When Lana Del Rey launched onto the scene in a big way earlier on this year, it didn't come without its fair share of controversy. Her sudden catapult to fame made many question what she had done to warrant so much attention, especially as her music continued to go down badly with critics. The fashion industry, on the other hand, decided to embrace her with open arms and Mulberry created a bag in her honour. With that in mind, it should come as no surprise that her relationship with the fashion industry was one of the key areas of discussion in her cover interview for Vogue Australia's October issue.
'It's funny because now people in fashion kind of came to my rescue when other people said they didn't like the record but that was unexpected for me because I was never really [into fashion],' she told the title. 'I never expressed myself through fashion. I loved flowers in my hair. I loved guys who wore leather but I didn't get creative. From the age of about seven I had really specific tastes and that never changed.' What is set to change, though, is her career path because in the interview she confessed that music isn't actually where her heart is. 'When I was starting I had a vision of being a writer for film and that's what I am doing now. I'm so happy,' she explained. 'Hopefully I will branch into film and stay there. That will be my happy place,' she said before adding that, 'I said everything I needed to say before I wrote this record.'
Is it me or does the whole Lana Del Rey music thing suddenly feel a bit shortlived? I wonder how Mulberry feel, especially since they've done a lot to promote her bag. Surely it's not going to help sales now the singer's decided to go behind-the-scenes compared to the always visible Alexa Chung.
Back in June, Page Six reported that Lana Del Rey had shot a campaign for H&M in New York. At the time neither her camp nor H&M's press office denied the claim and now we know that the silence was because the reports were true because today, the first images from the campaign were leaked online.
The 'Video Games' singer works her trademark beehive hair and cat-winged black eyeliner in the campaign, shot by Inez van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin, and looks good doing so. Is she the perfect face of H&M, though, I'm not sure.
'The mood is very L.A. noir,' Donald Schneider, H&M's creative director, said in a statement. 'It's inspired by our Fall 2012 collection,' and to accompany the images, Del Rey will also perform a cover of 'Blue Velvet' for a minifilm that will appear on hm.com and in commercials from September 19.
Despite the criticism constantly surrounding Lana Del Rey, brand seems to really like her. As you know, Mulberry named a bag after her back in February and now it looks like H&M might be getting on in the action.
Page Six reports that the 'Video Games' singer is currently shooting a campaign for the high street retailer. A source reportedly told the title that, 'She's shooting a H&M campaign in New York.' So far neither Del Rey's camp nor H&M's press office have denied the claims.
Anticipation for this year's Met Gala was high and the event definitely didn't disappoint. While it's true, there were several disappointing looks from people like Coco Rocha and Jessica Chastain, the majority of the looks were really strong and it was really good to see people research and commit to this year's Schiaparelli theme.
The above is a round-up of my favourite looks. Regular readers will know that I was on the dubious side about Joseph Altuzarrateaming up with Lana Del Rey but I was pleasantly surprised by the results. Her dress, along with her new dark hair, looked beautiful and so did Carey Mulligan in her golden Prada creation. As an Olsen fan, I'm generally impressed by anything either twin turns up in and last night was no different. The black dress from The Row that Mary-Kate Olsen was classically simple but still powerful.
The 'Bridget Jones' actress is rarely ever spotted on the red carpet at a major event wearing anything other than Carolina Herrera and also, Dundas is known for designing pieces that ultra sexy pieces and well, let's face it, sex appeal isn't necessarily something that Zellweger tends to go for.
Which partnerships are you excited to see tonight?
Nobody seems to be able to get enough of Lana Del Rey. Mulberry have honoured her by naming their latest bag after her and as you'll remember, she's appeared on major covers from Wonderland to British Vogue's big March issue.
The singer's latest cover is for Spanish weekly S Moda, which she was shot by Simon Emmett. Francesca Rinciari did a great job in styling the singer in pieces from Balmain and Isabel Marant and as always, she looked really good. My only bug bare is the big disconnect with her styling in magazines and appearances compared to her off-duty looks. While it's unfair to expect her to look photoshoot ready during her off-days, her personal style doesn't carry the promise that she exudes in editorials.
The Met Ball is just over a week away and finally the designer-celebrity paring confirmations are beginning to pick up pace. So far we know that Isabel Lucas will attend with the Proenza Schouler boys and as you'll recall, Lana Del Rey's partnership with Joseph Altuzarra came as a bit of a surprise.Azealia Banks and Alexander Wang, on the other hand, is a pairing that makes sense.
Banks confirmed the news on Twitter saying: 'I can't wait for the MET ball! I'm going as Alexander Wang's date. He custom made my outfit and shoes!!!! It's so hot!' And if that gets you excited, there's more good news as the Harlem based rapper will also perform at some stage during the event. 'I've been invited to perform for PRADA next week in NYC! Gonna b so lush!! Let's see what new songs I debut there! #metball2012'
The Met Ball is in a matter of weeks so you know what that means - all of the speculation and reports officially begin now. The event has always been one of my favourites. The red carpet looks always exceed anything we've seen at any of the other big red carpet events but more than anything, it's the designer-celebrity partnership that gets me excited.
At this stage each year we all begin to question which star will team up with which designer and the first confirmations are in. Joseph Altuzarra is dressing Lana Del Rey and Proenza Schouler's Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez have confirmed that they will dress and attend the event with actress Isabel Lucas. Del Rey isn't an obvious paring for Altuzarra but I'm interested to see what he creates for her and Lucas will undoubtedly be a great clothes horse for Proenza.
Many people were on the cynical side when Mulberry announced that they had named a bag after Lana Del Rey. After all, the timing seemed to tap into the singer's notoriety at the time and her sudden catapult to fame made many question what she had done to warrant the big stamp of approval. None of this has stopped people from getting exciting about the bag to drop though. This week the brand confirmed that the demand has been so huge that they're dropping it in stores early.
Rather than allowing pre-orders and the waiting list to grow, Mulberry announced that as of this week a limited number of the black and brown styles have been made available in their New Bond Street store in London and Spring Street store in New York. If you're not lucky enough to get your hands on the bag then, don't worry because you haven't got long to wait as the full range will hit stores on May 14th.
