Cinco De Mayo was last week, and while you might’ve been out celebrating with burritos at a Mexican restaurant, two of the music industry’s heavy hitters were duking it out: music video style. That’s right, Gaga and Minaj both premiered new videos on the very same day. For Gaga, it was her much-anticipated and highly controversial “Judas.” And for Nicki Minaj, it was her catchy and stylish “Super Bass.” While Gaga sings about loving what isn’t good for you, Nicki sings about loving what’s right in front of you.
But these famous ladies aren’t just famous for their music; they’re also famous for their outrageous fashion. And while I can’t say that these two are in any way comparable, I can give you a shakedown of the best and worst looks of the Cinco De Mayo music video smackdown.
“Super Bass” is a bubblegum, neon-color-infused funfest, fitting of what we’ve come to expect from Miss Minaj. It’s fun, flirty and full of vibrant colors. And while Nicki’s fashion has always been pretty off-center, she works it. And this video is no different.
She manages to work everything from a pink leopard print body suit to booty shorts and a sleeveless white tee. The worst look in this video is probably in the swimsuit section, where Nicki is seen with her boy toy in a pool of what we can only assume is Pepto-Bismol. The swimsuit itself isn’t so bad, I suppose. It’s split down the middle with a scale-like print of blues and greens.
But it’s the neckwear that kills me. It looks sort of like mutli-colored rope around her neck, as though the swimsuit has grown tentacles and is trying to choke her to death. Needless to say, it’s pretty confusing. Her best look is near the end, during the black-light portion. She’s wearing a black and white (that reads blue in the blacklight), long-sleeve dress with light purple pumps. It all just works, right down to the purple wig and neon makeup.
I give this fashion-filled video a six out of ten overall. It was good, as far as fashion goes. But I know Minaj can do much better. I’m excited to see what she’s got for us next.
On another side of the spectrum, “Judas” is grungy, leather-filled and dramatic, with plenty of glam and intense colors. Like Minaj, Lady Gaga pulls out all the stops when it comes to costumes. But, then again, Gaga has never been opposed to a costume change; in fact, it is perhaps the exact opposite.
In this video, she manages to wear nine different costumes, if my calculations are correct. The great thing about Gaga is that she can make just about anything look convincingly cool, although this is not always the case. In this video, however, I found myself distraught over the outfit she wore in the betrayal sequence.
She wore something of a black velvet body suit with a blood-red cloak attached to the shoulder, which is perfectly fine. However, she wore an odd headdress made of the same fabric, which, again, was not the issue. It was with the shape of the headdress: it looked something like a big, oval baby bonnet.
As for the best look, however, I had a hard time choosing between her blue hood, leather look and the wonderful black bodice with white long sleeves; but I have to go with the latter. The intricate silver beading against the black lace, mixed with the off-white sleeves are marvelous together. Oddly, this top could really work with either a skirt or pants.
However, Gaga made the wise choice of going with sleek black pants and thigh-high leather heels-giving her a more take-charge look. However, if I were her, I would’ve added a black train. It would’ve given the look some elegance, not that it needed any. Over all, I give Gaga’s “Judas” fashion an eight out of ten.
Thank God for these two artists, whose fashion-forward attitudes keep our eyes trained to see not only what they’ll wear but what bold move they’ll pull next.
Stay stylish. Stay classy. Until next time, this is Josh Newman, signing off.