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Are Musicians the New Supermodels?

Selena Gomez, Courtney Love, and Missy Elliot all have new jobs in high fashion.

By Jenny Berg Jun 21, 2016, 11:40 AM ET

The era of the supermodel may or may not be over. (For more on this contentious topic, click here.) But while the debate rages on, musicians are quietly stepping into fashion's spotlight. So, are musicians the new supermodels? Let's explore the evidence.

First, Marc Jacobs leaked images from his moodily lit fall campaign, which features musical icons like Courtney Love and Missy Elliott.

COURTNEY, R(evolution) With my abundance of respect for Courtney Loveâs musical contributions to grunge/rock culture and her status as this sort of, Grunge Goddess, it was her mesmerizing and extraordinarily moving portrayal of Althea in the film, The People vs Larry Flynt that simultaneously broke my heart and won my love. While I hadnât yet met Courtney during my time as Creative Director at Perry Ellis, it was her then style that had a great influence on that now infamous âgrunge collectionâ show in 1992. Courtney and I (and a then 2 or 3 year old Frances Bean) first met at dinner with Anna Sui in 1994 at Bar Six in NYC. I remember being quite taken by her deep, thorough knowledge of and voracious appetite for fashion and music. There has always been a genuine allure about Courtney that I continue to admire. The way sheâd scream her lyrics from that gash of a red mouth to the hard rocking, wailing sounds of Hole. She was then and remains now, for me, the ultimate divine mess in a dress. Gone but no where near forgotten is the girl-woman Goddess of Grunge in her too small tattered dresses, the little girl barrette in her messy, scattered hair and beaten up brocade 1960âs evening shoes. Itâs a long distance from the now iconic kinder-whore Courtney photographed by Juergen Teller for I-D magazine in 1994 to the movie star glamour of the powerfully aloof and infinitely present Courtney, photographed here by David Sims for our Fall â16 campaign.
A photo posted by Marc Jacobs (@themarcjacobs) on Jun 19, 2016 at 11:09am PDT

In a recent Instagram post, Marc saluted Courtney's "grunge goddess" style, and admitted that she was a huge inspiration for his famous "grunge collection" show in 1992.

MISSY, Supa Dupa Fly From the moment I heard, The Rain, back in 1997, I was entranced by the genius rhythms and brilliant rhymes of Missy Elliott. Missyâs music has kept me and my design team happily energized through countless weekdays, weeknights and weekends during those long hours of sketching, fitting, styling and doing looks. In addition to the boundless energy of her music are the visually pulsating and wildly cartoon-like music videos she made in collaboration with the talented and visionary, Hype Williams. I am in continued awe of Missyâs ability to push the boundaries of the style of music both to the eye and to the ear. It was a dream of mine to work with her and I'm happy to share this portrait by David Sims for our Fall '16 campaign.
A photo posted by Marc Jacobs (@themarcjacobs) on Jun 14, 2016 at 2:22pm PDT

Marc also showed a photo of Missy Elliott from the fall 2016 campaign, gushing: "Missy’s music has kept me and my design team happily energized...during those long hours of sketching, fitting, styling and doing looks."

Missy and Courtney aren't the only boundary-pushing musicians to appear in the new Marc Jacobs campaign.

MANSON, Brains and Beauty Ironically, I met Marilyn Manson on Halloween in Los Angeles shortly after the release of his album, Antichrist Superstar in 1996. It was after meeting him that I started listening to his music- in large part because I was intrigued by his persona and curious about his perverse and incredible intellect. The Beautiful People and its accompanying music video with all its gorgeous grotesqueries is what sweet dreams are NOT made ofâ¦ The incredibly powerful and frenetic pace of the video with the attenuated and elongated Manson pulled, disfigured and contorted by means of surgical devices, dental apparatuses and other contraptions is absolutely nightmare inducing and an outrageously captivating attraction of repulsion. For our Fall 2011 fashion show, there was no better song to send the girls marching down our boudoir comme insane-asylum runway than, The Beautiful People. It was the perfectly twisted companion for that collection which played at a volume that nearly shook the walls down. In direct contrast to the outward hideous beauty of Mansonâs stage persona is his instinctive, inherent intelligence and understanding of what matters. These days more so than ever I am reminded of Mansonâs interview in the documentary film, Bowling for Columbine and his response to a question asking what he would say to the kids and Columbine community in the wake of the tragedy that took place in 1999. His response was, âI wouldnât say a single word to them. I would listen to what they have to say, and thatâs what no one did.â Sometimes knowing when to listen is more important than being heard, and in one sentence Manson left a stronger impression on me than his music ever had previously. Marilyn Manson photographed by David Sims for our Fall 2016 ad campaign.
A photo posted by Marc Jacobs (@themarcjacobs) on Jun 19, 2016 at 5:21am PDT

A grimacing Marilyn Manson appears in frayed denim.

ANNIE, Other The idea to ask musician Annie Clark (more commonly known by her stage name, St. Vincent) to be a part of our ad campaign had been discussed long before the Fall 2016 season began. It was Katie Grand who originally brought Annie to my attention and suggested we consider extending an invitation to join this campaign. I was really taken by comments Annie made in an interview with Rolling Stone Magazine where she described queerness as a transcendence of sexuality and as a âbannerâ for being âother.â It was thoughtful, relevant and poignant. Thereâs a certain maturity thatâs inherent in Annie that transcends her age and while her music is a direct reflection of her intellectual curiosities and musical prowess, it was when I had the privilege of meeting Annie in person that I experienced her magnetism. She operates with such genuine grace, poise and sincerity. I am in complete awe of the beauty of this photograph by David Sims for our Fall 2016 ad campaign. It so perfectly captures the inherent contemplativeness of Annie, her humility and mystery.
A photo posted by Marc Jacobs (@themarcjacobs) on Jun 17, 2016 at 11:58am PDT

And Annie Clark, who goes by the stage name Saint Vincent, posed like a beautiful, eerie doll. (Side note: Annie's girlfriend, a one Ms. Cara Delevigne, was also photographed for the campaign.)

A preview of my #lvseries5 campaign starring the stunning @selenagomez pic by @bruce_weber #louisvuitton
A photo posted by ð (@nicolasghesquiere) on Jun 17, 2016 at 6:14am PDT

In other musicians-for-high-fashion news, Louis Vuitton tapped Selena Gomez to be the face of its new Series 5 campaign.

Of course, we're not really asking if these musicians can do what Linda, Naomi, and Kendall do. But we do love seeing the bold—dare we say rockin—direction of the new fall campaigns.

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