• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Manhattan Digest

All you need to know about Manhattan culture and so much more...

  • LIFESTYLE
  • ENTERTAINMENT
  • LGBT
  • OPINION
  • TECHNOLOGY

janelle monae

Fashion Flash-Forward: The Future in Fashion

by Greg Serebuoh

Ulrico - The Visitors - G7 3

Manhattan Psycho

I am admittedly a sci-fi nerd. The other day I was reading about jazz musician, performance artist, and Afrofuturist philosopher Sun Ra and his iconic work Space Is the Place.

Sun Ra Head Dress 2     Sun Ra Head Dress 1

It got me thinking about the fact that futurism has continued to find its way into fashion and aesthetic concepts, from Jean Paul Gaultier’s costume design for The Fifth Element to singer Janelle Monae’s Metropolis cycle.

Janelle Monae - Electric Lady     Fifth Element - Gaultier

Fifth Element - Ruby Rhod     Janelle Monae - Archandroid

Something about the distant future inspires us to imagine new possibilities and make bolder aesthetic choices. When I was researching for my performance piece about an extra-dimensional traveler, Arken: Searching for Wonder, I sought out images of futuristic fashion for inspiration. Here are a few images and designers that excite my mind.

This editorial from Numéro Homme called “Manhattan Psycho” effortlessly merges classic style with a sci-fi sensibility.

Manhattan Psycho 7Manhattan Psycho 6Manhattan Psycho 3

Coco and Breezy’s entire line of edgy accessories has futuristic overtones, but its “20/20” campaign is all about what accessorizing will mean in the future: “‘Planet C &&B’ is a world that consists only of fresh air and extreme sunlight where normal eyes cannot stand to view without being covered.”

Coco and Breezy 2Coco-and-Breezy-20-20-The-949

Kay Kwok presented some out-of-this-world design concepts at his FW14 fashion week show in London. I don’t know if I’d wear this stuff on a regular trip to the grocery store, but I wouldn’t mind owning one of those visors, and I’m sure I’d cause a splash if I received dinner guests in that ET two-piece.

Kay Kwok AW14 1Kay Kwok AW14 2

Lee Roach’s line has a much more subtle sci-fi flavor as he makes use of shiny materials and contemplates how our evolution will result in more streamlined fashion, by eliminating collars and lapels, for example.

lee roach fw 14 3lee roach fw 14 4lee roach fw 14 6

Nasir Mazhar‘s FW14 collection updates men’s sportswear by exploring geometric shapes, distorted lines, quirky accessories, and shiny space suit sheen.

Nasir Mazhar AW14 1Nasir Mazhar AW14 2

In the “Warriors” editorial, Holly Fox-Lee imagines how modern-day hip hop style might evolve, fusing  it with an ancestral tribal aesthetic and taking it to extremes in terms of shape, scale, and materials.

Holly Fox Lee 2     holly fox lee

Holly Fox Lee 3     Holly Fox Lee 1

This editorial called “The Visitors” in G7 magazine features my buddy Ulrico Eguizábal, who I met while I was modeling in Argentina. Not only does it use the concept of alien “visitors” to play with size and shape, but it also imagines a future style that challenges our current gender norms in fashion (thank goodness), using elements typically associated with femininity, like shoulder pads and long flowing fabrics, to highlight the male form in a fascinating new way.

Ulrico - The Visitors - G7 3Ulrico - The Visitors - G7 2

Some of my favorite futuristic designs (and the ones I’d be most likely to wear in day-to-day life) come from Skingraft, which makes nuanced use of a lot of the earlier-mentioned elements, geometric shapes, extraterrestrial mystique, and interesting combinations of materials.

skingraft 1skingraft 4Skingraft 2

skingraft 3skingraft-collection-automne-hiver-2012-2013_80597_w460Skin Graft AW 12 Draped Shirt

Finally, INAISCE is one of my personal favorite designers right now, in part because it incorporates futurism into its larger design concept to create clothing that is arresting, undeniably unique, and totally wearable. Not only do I absolutely love the campaign for Fall/Winter 2013, but I’m also ecstatic to see another tall African model, South Sudan native Ger Duany, take center stage with his beautiful, otherworldly features. Africans unite!

INAISCE 2INAISCE 3INAISCE 4

INAISCE 1INAISCE 7INAISCE 5

 

Filed Under: FASHION, LIFESTYLE, STYLE Tagged With: Africa, Afrofuturism, alien, Argentina, Arken: Searching for Wonder, artistic, Bruce Willis, catwalk, Coco and Breezy, creative, Editorial, ET, experimental, extraterrestrial, fashion, Fashion Week, futurism, FW14, G7, Ger Duany, hip hop, Holly Fox-Lee, INAISCE, inspiration, janelle monae, jazz, Jean Paul Gaultier, Jona, Kay Kwok, Lee Roach, London, Milla Jovovich, Nasir Mazhar, Numero Homme, NYFW, performance, runway, sci-fi, Skingraft, South Sudan, Space Is the Place, style, Sun Ra, The Fifth Element, The Ones 2 Watch, The Visitors, Tribal, Ulrico Eguizabal

Album Review: Janelle Monae – The Electric Lady

by Rio Toro

JANELLE-MONAE-ELECTRIC-LADY-e1376434058729

Janelle Monae: The Electric Lady

Similar Artists: Erykah Badu, Solange, Santigold, Funkadelic, Grace Jones

Genre: R&B, Soul, Pop, Funk

Label: BadBoy/Wondaland

 

Janelle Monae is a fan of big statements. This was made abundantly clear starting with her first ever release, the Metropolis, Suite 1: The Chase, which was already more grand and ambitious than most artists’ career defining releases. Of course, she happened to top herself on her 2010 semi-masterpiece The ArchAndroid, in which she further chronicled the story of her alter-ego, the rebel droid Cindy Mayweather. It happened to be one of the most confident and resonant debuts in recent memory, and Janelle knew it too. It was quite clear that Janelle was head and heels above the competition, and that she was intent on forming her own league of equally talented singers/songwriters who were hoping to change the current state of R&B, Neo Soul, and the musical world itself. On her equally massive, guest loaded, no filler 2nd LP, she may have just accomplished that goal.

Of course, Janelle isn’t reinventing the wheel with her music, she’s working within firmly established genres, and through all the spectacle that her music provides, groundbreaking is never a term that comes to mind. This is fine of course, because her music happens to be accessible in the best possible way. She goes deeper than your average pop star, both in lyrical themes and musical direction. Early single “Q.U.E.E.N” — which by the way, is a surefire contender for song of the year — sees Janelle at her most freakish /Is it peculiar that she twerk in the mirror, and am I weird to dance alone late at night/, reminding us all of a certain Miley Cyrus, yet Janelle herself never comes off as peculiar, only that rare, hard earned talent we don’t see enough of in pop stardom. Although some may dub her music as alternative, these are songs that could easily appeal to the masses (her record sales might say otherwise though). These are finger-snapping tunes that will stick with you for weeks on end, coming in and out of your consciousness long after you have parted ways with the album itself.

Her 2nd full length, The Electric Lady, is a perfect follow up record, as it continues the themes on ArchAndroid in even bolder ways than before. Just check the guest list if you don’t believe me. This year’s roster includes talents such as Miguel, Esmeralda Spalding, Solange, Erykah Badu, and yes, even Prince. This is the soundtrack to the party that everyone wants to go to, and the good news is, as long as you don’t mind some shiny robotic booty (and aren’t a bounty hunter), you’re absolutely welcome to join in on the fun.

The sci-fi elements remain abundant, and intrinsic to the album’s main themes. The events of this album actually take place before those of The ArchAndroid, making this a prequel of sorts. Taking a cue from Blaxploitation films, the album cleverly deals with racism and prejudice being brought upon the Android community. The story — if you could call it that — is told largely through droid friendly radio station WDRD in some downright hilarious skits; my favorite being one in which the Andrada sisters talk about a party in which there will be an atomic kissing contest, among other droid specific activities.

The individual tracks go back and forth from being Cindy Mayweather dance jams, like “DanceApocolyptic” and “Electric Lady”, and more personal and heartfelt Janelle Ballads, “Primetime” and “Victory”. As you’d expect, the album flows masterfully, and is ornamented through heavenly interludes and dynamic instrumental snippets. While the album isn’t any less orchestrated than previous releases, it’s more indebted to classic rock and the electric guitar itself. There are some serious, painstakingly produced guitar solos throughout The Electric Lady, harkening back to 60’s and 50’s musical trends. The “Suite V Electric Overture” is particularly old-timey in its structure, and there are even some references to spaghetti westerns (possible Django influence?). Janelle has clearly done her homework when it comes to digging out archived soul releases, as she has implemented exquisite multi layered harmonies that remind us of what used to be the worlds most powerful instrument: the voice.

It’s true, with all the fancy production techniques and overdubs, what makes this music as good as it is is how great the vocals sound. Even when Janelle’s oohing and ahhing is at its most extensive and drawn out, she pulls it off because of the urgency in her tone. She often gets so emotional that it sounds as though she’s singing in order to save her life; and who wouldn’t want a girl with pipes like those to live forever? As the title of the Prince featuring early standout “Givin Em What They Love” suggests, Janelle knows what makes her audience tick, and she isn’t afraid to do exactly that. Lets all hope The Electric Lady does as well as it should on the charts, that way Janelle will be able to make this same lovely spectacle again, and again, and again. I’m about ready to get me some more of that chrome booty.

 

Track Listing:

1.) Suite IV Electric Overture

2.) Givin Em What They Love*

3.) Q.U.E.E.N.*

4.) Electric Lady*

5.) Good Morning Midnight

6.) Primetime*

7.) We Were Rock & Roll

8.) The Chrome Shoppe

9.) Dance Apocalyptic*

10.) Look Into My Eyes

11.) Suite V Electric Overture

12.) It’s Code

13.) Ghetto Woman*

14.) Our Favorite Fugitive

15.) Victory*

16.) Can’t live without your love

17.) Sally Ride

18.) Dorothy Dandridge Eyes

19.) What An Experience*

 

Album Highlight – *

Filed Under: BREAKING NEWS, ENTERTAINMENT, MUSIC, OPINION, REVIEWS Tagged With: Album Review, janelle monae, music, R&B, soul, the electric lady

Primary Sidebar

Navigation

  • HOME
  • OPINION
    • REVIEWS
  • BUSINESS
  • LGBT
  • ENTERTAINMENT
    • ARTS
    • MOVIES
    • MUSIC
    • TELEVISION
    • THEATRE
  • LIFESTYLE
    • TRAVEL
    • FASHION
    • HEALTH
    • FOODIE
    • STYLE
  • POLITICS
  • SCIENCE
  • SPORTS
  • TECHNOLOGY
  • U.S.
    • NEW YORK

Footer

  • ADVERTISE
  • TERMS OF SERVICE
  • CAREERS
  • ENTERTAINMENT
  • Home
  • Contact
  • Legal

Copyright © 2023 · ManhattanDigest.com is run by Fun & Joy, LLC an Ohio company · Log in

 

Loading Comments...