Fashionista Freaks

Why is someone called a “freak”? is it because they do not adhere to what the majority of the population does? Everyone has a desire to fit in- even when they supposedly want to “stand out” they are still adhering to “normal” trends that everyone else is following. What we call a “freak” today, will turn into an innovator tomorrow, and be a trendsetter then next day. So if you are a Fashionista “Freak” you are just a few days away from being a trendsetter. That makes being a “freak” a good thing in my eyes 🙂

Below are some of the famous Fashionista Freaks that went from freak, to innovator, to trendsetter:

1.  Jean Paul Gaultier’s Fashion Freak show”- 2019:

Gaultier’s London Fashion show was inspired by the cabaret shows held at the Folies Bergère in Paris. It opened with a child Gaultier performing “surgery” on a teddy bear. Throughout the show, we are taken through the films, music and dance that inspired Gaultier’s creations. We get a glimpse of his carefree days at Le Palace (Paris’s equivalent of New York City’s Studio 54) and in London during its punk era.

The show is a celebration of his life and the beauty and love that filled it. The show takes some dark turns, such as, after a Red Light District-esque dance scene comes to an end, a voice over the speaker asks if anyone’s seen where John’s gone. “He went to the hospital to visit Francis,” someone says. Francis Menuge was Gaultier’s boyfriend and business partner who died of as a result of the AIDS crisis in the 1990’s. We are then presented with a somber dance solo to commiserate this dark portion of John’s life. In Gaultier’s love of life fashion style Charles Wright’s popular ’70s song “Express Yourself” starts up right after. Gaultier’s version is instead sung as “protect yourself,” in which the dancers throw out condoms to the audience.

The show featured approximately 200 pieces, both old and new, from Gaultier’s collection. Think cone bras, dresses made out of garbage bags, and men in skirts and lace bell bottoms. When these styles were first introduced by Gaultier it was considered for the “freaks.” Look how quickly it went from being “freak” fashion to trendsetting:

1. Cone Bra- Madonna:

2. Garbage Bag Style- Ke$ha at 2010 VMA’s:

3. Men embracing dresses: Billy Porter Oscars 2019:

2. Rave Fashion: From Pacifiers to JCPenney:

The above is a pic from a Brandon Maxwell show from 2019. How did the wideleg jean go from the rave scene to the runway? A style that was once reserved for the ravers and their “freak” style went from the exclusive rave scene:

To the mainstream shoppers so all can wear a trend that once considered “freakish”

And finally to the runways and celebrity fashion culture:

If being a fashionista “freak” today makes me an innovator tomorrow then sign me up.