BEST

1. Lady Gaga ft Beyonce – Telephone

Gaga has a bit of a talent for spotting potential collab opportunities, and this one is a no-brainer. Both artists might be from two completely different ends of the music spectrum, but somehow the queen of pop and the queen of RnB find a Jeff Koons-esque, bubblegum-bright middle ground that displayed both their strengths and gained Beyonce some Gaga followers (and vice versa).

2. Connor Maynard ft Ne-Yo – Turn Around

Hitmaker Ne-Yo seems to have a knack for always guaranteeing a spot in the number one slot, but this bewildering collaboration initially left people uncertain – but in our opinion, it’s one of the best UK summer songs (well, as summer-y as Britain gets).

3. Katy Perry ft Kanye West – ET

It’s almost unfathomable to imagine what kind of melody results from Katy Perry and Kanye West sitting in a studio together. But by tying the alien idea into a far-out E.T. concept, something pretty out of this space happens.

WORST

1. Justin Bieber and Nicki Minaj – Beauty And A Beat

Your initial reaction: “Why is this happening? Why is this HAPPENING?” And sure enough, after listening to the song you discover it’s perfectly fine with only Justin Bieber on the track – but then it’s promptly ruined by a sub-Daft Punk breakdown, their random pointless grinding at 3:26 and Nicki’s pink meringue outfit.

2. The Jonas Brothers ft Common – Don’t Charge Me For The Crime

This is one of those songs that nobody knows about, because its existence doesn’t make sense – the song isn’t bad, but it’s not good, and it’s just plain odd. Common rapping about the death of the American dream, combined with the Jonas Brothers’ doing their best Mick Jagger impressions: just incredibly awkward.

3. David Bowie & Mick Jagger – Dancing In The Street

Dancing On The Street is one of those unforgettable music videos that people either loved, or shunned as soon as they saw it – even Family Guy poked fun of it for being the most unnecessary collaborations in music history. It’s a funny video nonetheless and the song is dreadfully catchy, but I’m sure we could all do without. Cheers, Mick and David.

Words: Tracy Kiryango

The post BEST & WORST: Unexpected musical collaborations appeared first on Wonderland.

1. Autumn/Winter 2008

Here, Ghesquière demonstrates his signature motifs to great effect: sharp lines, geometric shapes and ultra-structured silhouettes – but combined with the Spanish flair of a particularly dramatic widow breaking up her mourning attire with tan heels and bold jewellery. Particularly ironic, given that Ghesquière initially started out in Balenciaga designing suits and funeral wear for a Japanese audience.

2. Pre-Fall/Winter 2012

Any collection that marries teddy boy jackets, mini dresses, tailoring and splashes of colour is a collection to remember. Ghesquière brought the late 70s and the early 80s back with the use of high-tech fabrics and bright colours that held your attention and literally brought us back to the future.

3. Spring/Summer 2011

What makes this collection so remarkable is that Ghesquière opens his show with a trio of spiky-haired street-cast girls, then ended the show with Gisele Bundchen standing between Amber Valetta, Carolyn Murphy and Stella Tennant. Borrowing from punks, goths and rockabillies, Ghesquière showed off an insouciant rock ‘n’ roll edge – the kind of sullen glamour that later on made Kristen Stewart and Balenciaga a perfect match.

4. Spring/Summer 2009

It’s no wonder Nicolas Ghesquière was selected to shake things up at Balenciaga, one of fashion’s most revered houses. This collection shows that he was one to shy away from experimentation, and it pays off masterfully here, with complex and futuristic pieces that nod towards Balenciaga’s past while keeping its eye firmly on the future.

5. Spring/Summer 2010

Ghesquière has always been one to switch between extremes – hard androgyny one season and feminine softness the next – but he does so with such a clarity of vision that you could never accuse him of flip-flopping. Here, he went for a full-on urban look, playing with denim, recycled fabrics and leather, creating a diverse and athletic day-and-night style.

6. Autumn/Winter 2010

From a sci-fi galaxy to a prettily pink wonderland, Ghesquière went all soft and feminine with this collection, far removed from his previous S/S 2009 show. With its soft midnight blues and sweet baby pinks, he showed that he could exert a light, graceful touch with fabric.

7. Spring/Summer 2013

The designer didn’t hold anything back for what we now know as his final show for Balenciaga. Ghesquière created an effortlessly covetable collection that involved a lot of skin and exuded sexiness: the bustiers were super-sculpted, the crop tops ultra-cropped, the peplum ruffles dancing up and around the skirt silhouette. Beautiful, sleek and completely Balenciaga – farewell, Nicolas; goodbye and good luck.

Words: Tracy Kiryago

The post SEVEN WONDERS: Nicolas Ghesquière’s greatest Balenciaga hits appeared first on Wonderland.

BEST

1. Christina Aguilera, Dirty (2002)

It’s almost shocking looking back at this video, especially since it used to be played in the daytime television – but who doesn’t Even though she is surrounded by numerous sweaty half naked men, Christina’s lack of an outfit seems to be covering so much, but still managing to show way more than you need to see.

2. Kelly Rowland, Lay It On Me (2011)

Here’s Kelly playing with a Slinky; here’s a guy who (possibly) has a hard-on; some very dodgy foot worship – with all that inneundo, Rowland piles on a large elephant to hammer home the point. On the other hand, who wouldn’t love sitting on a chair made of roughly 10 live male bodies?

3. Ciara ft. Justin Timberlake, Love Sex Magic (2009)

This video is the perfect combination of moderate nudity and sexy dancing without being way too much for viewers to handle. Yes, we just put the words “moderate” and “nudity” together. Ciara keeps it class by sticking to the rules of no more than two areas of skin showing. If her stomach and a little bit of cleavage are out her legs are covered, to avoid way too much flesh being exposed.

WORST

1. D’Angelo, Untitled (2000)

Even though the camera stops just at the right point to avoid seeing actual penis, zooming in on a nude man touching himself up gets pretty awkward if you’re watching a friend or a family member. Initially hailed as a triumph of the female gaze, this video loses its sex appeal pretty fast once you consider that D’Angelo suffered a nervous breakdown as a result of the vid.

2. Ne-Yo, Lazy Love (2012)

Ne-Yo’s already known for having raunchy videos but this is probably his most inappropriate one to date. The general interpretation of lazy love is eating junk food in bed with your loved one for an entire day while watching Great British Bake-Off reruns. Thanks for ruining that illusion, Ne-Yo.

3. Raindrops, Jeremih (2009)

It’s very hard to make videos with strippers and poles tasteful (remember Showgirls, that bastion of good taste?), but this was clearly not one of those attempts. Jeremih took this one a little bit to far, which is probably why this video can’t be found on his own YouTube anymore.

Words: Tracy Kiryango

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