Lady Gaga Fame Launch Party

Lady Gaga will never be a wallflower.  Her launch party for her fragrance FAME at the Guggenheim Museum last week was no exception.  She was coiffed like a regal gypsy, and napped in a giant perfume bottle, and got tattooed on the back of her head in front of her guests.

Fashion's elite came out in droves to celebrate the pop icon, like Marc Jacobs, Charlotte Ronson, Alexander Wang to name a few.  The fragrance project allowed her to work with some of her favorite creatives like Steven Klein and Nick Knight.  The tattoo on her head was of an angel that represented the recently departed mother of photographer Terry Richardson.

Check out this dark, Gothic, Phantom of the Opera inspired promo video:

 Photo by Kevin Mazur/WireImage

Betsey Johnson - 40 Years of Lolita Fashion

Fashion icon Betsey Johnson has been making Lolita-friendly, whimsical frocks for over 40 years.  Tuesday night at a Manhattan nightclub, there was a runway show/birthday party/concert in her honor.

I have to say it was one of my favorite fashion events that I have ever attended as my childhood pop icon, Cyndi Lauper opened the show performing Girls Just Wanna Have Fun and True Colors.  She was dressed on a Gothic/punk Lolita outfit of black tulle skirt, swiss dot bustier and studded leather jacket.

Next, the models danced down the runway in outfits that spanned from Betsey Johnson's 1960's looks all the way through current seasons of 2012.  Pink champagne, pink popcorn and pink cupcakes were served to guests who danced the night away until the sun came up!

Paralympics Goes Steampunk

In case you missed it...The Olympics closing ceremonies showed us fantastic Gothic fashion with Annie Lennox and crew.  For the Paralympics, Rihanna and Coldplay wowed us with a brilliant display of Steampunk.

More in the sets than the fashion, the ornate metal contraptions, Edison bulbs, clockwork gears, vintage cars ruled the stadium. Check out the performance:

Christian Siriano's Vampire Fashion Video

If you are a fan of fashion competition show Project Runway, you are familiar with designer Christian Siriano's flair for the dramatic.  During NY Fashion Week in February, he showed a beautiful runway collection inspired by classic horror movie queens.

Now, for the public, his team has created an edgy fashion video that fleshes out the vampire bat theme even more...

What do you think?

Gothic Fashion at Olympics Closing Ceremony

I think it's safe to say that Danny Boyle brought some of the edgiest style to what many dubbed the Rock n' Roll Olympics.  However, creative director Kim Gavin and production designer  Es Devlin have earned the title of the "Fashion Olympics" in bringing out some surprising Goth fashion to the closing ceremonies...

First, my beloved Pet Shop Boys rolled out in bright orange origami-like carts dressed in dramatic Gareth Pugh.   Next, Britain's supermodels strutted out custom gold gowns made by British fashion designers like Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen and Vivienne Westwood.  

Finally, Annie Lennox entered the stadium like a vampire queen.  She descended down from a massive black ship into a chorus of dramatically clad dancers.  The dancers were dressed in gorgeous voluminous gowns in period silhouettes.  The heavily shadowed eyes, black lace, corsets, skulls and bustles were distinctively Goth.

Ok Brasil, London has set the bar pretty high...What will you do to follow that?

Photos by Phil Noble (Reuters), Jeff J Mitchell (Getty)

Interview with Deathly Romantic Magazine

Happy Friday everyone!  I just wanted to share an interview I did with new Canadian magazine, Deathly Romantic.  They feature the best in artists, beauty and style with a darker aesthetic.

You know my persona as "The Courtesan Macabre".  In this interview, you'll learn a bit more about me when I am not writing about Gothic and Steampunk style...

Read the interview here...

Trends of Wave Gotik 2012

Goth is Goth...Does it change?  Of course it does.  The 2012 edition of Leipzig's Wave Gotik Treffen music festival was the big display of Gothic style that everyone anticipated it would be.  

For the most recent edition this past March, I definitely noticed new trends.  Techno punk looks were popular last year, but this year, this look was more polished and showed up more in coordinated ensembles in groups.  

Steampunk fashion always had an elegant atmosphere about it.  This year, the examples of Steampunk looks were incredibly ornate.  Highly accessorized with intricate jewelry or impeccably tailored clothing, the fans this year took this style to a higher artform.

Global inspiration styled some of the best outfits.  I saw looks drawn from Russian aristocracy to Japanese Geisha, but all given a darker, edgy update.

Romanticism in fashion was in full bloom here.  Marie Antoinette inspiration, gigantic hooped skirts, couples showing up in coordinated outfits wanted to make you saw "awwww" (if you weren't afraid of having your butt kicked).  Progressively, I saw a lot more families this year, with babies, young children also in garb to match Mommy and Daddy.  I wonder how many of these parents met a Wave Gothic of years past?  

Photos by ingrid eulenfan,Adam Berry,Manfred Drewa,Tino Eh,UWE-DZ,Mr. Dog, Ingolf Zibell ,Salamanek Kerstin ,bluedave,Konrad Diebler ,Raoul Brosch ,Edmund Klose, this-mortal-coil ,Isoldebaden,Erdt Manfred