Style Out Lisbon

David Bowie’s best-selling record until the day he died was launched 35 years ago today. The move to sing for the many not the few did help his career but would cost him his hardcore fan base who would return to him only on occasion after that when the launched three of his more obscure masterpieces like “Outside”, “Heathen” and the haunting “Blackstar”.

By the time you read this it will be already April 14 in Australia, the continent he took to in order to film the video clip for the song “Let’s Dance”. It was 1983 and there were more folk dancing to David Bowie than ever before. “Let’s Dance” was the main single from the eponymous album and suddenly a considerable part of the world discovered the icon gone global after fourteen albums where he appealed mostly to a crowd that felt motivated to live up to their different music tastes, clothing, sexuality and whatever Bowie stood and stands for ever since he appeared with his new approach to music and fashion. Assisted by funkmaster Nile Rogers, better known as founding member of Chic and producer of major hits from bands like Sister Sledge the record made its way to dance floors. But despite the clear funk influence Bowie did not give up his rock influences having invited Steve Ray Vaughan to add his guitar riffs thereby launching an album with the right funky feel that suited the early 80’s but with a pint of rock here and there. The image, another distinguishing feature of David Bowie seemed to follow the popular spirit of the new Bowie. Wearing immaculate suites in pastel colours and his hair dyed blond Bowie looked rather like an northern-European holidaymaker than the alien he had impersonated in some records.

35 years after being released “Let’s Dance” is still a difficult album to digest for the hardcore Bowie fan and marked a period of some creative decline in the man’s career. The Bowie for the many not the few was not the Bowie the few waited for and he would regain his particular fanbase only after “Outside” which followed the popular “Tonight” and the not so popular “Never let me down” and “Black Tie White Noise”. After that he failed again when trying to have a go with drum’n and bass with “Earthling”, when he launched “Hours” a mild album and “Relity” equally mild, the album that preced “Heathen”, the record that hinted somehow to the path he would follow when he launched “The Next Day” and his final epos “Blackstar”, the record that proved that despite some failed attempts he was still the man he stands for for many – avant-garde, unpredictable and master of reinvention.

Carlos Tomé Sousa

Musicians and designer clothes take to the stage in a renovated Lisbon venue for a night of celebration and for the occasion of Lisbon Fashion Week’s 50th edition.

The location were once was what many called the Lisbon Broadway hosts tonight a special evening combining music and fashion. Capitólio, a renovated theatre, will be the stage where artists like Ana Matronic, D’Alva, Surma and Emmanuelle will play and sashay wearing designs by some of the most offbeat Portuguese designers at Moda Lisboa, as Lisbon Fashion Week is better known. “We are thrilled to announce Ana Matronic – best known as the lone female member of pop phenomenon Scissor Sisters who will be debuting her new music exclusively in Lisbon, ahead of her album release this year”, reads the press release referring to the woman who will headlining the gig. Valentim Quaresma is the designer whose garments and ornaments Ana Matronic will be wearing on stage.Music plays an important role in the career of this accessories designer and was always there since the beginning, particularly in his joint work with Ana Salazar, the pioneer of Portuguese fashion design, for whom he designed accessories for more than 20 years and where music was an important element that added up to the avant-garde style of both. We are curious to see whether he will go for metal accessories, the material he is best at it, or whether he will go for other materials he has been experimenting with in recent times.

Kiddy Smile, a French DJ and fashion provocateur as he is often referred to, and his vogue dancers will be wearing Patrick de Padua, a designer who knows Lisbon nightlife well, who deejays now and then in Lisbon clubs, and whose garments embody that clubbing spirit. D’Alva will be wearing Luis de Carvalho, a designer who likes to dig in the music scene archives to get inspiration for some of his clothes and where pop and elegance go hand in hand. Surma chose Carla Campos to come up with the garments for her dream pop performance. Brazil-born Emamnuelle and Soulwax protege will be wearing Ricardo Andrez, a designer with that pop and indie attitude who is good at designing smart garments but with than penchant for disruptive looks and styling. Kokeshi, part of DJ duo Heartbreakerz, will be wearing Duarte. Style Out Loud is brought by Street Style Creative, based in Berlin and with a small office in Lisbon. Its mission is there “to connect the dots between fans, customers, influencers, performers, designers, brands, products and technologies via engaging events, content and digital everything”.

Moda Lisboa 50

This event marks the kick off of Moda Lisboa an event celebrating its 50^th edition. Ideated by Eduarda Abbondanza and Mário Matos Ribeiro in the early 90’s, Moda Lisboa showcases twice a year what’s best in Portuguese designer fashion. Links to music and the Lisbon scene have been there since the beginning from the early days when offbeat clubbers, designers, visual artists, musicians and the lot walked hand in hand exploring new means of expression 20 years after the end of fascism in a country and where a new generation was eager to come up with its own vision of the world and of fashion for the sake of it.

Carlos Tomé Sousa