Zombie Boy

In the world of fashion, people easily get bored. Each season both the fashion designers and the audience need something new and fresh. This is the reason why the U.S and honestly the whole world went crazy about Rick Genest, a model from Canada. He is also known as Zombie Boy for being tattooed like a corpse across the majority of his body.

Genest grew up in Montreal. According to his family he waited for his first tattoo until reaching the age of 16. But it was when he was 21 that he came across a tattoo artist Frank Lewis. With his help Genest inked his whole body in order to look as a decomposing corpse. He spent on it thousands of dollars but he claimed that it was simply worth it. Being obsessed with death, Zombie Boy, treats his body as a masterpiece.

On March 2010 there was created the Facebook Fan Page about Genest unusual choice of tattooes. Having over 1 000 000 fans Genest was discovered by Lady Gaga's Fashion Director- Nicola Formichetti. In 2011 Genest was featuring Lady Gaga's vide ''Born This Way'' in which she also had her body covered with makeup to replicate Genest's tattooes.

When I watched this video I was totally amazed by the scene with Genest. I thought to myself that the make-up artists were really taleneted because the tattooes looked perefct. Yet, it turned out that it was not only the make-up that I admire :)


All in all, there is no doubt that Genest personifies the individual and rebellious face of fashion. Yet, I don’t think that there is a big career ahead of him but rather he will soon go off the beaten truck. You can wonder why…

Well, at first Zombie Boy claims that his body reflects his personality and his need to be different. There are many people who share his thoughts and tattoo themselves, however almost no one decides to ink his face and, for me, this is the reason why he gains such immense acclaim and popularity. Perhaps it was his own idea but perhaps he was given some career guidance in order to fulfill his American Dream. What is more, in the long run, fashion industry call for casual and ordinary faces rather than someone who is so characteristic and individual. The professional model has to be a kind of background to the designs he/she is going to present either on the pictures or catwalk. If his/ her face is standard and unremarkable, with the help of make-up and characterization, the person can be changed and shows his/ her different faces. It is not possible when one considers Genest. When he takes part in Lady Gaga video, and Mugler campaign, he is associated with those two productions and even if he participates in hundreds of others, he will be associated with the two he has done at the beginning of his career. It is simply pointless to employ him to advertise any other products. I know that this is overwhelming but in reality, real fame is only for the selected.

By writing this note, I don’t want to offend anyone, these are only my personal reflections upon world of fashion Yet, I'm really curious what do you think about Genest? Is he more like an artist or just a fool who wants to make a career? I'm waiting for your comments...

Style of Blair and Serena

 While watching the American series entitled “Gossip Girl” one is immediately drawn into the magic world of the Upper East Side young group of friends, their love problems, dilemmas and sudden twists. The plot  is unpredictable and one is never sure what will happen next. We don’t know if the characters will follow their heart or instincts while choosing school, changing boyfriends or quarrelling with friends. Yet, I think that this is not the most important reason why people from all over the world watch the movie with their mouths agape. 

The most astonishing and awe-inspiring thing is, of course, the wardrobe of the two female protagonists- Blair Waldorf and Serena van der Woodsen, respectively played by Leighton Meester and Blake Lively.  They are performing as the girls from higher spheres of society and they are mostly wearing clothes designed by the fashion icons. The most recognizable names who work for “Gossip Girl” are Louis Vuitton, Stella McCartney, Christian Louboutin, Karl Lagerfeld and many, many more. Also, less known creators try to promote their ideas and designs in the production. There is no better advertisement for the new brand than to present the clothes on those two gorgeous girls.

Blair is a delicate but at the same time refined girl form a stable family and so is her style. She used to live in a comfortable and specious house, having a maid for all whims and caprices. She is an alluring brunette with almond-shaped eyes. It is easily visible that she is inspired by the Hollywood stars such as Audrey Hepburn and the world of smartness and elegance which she presented while playing in “Breakfast at Tiffany’s”. Moreover, she seems to be impressed by the 20’s so the Jazz Era and the plumages, bowler hats and mittens. Blair takes advantage of pearls, headbands and glamorous dresses either very long or up to knees.

 Not only does she put emphasis on colors but also on patterns like checkered or floral. When there is a school day, she dresses in a girly, fresh but still elegant  and conservative way. She likes skirts, chemises, jackets or coats with lapels.  As the day progresses and she has to attend some party or banquet, her style becomes more sophisticated. She chooses haute couture outfits. They have to be spectacular, gleaming and with accordance to the newest trends in a fashion industry. The creations are complemented by classic, high heels.

Whereas Blair is a bit like taken from an another epoch, Serena seems to epitomize all the features of a modern “it girl”. Being surrounded by the world of luxury and handsome men, she possesses the quality “it” so in other words, she immediately draws attraction. Her style is totally different than Blair, as she is girlish, seductive and very up-to-day. She is a representant of street style as she is not afraid of mixing the clothes form high- fashion designers with more casual brands. The clothes reflect her mood, so you never knows if she presents more casual or elegant outfit. 

Serena sometimes wears tight-fitting and sometimes  loose-fitting clothes but mostly takes an advantage of beige and subdues colors. Being an attractive blonde with pale complexion, she prefers soft and silky textures but with a stronger accent like sequins or big and colorful jewelry. When she hangs out with friends she puts the emphasis on the mixture of comfort and fashion and usually wears tight jeans or leggings with women’s shirt or long- sleeved cardigans. When it comes to evening, she likes classic dresses either very long and sophisticated or short and sexy but whatever option she chooses, Serena is faithful to standard nude or black heels in stead of wearing platforms chunky or sparkling heels.

What style is better, more up-to-date and relevant to look like a million dollar star? Is it graceful and chick of Blair Waldorf or casual but simultaneously tempting style of Serena van der Woodsen? Whatever option you choose you can win and lose at the same time, so maybe the golden mean is to combine them both? I am really curious what do you think about it!

If you are interested in detailed descriptions of  the characters’ clothes I strongly recommend to visit the page http://www.gossipgirlfashion.net

LOOKBOOK- “an international social experiment in style”

There is no doubt that fashion is a form of art. Everyone who is a bit interested in the subject knows that there is a division for a high fashion and street fashion. Although  the high fashion is gorgeous and exquisite, not many of us can simply afford to buy a dress designed by Dior, Chanel or Prada. But still, people want to look stylish. Sometimes they save the money to buy one thing from the originator of the famous brand and match it with clothes from a second hand or shopping centre. They call their style-street fashion, and if we want it or not, this phenomenon has an immense influence on more traditional outlets. 


The website http://lookbook.nu is a kind of Mecca for fashion lovers. It considers a collection of photographs of the coming models, photographs, designers or fashion bloggers who are willing to show off the whole world their styles, uniqueness and talent. In my view, it is like a “fashion diary” because the users are updating the photos on a daily or weekly basis. The users can “hype” the picture if they like it or not. Those who are more interested in the stylization make comments either positive or negative. This is really great and motivating because you know if your taste is original and imitable or you have to work on because your stylizations are everyday, normal and ordinary. 


The people who are responsible for “all the mess” are the two San Francisco natives-23 years old girl- Yuri Lee and her boyfriend. They started to lead the page in April 2008 and after 4 years their www address is one of the most recognizable in the world of fashion. The registration to it is limited as you have to be invited by the members of LB. It not only helps to uphold a certain expectation of quality for “the looks” posted on LB but also the users feel like being a part of more exclusive community. In my opinion the design of the page is simple and clear. One can browse “the looks” by country (80 to choose from), brands or colors. The other way to search is by taking a closer look at the categories “new”, “top” or “ leader”.


 I have to admit that I am a regular observer of LB because like a lot of my peers I am looking for an inspiration from people I see on the street. Yet, I noticed some tendencies which had started to appear on LB. When there is a picture of a girl in a certain model of shoes (I noticed that the world went crazy about Jeffrey Campbell shoes  or similar (http://www.google.pl/imgres?start=153&hl=pl&sa=X&rlz=1C1SKPL_enPL446&biw=1280&bih=679&tbm=isch&prmd=imvnso&tbnid=6e2h8SworQ3IOM:&imgrefurl=http://www.dollsscrapbook.com/2011/05/shoeicide.html&docid=DT0JFw72bY1mUM&imgurl=http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9GAfqM4SGV8/TdQNRKuyuBI/AAAAAAAAA2w/YU4QfYKdh4Y/s1600/Jeffrey-Campbell-shoes-Lita-%25252528Dark-Yellow-Suede%25252529-010604.jpg&w=480&h=360&ei=B1CmT-rsIKfi4QTO44nFCA&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=722&vpy=219&dur=625&hovh=194&hovw=259&tx=108&ty=106&sig=102499566799582956021&page=8&tbnh=138&tbnw=171&ndsp=24&ved=1t:429,r:3,s:153,i:170), T-shirts (motifs of flags, logo of Jack Daniels whiskey or Guns n Roses) or floral leggins, the next week there are plenty of photos of girls wearing the same shoes, T-shirts or leggins. I realized that what is on LB is regarded as a clue what will be fashionable in the coming season for the young people. This is why we have got a group of girls looking exactly the same. However, they think that their taste is completely unique and fresh. But, there is also a group of people who are making experiments with clothes and at the same time reflect their natural talent and remarkable personality. Still, there is one thing which cannot be denied- LB has now the same power as the fashion magazines, and for me, it is great to have one place in which there is described what is now known as a contemporary street style.