Under Cover Art

Lady Gaga, the international-sensation-pop-star-diva, is particularly well known for her far-out styles. These range from a bubble dress (which was literally made of bubbles!) borrowed from the fashion runway to the new Rococo styles that other singers, including Madonna and Christina Aguillera, popularized during the 1980′s and 90′s. Eighteenth-century Rococo styles, in particular, are coming back in today’s music scene. Contemporary singers establish themselves in large part by setting a trend and having a signature style. Although Rococo fashions were once seen as outlandish and outdated, now they’re viewed once again as innovative, interesting and fun. The Rococo period, also known as “late Baroque,” marked an era of aristocratic opulence and elegance, where the French kings’ official mistresses—particularly Madame de Pompadour, Louis XV’s paramour–set the tone for European fashion, interior design and art. The word “Rococo” itself denotes a decorative taste. It comes from the combination of the French words rocaille (meaning “stone”) and coquille (meaning “shell”) that were common Rococo motifs. As is obvious in the paintings of the popular court artists François Boucher (1703-1770) and Jean-Honoré Fragonard (1732-1806), Rococo celebrates opulence, grace, playfulness and sensual pleasure, by way of contrast to the seriousness of the earlier Baroque period. For women in particular, Rococo fashions were feminine and flirtatious. A woman’s silhouette was created with …