Emblazoned on the cover of WWD today is a picture of Katy Perry wearing a chiffon puffy confection at the Met Ball last night. I had to look more closely to see what exactly was going on with that dress, and of course by now we all know that it was covered in LED lights. Sigh. More over-the-top kookiness from Katy, who doesn’t seem to care that after every event, she ends up on multiple worst-dressed lists.
After studying the looks at the Met Ball last night and thinking about the past few boring red carpets, I’ve decided that Katy’s chutzpah is refreshing. Are her choices tacky and would I wear them? Mostly and probably not. But she hits every red carpet with a firm sense of who she is and is consistent in her fashion choices, never mind what we all think of her taste level.
So many red carpets bring us starlets in Marchesa, Valentino, Elie Saab, more Marchesa. Pretty and flattering, but not surprising or the least bit interesting. Safe. Then there are celebrities like Tina Fey and Kristen Stewart who seem completely intimidated and confused by fashion; both have admitted as much. It’s hard to watch them standing there sometimes. Women who often get it right, with taste, a sense of humor, and personal style, like Chloe Sevigny and the Olsens, are frequently criticized in the mainstream media.
Fashion is about personal expression, an image, and for those of us who watch it, entertainment. I live for the moments when fashion makes me gasp. If this sometimes manifests as a swan dress or an electric frock, bring it on. Kudos, Katy.
Tags: Chloe Sevigny, Katy Perry, Met Ball
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this is my favorite post of yours
love this post. so truee
I really don't believe that this is her 'style' Kooky or not, I personally think it was just ANOTHER way for her to grab the headlines. Attention Seeker! It's perfectly acceptable for her to parade around in outfits like that on stage, in a video etc, but wearing them to a fashion Gala! No!
after the last debate about Katy perry i must say, this article pretty much settles it.
I'm sorry, I don't care at all for Katy Perry. She's kinda tacky. Or maybe she's one of those people who some pieces of clothes just don't look flattering, like the Coachella-boobies top. And don't get me wrong, she's got a great body, but hmm… tacky
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so true. she does have a banging body.
Say what you will about Tina Fey's YSL romper last night, but it was the boldest thing she's ever worn and she looked like she felt amazing. Her hair, makeup and figure were looking great, too.
I agree about Katy Perry. I thought Tina Fey looked good in her jumpsuit – at least she tried to look different unlike the Hollywood starlets and their princess gowns.
I love how its “refreshing” after its on the cover of wwd. groundbreaking thoughts
so where is your writing that we can analyze?
This was great… still not much of a perry fan though
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True. I like her too. By the way, this personal safety devices for women like us might interest you. Thanks and more power!
Thank you! I'm so proud that it was about Katy Perry.
Really? Because in all the photos I saw of her, I felt she looked awkward and uncomfortable. Her make-up was REALLY heavy-handed and her hair looked just the way it always looks so nothing terribly special about that.
I really like her combination of sweet and sexy. She is smarter than your average pop star and she has a great sense of humor.
Usually Katy Perry looks ridiculous. Yes, taking fashion risks is laudable, and being creative and having a sense of humor and not allowing yourself to be confined by middlebrow notions of “good taste” is great, but any effort is rendered null when there’s a sense that she's purposefully trying shock as many people as possible at once. Normally, when she wears something ridiculous like a banana dress I get the impression she opened her closet doors and said, “What will I do today to epater le bourgeoisie and keep me mildly relevant?” Like her entire team graduated from the school of “Any Publicity is Good Publicity.” With high honors.
That said, I did like THIS dress. I mean, conceptually, yes. Here comes Katy Perry in a light-up neon dress. Yawn! But if it weren’t for the awkward bunching caused (presumably) by the wiring and battery packet, etc, I think it would almost be pretty. If you showed me a picture of it without telling me it’s light up I would think the effect is quite stunning.
ugh she has no class
Thank you, Cheryl! It is so refreshing to see fashion editors accepting people for who they are.
Anyone who lived through the “pre-fashion police era” (for me it was the 80s) remembers when fashion was just FUN. Now it's so serious, with everyone and their mother critiquing and insulting anyone who steps outside the box and experiments with their sense of style. God forbid a celebrity actually chooses something that makes her happy, rather than have a stylist tell her what to wear. I am so freaking sick of it.
I agree with Rachel…great bit, Cheryl! This actually made me go back and look at Perry again. Of course, I still think she look a hot damn…but I do, like you said, applaud her bold, kooky take on fashion. That being said, I do think that had the dress been finished better (a better fit and better proportions) the lights would have made it bangin'. Either way, she garnered attention, and I guess that's what it's all about, no?
Anyhoo, I look forward to more stuff from you. :)
i'd think she was more true to herself and unique if she quit trying so hard to be bold and different…she has a great charisma that allows her to get away with the weird and different but the clothes seem to be wearing her more often than not and she looks a little lost and a lot messy in the whole look instead of being comfortable in her own skin…that being said, it is nice to see someone who doesn't take the safe route on the red carpet…
Does anyone know who actually made Katy's dress? I've combed multiple reports and cannot find an attribution anywhere!
CuteCircuit
Go Cheryl! Whatever one might think of Katy Perry or her dress in this picture, I think there is still a larger point that appreciators of fashion as an art and/or a form of personal expression can still agree with. The mainstream press has stifled any real sartorial creativity by constantly mocking those who make interesting, or even highly personal, choices with their wardrobes. At least the Katys and the Chloes of the world stand their ground and choose to make a personal statement with their clothes, regardless of what the naysayers write. To me, the originals are the heart of fashion: unique, daring, and boldly unapologetic in the face of a timid mainstream that's just too boring and conformity-obsessed to understand or even appreciate their distinctness.
well put, That Girl.
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Definitely not my style, but to each their own… that's what fashion is about.
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