P-P-P-Pink Muppet Face
Lady Gaga in Jean Charles de Castelbajac (photo courtesy Jezebel via Splash)
Brian Lichtenberg Fall 2009 (photo by Volker Corell)
Do Lady Gaga and her design team's creative stream of consciousness function like a fashion Mad Lib?
As in: “That [cluster of bubbles] [forest of stalagmite crystals] [mosaic of mirrors] would look fabulous on my [head] [on a poufy skirt] [as an eyepatch].”
That’s what I think every time I see a photo of the blonde songstress, like this one taken in Manchester today. The head of a Muppet from Jim Henson’s “The Muppet Show” that Lady Gaga wears as a skirt reminded me of Brian Lichtenberg’s Gremlin-inspired ensemble from his Fall 2009 show during CoLA Fashion Week back in March. So I consulted with Lichtenberg, who helped identify that Lady Gaga’s skirt was from the Fall 2009 collection of French designer Jean-Charles de Castelbajac, inspired by Jim Henson’s Muppet characters.
Lichtenberg and de Castelbajac have never met, though Lichtenberg said they have corresponded about a possible face-to-face introduction, since de Castelbajac’s son lives in Los Angeles. Their clothes, however, have collided on the body of music artist MIA, who has donned Lichtenberg’s leggings with a dress by de Castelbajac on stage. And both designers hang in the closets of music artists that have an affinity for bright colors and out-of-the-ordinary ornamentation such as Katy Perry, Santigold and Yelle.
Lichtenberg said he did not know about de Castelbajac’s Muppet skirt and its resemblance to his own until after his show. “Afterwards, it came to my attention,” he said. “I was like, ’Oh my God, of course he made something [like that].’”
Up next for Lichtenberg is a secondary line, titled BL, of affordable and “wearable” denim, tanks and leggings to launch for the Spring 2010 market. Lichtenberg's parting words suggested another face-theme skirt due for a timely comeback. “What came to mind when I was making [my skirt] is Bjork wore this Bernhard Willhelm skirt that was a sequined Michael Jackson face. It was pretty awesome. It's not 3-D how our skirts are, but it's still, you know, a face on a skirt. He needs to pull that from the archives.”
Bjork at the 2001 Golden Globes in Bernhard Willhelm (photo courtesy gofugyourself)
