one of my best friends.

Photo: Jane Asher and Paul McCartney Now, about that famous flat in London you shared with Paul McCartney, as he dated your sister Jane… It was a house actually. It would have been tricky if it were a flat, as there were a lot of us, in the sense that it was my parents, my youngest sister, and Jane and Paul [McCartney] and me. We had a house on Woodpall Street. Paul and I had the top floor. Was there any clothes sharing going on in that house? No. I don’t think so. I don’t remember Paul or I ever borrowing anything from each other. I think men don’t do that as much. Women just seem to do that more. Though cross-sex sharing was already afoot, with the androgyny of Astrid Kirchherr and Stuart Sutcliffe. Boys and girls were sharing clothes. Especially in stores like Granny takes a Trip, which was the cool shop at the time. There were clothes that weren’t specifically designated boys or girls, anybody could wear them. And certainly some of the really skinny guys would get away with wearing girls’ jackets. Marc Bolan would or Bowie would, and make them look really cool. I don’t think I ever really did.

Tell me about your involvement Apple Boutique that the Beatles started in 1967. I didn’t have much to do with that, I was busy running the record company. It was all these people, [Dutch designers] Simon [Postuma] and Marijke [Koeger], who were sort of in charge of it. There were no clothes there I particularly fell in love with. Different divisions of Apple that stayed a bit separate. I think that was one of the problems at the end that it was venturing into all these areas that they weren’t personally expert in. So some of it did go downhill. And I missed the day that they closed it and gave all the clothes away. People were grabbing stuff feverishly. After mod faded away, where was the hippie place to shop? Pete Townsend used to have a couple of women who lived in his basement who made really cool shirts that we all used to go to. He married one of them, I think. But they would make very exotic shirts out of flowery material. And they would make them any way you wanted them, frilly cuffs and all the extras.

Who are your favorite designers to wear now? Etro. I could spend a million dollars in Etro easily. Every time they send the catalog there’s about half the things in there that I like. I wear quite flashy, or whatever you call it, stuff. I like this shirt, it’s rather Etro-ish but it’s by Robert Graham. As a producer, have you guided your artists to dress any differently, or better I don’t think as a manager I’ve ever played a role in an artist’s fashion sense. James [Taylor] very much had his own look. Though he dresses very well, you never think of him as a fashion plate in that sense. He doesn’t go for the avant gard. Though he does like Issey Miyake, but that’s not through any influence of mine. And the same with Linda Rondstadt. She always looked fabulous, but those were her choices, not mine. What's the most fashion forward thing you're seeing today? A lot of the black stuff that I wouldn’t necessarily wear, some of it’s unbelievably cool. Some of the super exaggerated stuff I’d certainly look ridiculous in it. I mean, as it is some of the white kids who wear it tend to look a bit ridiculous. Somehow, African Americans manage to carry it off like it was meant, and on white kids it looks like dressing up. Certainly, black fashion now is ahead of the game.

Featuring Amanda Lear

Featuring Twiggy

Featuring Jerry Hall

Photographed by Herb Ritts

Photographed by Annie Leibovitz

Photographed by Helmut Newton

Photographed by Herb Ritts

Photographed by Bruce Weber

Photographed by Richard Avedon

Photographed by Jean Baptiste Mondino

Photographed by Juergen Teller

Photographed by Jean Baptiste Mondino

Photographed by Patrick Demarchelier

Photographed by Herb Ritts

Photographed by Ellen Von Unwerth

Photographed by Steven Meisel

Photographed by Mario Testino

Photographe by Steven Klein

Photographed by David Lachapelle

Photographed by Inez & Vinoodh

Photographed by Patrick Demarchelier

Photographed by Nick Knight

Photographed by Ellen Von Unwerth

Photographed by Terry Richardson

Photographed by Mario Sorrenti

Photographed by Peter Lindbergh

Photographed by Hedi Slimane

Featuring Kate Moss

Designed by Givenchy's Riccardo Tisci

Photographed by Mert & Marcus

[Dangerous Minds]

Images via Flavorwire.

And for $98 at Nasty Gal, they’re a steal.

Then under the buzzer, this happens. By referencing/recycling that eight-year-old cover and giving it their own spin, Alt and co. end the year on a decidedly high note.  Mert Alas and Marcus Piggott capture Moss in glam rock Ziggy Stardust regalia for FrenchVogue‘s December/January 2012 issue. Freak out, this moonage daydream’s so chic.

Photo: Design Scene

John Lennon had a whole host of cats throughout his life. It started with the famed feline, Elvis, that he had with his mother (who they realized was a lady kitty once she had a litter in the house). In the early 60s, he and his first wife Cynthia and son Julian had 10 cats. The first was a Tabby cat named Mimi after John's aunt. With May Pang, he had two cats, black and white, Major and Minor. Then with Yoko and Sean came at least 6 cats, Salt and Pepper and Misha, Shasha, Charo and Alice. Who can name the cat in this photo?

David Bowie and his dog max howl it out for Diamond Dogs.

Patti Smith shows no fear with her (potentially stray) black cat.

All the stars pictured in the set are John Lennon, Brigitte Bardot, Billie Holiday, David Bowie, Bob Dylan, Robert Plant, The Beatles, Patti Smith, Neil Young and Nelly. One for every kind of music lover there is. Plus, this is a freaking adorable way to help little cats and dogs that don't have loving humans like our pets do. Well, they do have loving humans, but those guys are running the shelters, so there's really not enough lovin' to go around. And I mean, when you see the greatest musicians of all time nuzzling up with their pets, doesn't it just make you want to go out and adopt one?? Either way, go get your box-o-cute-cards online at the

Lauren Hutton (Nov. 17, 1943) That signature gap has been captivating audiences for four decades. both on and off the runway. Hutton easily transitioned from model to actress with roles in American Gigolo and The Gambler, but never forgot where her roots lay. Lest we forget, our senior citizens can still turn it.

Photo: Life

- An animated Lady Gaga will “play a little bit of a slut” (natch)when she kisses Marge Simpson — and inspires the town of Springfield, which is suffering from low self-esteem (natch) — during her guest starring stint on an episode of The Simpsons. [Page Six]

- 1500 losers with too much time on their hands people have signed an online petition to stop the “Starlet or Streetwalker” segment on E!‘s Fashion Police. Meanwhile, they’re completely missing the entire point of the segment: Hollywood starlets are skanks. Let’s stop the problem at its source, can we? [The Cut]

Songs for Swingin’ Lovers! (1956) – Frank Sinatra

Elvis Presley (1956) - Elvis Presley

Kind of Blue (1959) - Miles Davis

A Love Supreme (1964) - John Coltrane

The Temptations Sing Smokey (1965) – The Temptations

Rubber Soul (1965) – The Beatles

The Doors (1967) – The Doors

Are You Experienced? (1967) – Jimi Hendrix

Stand! (1969) – Sly & The Family Stone

Led Zeppelin II (1969) – Led Zeppelin

Exile on Main St (1972) – The Rolling Stones

Talking Book (1972) – Stevie Wonder

Transformer (1972)- Lou Reed

Call Me (1973) – Al Green

Aladdin Sane (1973) - David Bowie

Let’s Get It On (1973) – Marvin Gaye

One Nation Under a Groove (1978) - Funkadelic

Off the Wall (1979) – Michael Jackson

Dirty Mind (1980) – Prince

Street Songs (1981) - Rick James

Duran Duran (1981) – Duran Duran

Raising Hell (1986) – Run-D.M.C.

The Great Adventures of Slick Rick (1988) – Slick Rick

20 All-Time Greatest Hits! (1991) – James Brown

Life After Death (1997) – The Notorious B.I.G.

Stankonia (2000) - Outkast

Is This It? (2001) - The Strokes

The Blueprint (2001) – Jay-Z

Vampire Weekend (2008) - Vampire Weekend

My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (2010) - Kanye West

Songs for Swingin' Lovers! (1956) - Frank Sinatra

Elvis Presley (1956) - Elvis Presley

Kind of Blue (1959) - Miles Davis

A Love Supreme (1964) - John Coltrane

The Temptations Sing Smokey (1965) - The Temptations

Rubber Soul (1965) - The Beatles

The Doors (1967) - The Doors

Are You Experienced? (1967) - Jimi Hendrix

Stand! (1969) - Sly & The Family Stone

Led Zeppelin II (1969) - Led Zeppelin

Exile on Main St (1972) - The Rolling Stones

Talking Book (1972) - Stevie Wonder

Transformer (1972)- Lou Reed

Call Me (1973) - Al Green

Aladdin Sane (1973) - David Bowie

Let's Get It On (1973) - Marvin Gaye

One Nation Under a Groove (1978) - Funkadelic

Off the Wall (1979) - Michael Jackson

Dirty Mind (1980) - Prince

Street Songs (1981) - Rick James

Duran Duran (1981) - Duran Duran

ripped by copkilla14

Raising Hell (1986) - Run-D.M.C.

The Great Adventures of Slick Rick (1988) - Slick Rick

20 All-Time Greatest Hits! (1991) - James Brown

Life After Death (1997) - The Notorious B.I.G.

Stankonia (2000) - Outkast

Is This It? (2001) - The Strokes

The Blueprint (2001) - Jay-Z

Vampire Weekend (2008) - Vampire Weekend

My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (2010) - Kanye West

Or… The Day the Earth Stood Still

Stella McCartney has been evolving creatively at an incredibly rapid pace. She has really come in to her own and nothing else she has done speaks as loudly as her last Fall-Winter 2011 Collections. I say this for my own very personal reasons. I am always looking for great mood board themes for up and coming photo shoot editorials.

Her last collection may not be new news, but as a Fashion Photographer having access to all of the best designers in the world and photographing their wares, I have to say that what she showed this year works so well with what I wish to accomplish graphically and artistically in my images.

Her eclectic mix of 80′s wide shouldered David Bowie jackets and 1930′s Myrna Loy Perfect Dresses makes an incredibly juicy fashion cocktail that could easily inspire the most jaded photographer out there to come up with a great  fashion editorial spread.

Her Buck Rogers Gold & Silver Space attire adds to the potential of an incredibly fun Space Story that could be based on the classic Sci-Fi Film The Day the Earth Stood Still or Lost in Space.

Now I just have to find the right magazine to drop this on… SPACY?

From: Benjamin Kanarek Blog

Terry Richardson catches the popstar in her natural element: tranny heels, masks and bodysuits. Providing that element is stylist and Gay Friday, Nicola Formichetti, who keeps Her Royal Gagness resplendent in her staples — Mugler, Alexander McQueen, Versace and Dior — with a sprinkling of a custom Francesco Scognamiglio bodysuit here and a gothic Tex Saverio dress there.

Make no facial prosthetics bones about it, when it comes to putting on a show, there’s no one who can do it like Lady Gaga. Whether you care to see the show is a matter of personal opinion, but as long as she keeps making me dance, laugh and maybe even occasionally think, I’ve got my ticket.

Photos: Nicola Formichetti’s Blog!!

Lauren Hutton (Nov. 17, 1943) That signature gap has been captivating audiences for four decades. both on and off the runway. Hutton easily transitioned from model to actress with roles in American Gigolo and The Gambler, but never forgot where her roots lay. Lest we forget, our senior citizens can still turn it.

Photo: Life

Grace Jones (May 19, 1948) Part supermodel, part mental patient, part disco/New Wave/dancehall queen, Grace Jones is an enigma, wrapped in a question, wrapped in a kimono. Her distinctive style and personality are a constant source of inspiration, from musicians like Rihanna and Lady Gaga to magazine editorials, who find her a favorite subject in particular. And is it any wonder? That type of crazy comes along but once in an androgynous moon.

Beverly Johnson (Oct. 13, 1952) Bev Johnson’s name will go down in history as the first black woman on the cover of U.S. Vogue. The 1974 cover was groundbreaking as Vogue has and continues to be and probably will always be the definitive fashion bible. Johnson’s entree into the big leagues was a watershed moment for models of all diversities. Bev was only 22, so when you peak that early I guess the only way you can go is Def Jam’s How to Be a Player.

Photo: Racked

Janice Dickinson (Feb. 15, 1955) Our second Top Model judge (but first, in terms of service rendered), Janice Dickinson is all but unrecognizable today after the full facial transplant she’s had done over the years. But at her peak in the 70s, she was darkly exotic and really the definition of drop-dead gorgeous — looking at her older pictures I literally want to kill myself. In 1979, she claimed she coined the term “supermodel” (though the credit is often given to Andy Warhol a decade earlier) when her manager told her that she shouldn’t work so hard because she wasn’t Superman. Janice’s response: ”I am not Superman. I am a supermodel.” And then she threw a drink in his face and preceded to make out with him. Classic Dickinson.

Iman (July 25, 1955) With her long, graceful neck and statuesque beauty, Iman looks like she was actually plucked out of a Somalian village and thrown on a runway, but in reality she was discovered by photog Peter Beard while she was studying political science in Nairobi. Upon coming to New York in 1975, however, she happily played along with the myth that Beard had discovered her as “a teen tribeswoman tending 500 cattle and sheep in a Kenyan game preserve.” What followed is one of the greatest careers in modern fashion history: a muse for Yves Saint Laurent, Issey Miyake and Calvin Klein, an entrepreneur and the one woman (or man) to tame David Bowie.

Photo: Styliiista

Jerry Hall (July 2, 1956) After dropping some acid at a party, Jerry Hall was convinced she could make it as a model. Hailing from Texas, she was the All-American girl of the 70s, who just happened to do some very naughty things with some notable Europeans; chief among them Mick Jagger, from whose superstar loins was spawned their pillow-lipped progeny, supermodel-on-the-rise, Georgia May Jagger. It’s clear that in this case, she definitely gets it from her mama.

Photo: Life

Photo: Racked

Opening with the mass instrumental buildup of was The Beatles’ A Day In The Life and the massive grumble of helicopters.

Nude headscarves atop camo pleats, flounce and hounds tooth and structure marched through desert warfare. We Will Rock You. Kashmir. End scene.

Birds align in flight as warm hues of island sun meshes with funky educational prep under Rasta hats. The sights and sounds of Bob Marley wailing love infused with Gwen Stefani’s reggae twists carries the scene. “Ragga Muffins” in halter-esque maxis, slouchy checked coats and printed sweaters. End scene.

Rebel Rebel yelled over twisted English schoolboy-wear. Fat ties accompanied red tartan and leather, fusing frustrated businessman with late sixties British youth uprising on the early fringes of punk. End Scene.

Thick Asian (faux) frizz underneath the bowler hats is an accessory unto itself. The cleaner lines of the minimal robe and austere nude cuts gave way to a crinkly gray dye and repurposed chunk sweaters composed of squares of knits before it. Set to Harajuku pop, the original version of the Without Me intro, Marc McLaren’s Buffalo Gals, and the time warping image of a girl playing with her hair, this segment juxtaposed disheveled and clean. End Scene.

Black and white blazes on a sunny afternoon to the tune of psychedelia. Tomorrow Never Knows what effect optic stripes with orange punches will have on the mind. The tunic cut from the shoulders diagonally inward into pockets with black side panels underneath stated modern mod. You Better You Bet brings on thick bias stripes in front of a dizzying red swirl behind her. Get Back. End Scene.

Crimson and diamonds swim through pyrotechnic explosions around images of Gwen Stefani on screen, her own voice projecting this final story. Eight Gwen-alikes take to the runway in caped, draped, sheer and springy black, drenched in golden ropes. Blonde tresses bumped and waists running low, Gwen Stefani proclaims disco glam. End Scene.

Gwen Stefani put on a spectacle of grand proportions. She projected imagery of cultural movements, making us think about a whole host of topics at once, with notes of rebellion stringing throughout. It wasn’t absolutely cohesive, but she’s working on it. Gwen has brought her large scale entertainment philosophy to the fashion arena, and it elevated her clothing. Bravo. Take that last walk with the adorable little Kingston now.

First two photos from TheStewartofNY

Runway photos from nymag.com

On this season’s aesthetic:

It’s sort of 20s/30s glamour meets East Village punkiness/funkiness. Imagine if Marie Antoinette fell out of the sky and landed in the middle of the East Village. We’re just going to let her have fun. But it’s going to be more refined and upscale.

On his partnership with Angelo:

Angelo’s kind of my design director, we’re a team, doing this line together. I hate titles, that’s the thing, but we’re having fun. We met on 7th St when I had my line, Heatherette, that was my studio. But he’s right across the street still on 7th St.  Keeping it real with the East Village. I was looking for someone to partner up with me and have fun and direct my crazy mind. It’s like when you decorate the Christmas tree, if you have too many ideas you need to edit it…I think Angelo brings refinement to my glittery fun.

On his upcoming runway show:

The show this season is on February 10th at the Hammerstein Ballroom. Fashion Week is usually very exclusive, invite only, but I’m opening my show up like a rock concert this year, letting people in who never really get a chance to go to a fashion show.

I never realized, like a lot of my friends that aren’t in the fashion industry,  I’ll invite them to my show and they’re like, “Oh my god, it was so much fun! I’ve never been to a fashion show before.” I always take it for granted because that’s what I do. It’s fun when people who haven’t experienced it get a chance to and see what it’s about. And it’s as much fun to watch the crowd as it is to watch the show.

This year I’m selling tickets to the show and proceeds go to DOsomething.org as well as Cookies for Kids’ Cancer, which is a charity for little kids who unfortunately have cancer. We have a good friend who passed away in the last couple days…It felt weird at first, selling tickets, but you know if you can help people it makes sense.

Then again this spring, I think I’m going to do another show to launch a partnership with a Fast Fashion House. I guess I’ll be the first designer that’s ever been the face of something they’ve done.

On casting models:

I look for personality. There are so many beautiful people out there that model. I don’t like one kind of look, I like everything. That’s why I love New York. It’s like an 80’s Bennetton ad. You have the amazing black girl with the Asian kid and the gay kid…I just think we all wear clothes, you don’t have to be a size 0 because beauty comes in all sizes.

On pre-Fashion Week jitters:

I don’t get nervous, really, it’s more like happy nerves, excited, energetic. I’m always like what if nobody shows up? I probably asked my mom that before my fifth birthday party. I don’t really get nervous or scared or intimidated, I’m more excited like it’s Christmas Eve. I just want everybody to come and have a good time.

The worst part is when something goes wrong, like when kids can’t get in or something’s wrong with the door. I’m backstage trying to get everything together and I have all these friends on the alert. You don’t know what’s going on and you end up getting in trouble the next three days or five months. That’s where the nerves come from. That’s the nerve-wracking part.

On other fashion shows he’s looking forward to:

I always look forward to all of it. I go to Marc Jacobs every year. He’s an old friend. I love him, he’s supported me a long time as well. But I just go with the flow. Fashion Week is such a rollercoaster, that’s why I like doing opening night because then it’s over with and I can just have fun.

On his celebrity friends walking the runway:

I didn’t really intend, when I started doing fashion shows, to have celebrities at the end. They just happened to be my friends and were out and about. A lot of people in the media are like, “Who are you having this season?” Your guess is as good as mine. I usually just call up some of my friends, ask if they want to do this. If it’s part of a charity, even better. It just kind of unfolds.

I’ll definitely have surprises this season. I don’t know the surprises until they happen. They’re really always last minute. Last year Ellen [Degeneres] finally called two days before [the show]…

I remember one season, Britney Spears and Paris Hilton were in a fight. So Paris is in one car and Britney is in another car. I went out to get them but they both knew each other was there. I didn’t know they were feuding and they decided not to come out of their cars.

And Kimora Lee was also walking so she’s like, “Well, where are Paris and Britney?” I said they’re not coming out and Kimora goes “Well I guess I’m the finale!”

Kimora was great, I like having other designers walk. I think it should all be a big family. I don’t believe in the whole competitive thing, we’re all having fun for the same reason.

On meeting his icons:

My friends enticed me to move to New York and I sort of moved here on a whim. The night I came they threw a party for me at this club in Union Square. I had long finger waves and was wearing this discoball-ish headpiece when Madonna walks up to me with a beer and a cigarette in hand.  She just kind of looked at me like, “Who is this?” and said, “Hey, what’s up?”

I’ve always been a huge fan, obviously, of hers – and I was just like, “WOW. I’m staying in New York!”

And the next night, I was living at the Hotel 17 in Gramercy Park with my friend Amanda Lepore, who was my neighbor and David Bowie was in the elevator with me. I grew up with my brother loving David Bowie. We ended up doing a photoshoot literally outside of my hotel room with Interviewmagazine. Then two nights later I met Debbie Harry!

New York came alive in a week. It just felt like it was meant to be. I think that’s why I appreciate fashion and pop culture so much: the sheer will of having a dream, letting it unfold and hopefully inspiring other people to realize their dreams. Which is what all those artists have done for me.

On his own style:

I pretty much wear everything from Dots and H&M mixed with Chanel, everything from Marc Jacobs to Prada, Dior, The Gap, vintage. I’m just all over the map. I think if you think too much it doesn’t make sense.

But on the flip side, if you do a fashion shoot and somebody else styles you, it’s fun to see how they envision you. Like popstars for example. It’s not really their vision, but somebody else giving it to them. Even Gaga, she’s bringing back to the surface what club kids did for years, but she’s smart about it. She has good people around her.

Kate Moss’s best friend, he’s gay, told me there’s always a good f****t around any fabulous girl. [laughs]

If you want a ticket to enter Richie’s glittery fun world, you can buy them here — that way you can be fabulous and support two great causes!

Julie Nixon was the first “celebrity” DVF saw wearing her designs and subsequently inspired the wrap dress.

“She wore a little wrap top with a matching skirt and I thought that was really nice. That’s when I decided actually to attach it and turn it into a dress.”

Well, at least that presidency gave the nation something worth remembering. Speaking of remembering, Iman and DVF take us down memory lane to the first time they met.  It was over 30 years ago at Lord & Taylor when DVF spotted that stunning giraffe glide into the room – “this extraordinary creature. You’v never seen anything so beautiful in your life.”

She approached the extraordinary creature and asked if she was a model – duh –  then asked her for her number. Iman kneeled in an “extraordinary” way and they’ve been friends ever since.

According to Iman, however:

“I don’t kneel for anybody like that except David Bowie and Diane von Furstenberg.”

Andy tried to touch on their time at 54, but they both pleaded the 5th. I’ll just assume that means they can’t discuss it lest they face federal imprisonment and/or deportation.

Check out the Bravo website for some more iconic wisdom and the video below for an Iman-tage of the super’s greatest moments from The Fashion Show so far. One word: amazeballs.

LINK LOVE: Bravo TV

From the performers – impersonators of David Bowie, Diana Ross, Tina Turner, Barbra Streisand, and Michael Jackson – to the random appearance of Isabelle Huppert to the break-dancing twins, it’s clear this was a party that won’t be outdone for quite sometime.”

WWD: You go way back with Kate.

J.G.: I’ve known her since she was 14. She threw a fantastic surprise birthday for me. You shouldn’t write that. But it was so genius I have to tell you. I was going to have a birthday party in Paris.

WWD: When?

J.G.: It was last week. I’m like all the old actresses who have an official birthday and an unofficial birthday. This was my unofficial one. I started to organize it with a friend in Paris but it got all out of hand. It was going to turn very corporate, so I said, “Uh-uh-uh.” It’s just not the birthday you want to start bragging about. The big 4-0. [He exaggerates the number, to indicate that he has shaved off a few years.] So I said, “OK, we’ll move it to London.” I said, “I just want to do something quiet. Could we just go under the radar? Maybe to someone’s house?” Anyway, Kate and my friend Francesca [Cutler] arranged it, a surprise. We went to the new bar that just opened at the Savoy. It’s very Deco, very beautiful. I arrive and there were fantastic creatures there that I hadn’t seen for like twenty years, the London posse. And then they introduce the acts. David Bowie had come over to perform for me followed by Diana Ross followed by Tina Turner and then Barbra Streisand.

WWD: Oh stop!

J.G.: No, you stop! And then the last person who came on was Michael Jackson! They were all impersonators! It was so English and so tawdry! It was fantastic!

WWD: We can’t put this in the story?

J.G.: Of course you can. — it’s a true story! So I go outside for a cigarette with Kate, OK? She has this little jumpsuit on with little sequins. She looked gorgeous. Some dirty old man walks by and goes, “Oh, you do that really well. You could be a model.” She goes, “F— off! I’m too short!” Then this limousine turns up, this shiny limousine and this fantastic, chic woman gets out with the shades on and the bodyguards. Me and Kate look each other and we’re like, “Oh!” You don’t do that in London. Unless you’re Elvis Presley, you don’t do that. So this wonderful creature comes up to me, takes the glasses off and goes, “John!” And I go, “Hi…” I still didn’t quite know what was going on. She goes, “It’s Isabelle.” It was Isabelle Huppert, one of France’s greatest actresses, who had been giving a press conference and just turned up. So she goes, “What are you doing here?” and I said, “Oh we’re just having a little party celebrating my 40th. Would you like to join us?” And I’m like, “Shit, how do I get out of this one?” “Lexie, Lexie, it’s Isabelle! You’ve got to look after her.” She had the best time because I kept asking her if she was OK and she would say, “Laissez-moi! Laissez-moi! C’est une scene que ne j’ai jamais vue!” [“Let me be! Let me be! It’s a scene I’ve never seen before!”] Because the English posse were really going for it that night. She loved it. There were these kids who were break dancing to Michael who were twins. [Galliano extends an arm to approximate their height — perhaps that of an average eight-year-old.] One’s blonde, one’s brunette. They were break dancing, diving. But there was like a time lapse of something like six seconds. Twins do that apparently. It was the most weird thing to see. It was incredible.

… In a perfect world we would all have best friends like supermodel Kate Moss.

(Credit: WWD)

Iman is ridiculous and she knows it. The supermodel will debut as a TV host tonight on the revamped The Fashion Show on Bravo. To commemorate the occasion, she shot with Mark Seliger for December’s Harper’s Bazaar and sat down with Barneys Creative Director, Simon Doonan for an interview that reads something like an old-school comedy routine between Paul Lynde and Phyllis Diller.

And if you know who those people are, who taught you to use one of these newfangled computer boxes?

Simon: How many times a day do you Google yourself?

Iman: Every five minutes. I simply can’t take my eyes off myself. Kidding! I would rather Google other people than Google myself.

Simon: Who takes more time to get ready?

Iman: David takes five minutes. Me? I don’t do anything by myself. I have a whole crew to get me ready every day.

Simon: You seem like an optimist and a positive force, but you must have done something appalling in your past.

Iman: I was once very rude to a young model. Just before I retired from modeling, I was at this shoot. The photographer said he was reading a biography of Marie Antoinette. The young model asked us, “What agency is she with?” [Shrieks of derisive laughter] We made fun of her, of course! When we were leaving, she said to me, “I hope I look as good as you when I’m your age,” and I said, “Don’t worry, darling, you won’t.” And then later I felt bad.

I feel like I’ve learned so much from Iman. My favorite tidbit, though, is perhaps the time that Oprah sat Iman with Michelle Obama because O thought that they would have “something to discuss” since Iman majored in political science before modeling.

My head just exploded writing that.

Photo Credit: Niko The Ikon

Alex Kazemi: How are you? What’s the tour been like with GaGa?

Justin Tranter: I’m good, fucking amazing. We are having the time of our lives.  GaGa is a good friend of ours and it’s just been a dream come true being back on tour with her. It’s nuts that she opened up for us just a few years ago.

Kazemi:  I am happy the tour is going well. What was the journey like  making the transition from performing in small rock bars to performing in major venues across the world and settling on a huge record label like Interscope? Was it a “filthy” hustle to get where you are today?

Justin:  It was extremely glamorous in my own way. I love the fact that I was so broke that I had to collect cans and cash them at the grocery store to eat dinner, I also love the fact that I had to walk over bridges because I couldn’t afford the subway. I think all that stuff is fabulous.

Kazemi: You made it glamorous Justin.

Justin:  Haha! Exactly, anything can be glamorous as long as you make the decision. It’s great though, we love playing the dirty little bars that fit  fifty people. A lot of people would see that as pointless and a lot of work for no money, but  I guess driving six hours to play at a bar with fifty people seems kinda insane, but when it’s all you wanna do… It’s a lot of fucking fun!

Kazemi: Yeah, it is also more intimate then playing a huge venue. Well, I  am sure past experiences connected with  the trash glamorous life style you lived with inspired lyrics like “Sticky with champagne it’s OK it’s her birthday” and “I can’t pay my rent but I’m fucking gorgeous.”

Justin: Yeah, everything in the songs come from real life experiences, basically. For example “I can’t pay my rent but I’m fucking gorgeous” , was because I literally couldn’t pay my rent and I even got evicted. You can watch my eviction on YouTube. It’s pretty awesome. In my brain I thought I looked like a million bucks even when I had no money, so it all comes down to real life. With “Sticky With Champagne,” it’s  about the many times  in my life that I’ve had champagne poured on me  and that’s where that chorus comes from  A lot of my song’s are inspired by amazingly  beautiful  self destructive things and my looks.

Kazemi: “Sticky With Champagne” rules when seen live. I remember back when I saw you in December on “The Monster Ball” tour.You were holding a bottle of champagne with your face on it and poured it on the crowd and you changed on stage. Will we ever be able to purchase Justin champagne bottles? Will every Semi Precious Weapons show be that eventful?

Justin:   You will be able to buy Justin Tranter champagne bottles. I don’t know when, but it will happen! Every Semi Precious Weapons show is eventful, not always the same things happens.  The champagne bottle and changing my outfit will always be apart of the show. We feel like rock fans have really forgotten  that its OK to be really serious musicians and put on a crazy show Everyone just wants to stare at their feet and say “Look at how smart they are.” We aren’t really interested in that.

Kazemi: How the hell did you think of such crazy stage antics?

Justin:  Talking to friends and brainstorming ideas.  Our friend, Jimmy Knehans, tours with us  and makes most of my clothes. He and I brainstorm  a lot of ideas. It’s kinda my favorite thing to do. I just sit in a bar with my friends and think of ridiculous things we could do on stage that people have to watch. Haha!

Kazemi: Crafty!  So I understand your debut record “You Love You” was recently released. While recording that record who would you cite as influences on the sound/writing direction.

Justin: Patty Larkin, Sharon Stone, Jillian Welsh, Marilyn Monroe, May West, Gwen Stefani. Haha!  Usually endless amounts  of amazing woman! Oh yeah! Courtney Love  I love Hole!  “Live Through This” is one of my favorite albums of all time.

Kazemi: “Live Through This” is one of my favorite records as well.  Any male influences?

Justin:   Yes, “Miss World” is an amazing  song. David Bowie, but I don’t think he has been that big of an influence. I think he’s a genius obviously, but I’ve only listened to women for the most part.

Kazemi: Do you have a favorite track on the debut record?

Justin:  It always changes. It depends on the reactions at shows. “Statues Of Ourselves” is my favorite song on the album.

Kazemi: What inspired that track?

Justin:   It’s about a very specific party that Lady Starlight was throwing on Thursdays that only about ten people would ever go to. It was just me and my best friends and Lady Starlight DJ’ing. It was the most amazing thing ever! The song is important to the listener as well because I want people to get that “you and your friends are probably the coolest people your ever gonna meet.” The kids who are coming to see GaGa are some really fuckin cool kids and I wanna dedicate it to those people .  People should think its OK to be cool and you should think you’re cool enough to build statues of yourself.  Basically its OK to think you’re awesome.

Kazemi:  Rock N Roll self esteem boost! . Why don’t you tell me a bit about how the NYC party scene has inspired your band’s image/music?

Justin:  Hahah!  Most of the New York City party scene is pretty boring. New York  for the most part is just a bunch of girls pretending to be “Sarah Jessica Parker,” which isn’t very inspiring ! But the thing with New York is those girls trying to be “Sarah Jessica Parker” have no shame in it. Like in LA everyone pretends that their not working but in New York everyone is very open about how they are only making friends with people who can fuckin vamp up their career. Its a very exciting scene. It’s the only place I’d ever wanna live but I think the glory days of CBGB and Andy Warhol are sadly at the moment dead. I think with Lady GaGa inspiring a whole new generation of kids and SPW inspiring a whole new generation of “Rock N Roll” fans, every party Lady Starlight throws is getting bigger and bigger. So I think New York is slowly but surely getting back to the era of the 70s/Early 80s that I romanticize.

Kazemi: I guess the media’s perception about the New York party scene is pretty accurate. Didn’t Lady Starlight and GaGa open up for SPW back in 2007? How did you guys meet and what were those shows like?

Justin:  They were a fuckin blast ! We would sometimes throw a party called “Glamor” and sometimes they were just Semi Precious Weapons shows and we needed an opener and while we were selecting the slot there were a lot of bands that were boring and took themselves so seriously but then their was this girl “Lady GaGa” who was a big fan of our band. Someone told us she was a really great performer so we checked out her MySpace page and they were right. She was fuckin awesome!  So we had her open for us and it was fantastic. In New York at the time we had developed an awesome following. There was about 500-1000 kids who would come to every show/party that we were throwing and it was this amazing little world of filthy glamor. It was something that the New York Press and media wouldn’t wanna talk about. The shows  were  just in rock clubs, and there was no budget,  just a sound system and a stage and then everything else we just created with our existence.

Kazemi:. I bet those 500-1000 kids are still with you guys today! I  saw on your Twitpic of some fans holding up a sign that said “Monster Weapons.” How far along on the tour did you start to see that??

Justin:  It started happening when we got to Australia/New Zealand. I saw kids Facebook and Tweet it! For some reason we really blew up really quickly over there. We played 2 shows with GaGa and there was kids in the audience holding signs that said “Monster Weapons.” I took a picture, and put it on twitter.  I guess now all the kids have caught onto it. So now at upcoming shows we definitely see a few kids holding signs that say “Monster Weapons.”

Kazemi: Was New Zealand your favorite city you toured too?

Justin:  New Zealand is amazing. They love Rock N Roll so I love them! Haha! It’s really hard to say. We have been waiting so long and been waiting so hard to get to this moment where we are living our life on the road and playing shows for thousands of people every night.

Kazemi:  Besides music/touring, you design a jewelry line called “Fetty.” While designing the collection did you ever think the pieces would be sold at “Barneys NYC.”

Justin:  Fetty Jewelry started at our very first SPW show and we just made some pieces to make some money because we were all broke!  I have worked at jewelry stores in NYC and I  just got fired at the time… We didn’t have t-shirts, we didn’t have albums to sell and it was our first show! I made these “Gun-Heart” necklaces for all of my friends who came to the show and they freaked out over them! Then I started getting them in boutiques around New York and then I harassed the people at Urban Outfitters until they “expressed interest.” I didn’t really know what I was doing.  You know I have a degree in music so Urban ended up liking them and told me “Oh! This is great! So we would love two thousand necklaces in three weeks” because they were convinced I was a massive jewelry company that could just produce these necklaces, but realistically it was just me and my band members and my friends in my loft in Brooklyn.

Kazemi: Wait, so you had to make three thousand pieces in three weeks?

Justin:  Luckily I did, so then I had a jewelry line! I started getting the kind of people who could make the pieces in 14 karat gold and diamond. I sold that to Barneys. Basically, it was this amazing accident that took an amazing amount of work. I assembled three thousand pieces with my own two hands! It was a lot of hard work but it was worth it because the band was able to fly to LA, London, and Paris to perform, and make our first indie record. It was an amazing way to start out as an indie band.

Kazemi:  It seems like the jewelry was the savior of the music.

Justin: Literally! If it wasn’t for the money from the jewelry, the band wouldn’t have been able to move on.

Kazemi: Doesn’t Kate Moss wear Fetty?

Justin:  Yeah, but so does Taylor Momsen and I think she’s  fabulous. Taylor always wears the big “XL” gun. The best part about her wearing Fetty is that she doesn’t even wanna wear the fancy stuff at Barneys. She wears the 20 dollar “big gun” we sell at shows. It’s so awesome!

Kazemi:   That is awesome! She is super young. Speaking of young, what was your college experience like at Berklee School Of Music?

Justin: It was amazing!  I can’t complain. It was like any other college.  Some parts are really awful and some parts are really great. Some teachers suck and some teachers were life changing, but the fact that I could study songwriting and get a degree from it…I really can’t ask for much more! Hahha!

Kazemi:   I assume that’s where you met your bandmates of today?

Justin:   Yeah, that’s where we all met. All of us studied different things. We all met in the first week of school.

Kazemi: Did you have any idea you guys were gonna work with each other and form the glam rock band, Semi Precious Weapons?

Justin:  We had no fucking clue. We did not start the band until five years after we met. We were just friends for a very long time. I thought I was gonna be a very serious somber singer/songwriter and Stevy & Cole thought they were gonna do jazz compositions. Dan thought he was gonna be a classical composer.  At some point we just got so bored of being so “intellectual” and started writing the music that inspired us as kids in the 90s:  Hole, Nirvana, Guns and Roses, Metallica and AC/DC. That’s how we became “Semi Precious Weapons”.

Kazemi:  So rock music on top 40 today isn’t really rock like the people you just listed. It’s more of a bubble gum juiced down rock.  Is Semi Precious Weapons going to change that?

Justin: We wanna be the biggest band in the world. I have intentions to go mainstream because I would love if “Real” Rock N Roll was on top 40 radio again because it use to be.  You would always hear rock on the top 40 stations, but now  you can’t even hear the guitar in the “rock music” that is played on the radio today.You can’t call that “rock n roll” when you can’t even hear the guitar. We are going to make “Rock N Roll” the new “Pop”.

Don’t forget to pick up the new Semi Precious Weapons album, “You Love You,” today!

LINK LOVE:   ALEX KAZEMI

Sony Music has opened it’s vaults to bring us Archive 1887, a new line of t-shirts featuring never before seen photographs of artists Johnny Cash, Sly and the Family Stone, David Bowie and Janis Joplin. Perfect for the rocker or rockette in all of us, each shirt comes with an online code which can be entered at www.archive1887.com to unlock a streaming playlist from the artists’ music catalog, a history of their career and information on the unique elements incorporated into the design. Check out the whole collection after the jump…

In addition to the online code, every Archive 1887 t-shirt includes a key that can be worn as a necklace or charm representing the exclusive “All Access” vault that is unlocked when the code is entered.

Circa 1996, David Bowie has a surprising conversation with Lee Alex McQueen.

Based in New York, Amanda worked for Moschino and the shoe designer Alejandro Ingelmo before starting Assad Mounser. The current collection is called ‘Space Oddity’ for the David Bowie song.

Find more photos like this on CULT

Thanks NYLON

1. Michael Jackson: Even more so now, MJ was always known for his crazy fashion sense, and sparked trends all around the world, from military blazers to one glove.

2. Buddy Holly: Huge among the hip crowd right now, 50s and ‘nerdy’ styles are back, or never really left. Ray Bans and skinny ties, win.

3. David Bowie: Glam rockers unite for the man in the makeup.

4. Justin Timberlake: After he trimmed his curls, JT is almost always spotted in a dress vest and tie, keeping it casual with jeans but still looking undoubtably cool.

5. The Beatles: They not only influenced millions with their music, but also with their collared shirts and circle-shaped glasses.

6. Kriss Kross: I have no idea which marketing exec. told these kids to put their clothes on backwards (although I’m sure they probably came up with the idea themselves), but this was HUGE (just as huge as their clothes were on them…) 

7. Sid Vicious: Ah Sid and Nancy, every punk’s idol. (minus swastika shirts)

8. Andre 3000: My favorite style ever, Andre 3000 is always dressed to kill.

9. Run DMC: You can still find those chains in St. Marks. Adidas classics? Nice.

10. Pete Doherty: Aside from the drugs, it’s now cool to look like a homeless drug addict, apparently.

Who are your favorites?

Shea_Butter to Iman: Any chance of letting Mr. Bowie out of the house 4 another album? We miss the hell out of him!

Iman to Shea_Butter: haha he’s cooking something up I’m sure you will love.

SOURCE: Oh no they didnt

It’s hard to pinpoint which style group in the 70′s is best to remember. Is it the disco, sequined polyester fest that was the life around Studio 54 or was more about the sartorial choices that rock and roll legends like David Bowie made that ruled the decade.  One of our fave bloggers Ian Brown of Blindman’s Cirus asks the question and comes up with some answers of his own. Check out his commentary below and which designer today seems to be influenced by yesteryears rocking greats.

“The era was one of excess. Diane Vreeland’s Vogue was drenched with now-poorly aged editorials, and fashion took a strange turn. The shameful sartorial choices of the era are so awkwardly linked however with some of the best of rock and roll.

David Bowie through the years was no consistent style maven. His stage persona was draped in camp gesture. Still, even a broken clock is right twice a day. Pictured above is Bowie back in the glam days with guitarist Mick Ronson wearing an unfortunate windsor knot. Bowie looks fucking rad in the photo. Check out that jacket. Its pretty badass, though the wingspan of his lapels is ridiculous he’s definitely ready for a proper space quest in that get up.

Seeing it immediately revived the memory of this SS09 Tim Hamilton blazer that I’ve been lusting after. I love the Op-art quality of the converging panels on the back. Somehow it looks better without the broad lapels and embellished piping. It’s like an Ellsworth Kelly. Very sharp.”

LINKAGE: Saturnalia

For Fall 2009, Gripp Jeans designer Dianne Grgat, looked to the occult vampire movie “The Hunger” (1983), David Bowie’s Berlin Period and the insurgence of synthesized club sounds of Depeche Mode, for a chic gothic collection that goes way beyond denim. Check out the entire lookbook here.

LINKAGE: Frillr