1. Madonna – Blond Ambition Tour (1990)

Always lauded, and at times harshly criticized, for her chameleon-like reinventions, she is nevertheless the artist who most brilliantly illustrates — and has done the most to encourage — the symbiotic relationship between music and fashion. Madge reached her sartorial high point during her wildly successful Blond Ambition Tour, featuring costumes by Jean Paul Gaultier who designed the now legendary cone bra.

2. Michael Jackson – “Beat It” music video (1983)

Perhaps the most iconic single article of clothing in pop music history, MJ’s red leather jacket was a cultural watershed moment because it became almost synonymous with Thriller, i.e. the biggest album of all time. The ankle-baring trousers — a nod to Fred Astaire – white socks and black shoes were also trademarks of the 80s and still loom large over the singer’s incredible legacy.

3. The Beatles - The  Ed Sullivan Show (1964)

When the Beatles invaded America, they brought along with them enduring and generation-defining trends such as the Beatle boot, collarless suits and the mop top — not to mention hysteria the likes of which Justin Bieber could only dream.

4. David Bowie – Ziggy Stardust Tour (1973-74)

Without Ziggy, Elton John would never have discovered his love of feathered headdresses, LaBelle wouldn’t have strutted around New Orleans in their silver lamé and simply put, there would be no Lady Gaga. A high-concept album with a high-concept look, David Bowie introduced androgyny to the pop culture masses, and decades later his seminal faux rocker is still a fashion favorite.

5. Diana Ross and the Supremes – “Come See About Me” on The Ed Sullivan Show (1964)

Three black girls from Detroit became the epitome of style, grace, beauty and glamor in the midst of social upheaval and racial injustice. Oprah said it best (as she does with everything): it was life-changing.

6. Ramones – Ramones (1976)

While the Beatles inspired bands to dress up, the Ramones’ relaxed, almost comalike coolness influenced other bands to keep it simple — years later their pared down style still feels like quintessential New York. Especially with all the hipsters dragging their Converses, skinny jeans and leather jackets around.

7. George Michael – “Freedom! ’90″ video (1990)

George Michael’s identity crisis led to the zenith of the supermodel explosion. Cindy Crawford, Naomi Campbell, Linda Evangelista, Christy Turlington and Tatjana Patitz took the place of the singer — reluctant to appear in his own video — and  lip-synched their way to iconic status in the clip directed by future friend of Facebook, David Fincher.

8. Nirvana -  “Smells Like Teen Spirit” music video (1991)

Marc Jacobs‘ landmark Grunge collection for Perry Ellis in 1992 may have led to his dismissal, but it also cemented the enormous cultural impact Kurt Cobain and Nirvana had inadvertently etched out for themselves thanks to the success of “Smells Like Teen Spirit.” Till this day the sight of plaid inspires those famous first notes and the image of zombie cheerleaders dancing through my head.

9. Run-D.M.C. – “My Adidas” (1986)

Hip hop has long been obsessed with fashion and material goods, but we wouldn’t have Kanye “The Louis Vuitton Don” West rapping about haute couture if we didn’t have Run D.M.C. extolling the virtues of their shell tops.

10. Lady Gaga – “Bad Romance” music video (2010)

Gaga went from popstar to phenomenon on the heels of her Alexander McQueen armadillo shoes. The video stands as an homage not only to McQueen and his legacy, but to the woman most responsible for Gaga’s amazing aptitude for reinvention: Madonna. And she’s been paying homage ever since.

Conceived by the Chairman of the Institute’s Board of Directors, Oscar de la Renta and curated by Vogue‘s own Hamish Bowles, Balenciaga: Spanish Master is the the first collection “to consider the impact of Spain’s culture, history and art” on the career and artistry of Cristóbal Balenciaga (1895-1972).

Portrait of the artist as a young fox

Balenciaga forever changed the way women dressed and introduced dramatically different silhouettes into a woman’s sartorial lexicon. Spanish Master showcases some of the designer’s brilliant, beautiful and very often groundbreaking work in millinery, evening gowns, cocktail dresses and daywear, particularly highlighting his expert construction and tailoring.

Photo: GDK is the new black.

Featuring over 70 pieces from the Balenciaga archives, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology, The Hispanic Society of America, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Museum of the City of New York, and the Texas Fashion Collection, the collection also benefited from loans from the private collections of Sandy Schreier and Bowles himself.

Photo: Sandi in the City

The exhibit also ”considers the influences on [Balenciaga's] designs of the country’s great artists, from Zurbarán and Goya to Picasso, Sorolla and Miró, and of Spain’s religious dress and ceremony, its royal history, its rich regional costume, its dance traditions, and the power and splendor of the bullfight. “

Photo: GDK is the new black.

I was in raptures pouring over Spanish Master‘s two floors and was especially surprised by Balenciaga’s continued experimentation and ingenuity well into old age and until his retirement in 1968. One could easily see the rich history from which Nicolas Ghesquière regularly culls and reinterprets through the house’s current collections.

Photos: Blend/Koko Royale

Balenciaga: Spanish Master is an experience that any lover of fashion or art or Spanish history should not miss. The exhibition will be on display at the Queen Sofía Spanish Institute through February 19th and is $15 for adults and $10 for students, seniors, and Institute members.

Queen Sofía Spanish Institute  - 684 Park Ave

Like Cristobal Balenciaga, artist Francesco Vezzoli was inspired by religion for his latest exhibition Sacrilegio. He has reimagined 15th- and 16th-century Madonna and Child paintings by Giovanni Bellini, Leonardo da Vinci, Sandro Botticelli utilizing 80s/90s supermodels including Linda Evangelista, Cindy Crawford, Naomi Campbell, Christie Brinkley, Tatjana Patitz, Claudia Schiffer, Stephanie Seymour and Kim Alexis.

Kim Alexis

The exhibit purports to examine “the societal worship of figures from the fashion and celebrity industries” by combining supermodels with historical religious icons.

Cindy Crawford

Vezzoli adorned each painting with “makeup, tattoos and large oblong tears rendered in needlepoint” and the gallery itself has been transformed into a Renaissance chapel. Some of the works also feature an FV with “a needle and thread forming part of the initials.”

Christie Brinkley

The exhibit was interesting and wholly entertaining — I mean, Christie Brinkley crying a giant needlepoint Liza Minnelli tear! I’m surprised I didn’t collapse from the amount of awesome being thrown my way.

Whether you subscribe to the artist’s idea of using these supers to “reflect a reality that has a huge power over our lives” or are just tickled by Naomi Campbell as a holy figure, Sacrilegio is definitely worth seeing. Sacrilegio will be on display at the Gagosian through March 12.

Gagosian Gallery - 522 W 21st St

With September just around the corner, the big issues are coming out. Harper’s Bazaar (US) played with a lot of different things this season, even Aggy and Leighton Meester as cover pics. See more from these spreads on Cult.

(Photogs: CAMILLA AKRANS, PETER LINDBERGH. Models: KATIE FOGARTY & KENDRA SPEARS, AMBER VALLETTA, CINDY CRAWFORD, CLAUDIA SCHIFFER, HELENA CHRISTENSEN, KRISTEN MCMENAMY, NADJA AUERMANN, TATJANA PATITZ, SHALOM HARLOW)

LINK LOVE: Abdul Lagerfeld

The super model loving lives on, but airbrushing dies? Hmm… I’ll see that when I believe it. Harpers claims that there is no makeup or airbrushing used in this editorial, and I’m not sure about that either. Regardless the models, in their 30′s and 40′s look amazing. Another plus is the sharing of supermodel approved beauty tips, such as not to eat dairy because it can lead to break outs from Claudia Schiffer.

SOURCE: Fashion Gone Rogue