that is the last line of billy eilish's 2019 song everything i wanted and it's something that's
been swirling in my head since eilish's cover and accompanying photo shoot for british vogue's june
2021 issue was released now my name is luke marr and this is hotla mode and today on hotline we
are really going to be getting into the implications and the looks of this billy ilish
british vogue shoot i understand that there's been a lot of hubbub about it some really great some
really not great and i genuinely think it's a important enough shoot to address discuss
sort of dispel some in my opinion myths and also some sort of weird connotations about billy eilish
wearing tight-fitting clothing like yeah i get it you've probably never seen her in like really
tight-fitting clothing but at the same time like get over it as you can see the now 19 year old
fronted the cover of the british vogue publication wearing custom gucci this isn't abnormal for the
hit maker in terms of like wearing custom gucci but what was different and what really caused
this stir was the style of the custom gucci and the other custom looks the artist dawned
throughout this photo shoot the cover image was almost instantly recognizable a modern take on
pinup styles which started in the 19th century and remained incredibly popular until the 1940s
and still has a very strong subculture to this day but the shoe was a complete turnaround from
the baggy and oversized clothing that billy has worn since the start of her unbridled career and
fame but before we explore these new styles that billy has worn let's do a little bit of a recap of
some of her former looks ocean eyes is the song written by her brother phineas that got her her
start and a close-up shot of the then 15 year old already showed her control over her own image he
attended calvin klein's spring 2019 show wearing an oversized take on raf simmons's fall 2018
orange work suit already it was evident eilish could command custom looks based on runway styles
then custom looks from craig greene a menswear designer showed that being courted by women's
wear brands was of no interest at that point to eilish as well the loose fitting looks continued
with cartoon and anime characters plastered all over and then the big luxury players began to
court her as well louis vuitton gucci and burberry all put their monograms or motifs on these slouchy
sets and seemingly have little control over the star's wares they couldn't get her in a gown they
couldn't get her in a dress they couldn't get her in even a suit that necessarily contoured the body
whether consciously or unconsciously she was channeling the larger-than-life ladies of rap
starting in the 80s with mc light then moving into the 90s with girl groups like tlc and who
of course could forget the biggest and baggiest moments brought to us by missy elliot in the 2000s
black women have paved the way for this aesthetic and billy seemingly found comfort in it as well
she even described the reason for donning these voluminous clothes explaining in a
2019 calvin klein commercial i never want the world to know everything about me
i mean that's why i wear big baggy clothes nobody can have an opinion because they haven't seen
what's underneath you know and this notion continued till just around two months ago at
the grammys where eilish sported a bulky denim set with crystal tiger motif from alessandra
michaela's gucci which leads us to this vogue shoe a good question to ask is why this sudden
change how do we go from well violet beauregard blueberry to lingerie extraordinaire well firstly
it's alleged that samantha burkhart her stylist is on leave which could mean that billy is truly
in control of her own fashion narrative for the first time in a long time but secondly and more
importantly billy is going to debut a highly anticipated sophomore album titled happier than
ever which might give us some good insight into this shoot that she actually cooked up herself
shockingly edward aninful editor-in-chief of british vogue wrote in his own instagram caption
of the cover billy eilish wanted nothing short of a transformation so she came to vogue with
an idea what if she wanted to show more of her body for the first time in a fashion story so she
collaborated heavily with the british vogue team specifically dina giannini the publication style
director which resulted in a set of photos that has garnered more than 92 point million likes on
billy's personal instagram alone so with that said let's start breaking down some of the looks from
this groundbreaking shoot underneath her gucci look worn on the issue's cover is a lacy bra and
bottoms by a jean provocateur a jean provocateur is the british luxury lingerie brand started by
serena reese and joseph correa who happens to be the son of the legendary vivian westwood billy
also wears gucci as mentioned earlier and i feel like i've just said gucci a bunch of times but
the custom pink silk corset and latex skirt aren't exactly alessandra or eilish's signatures to be
frank i don't think i've ever seen billy in a skirt and sexy isn't exactly how i would describe
michaela's gucci either but the brand spring 2020 collection incorporated elements of lace sheerness
and latex as an exploration of tom ford's glam and sex attitude towards the brand in the mid-90s
these elements are easily seen in billy's look even down to the fingerless gloves which
showcases her long acrylic nails this look also speaks to the relationship between michaela and
eilish in a 2020 interview he said i love the way she looks and in the accompanying vogue interview
he said working with her is so stimulating she forces me to think differently and it seems
that michaela isn't the only one being forced to think differently here gucci isn't exactly known
for its corsets but ilish candidly explained the reason for it which was quote i hate my stomach
that's why as well as the garment's beauty and restrictive nature as someone who has and still
does struggle with my own body image i feel so bad for her not in a way of pity but in a way of
understanding the stress and strain that comes with not being 100 completely sure of yourself
and on top of that reading a 19 year old who is incredibly famous and looked up to saying that
gives me hope nothing in the world is perfect it has never been and probably never will be
unfortunately meaning that because each of us is imperfect it means that we're all sort of perfect
because there's only one of us which means we're perfectly ourselves you know yadda yadda happy
happy happy sappy sappy sappy and i'm not trying to get all happy happy happy savvy sappy sappy but
i genuinely do have a lot of respect for billy's ability to be so open and honest in a way the
choice of gucci to create this look also speaks to alessandra mckayle's feeling of being the odd one
out his attempts at finding the beauty in what is stereotypically seen as ugly has been ridiculed
both internally and externally at gucci but his exploration of tom ford's scantily clad vision for
gucci only made him a stronger designer it still was weird still was wacky but he did incorporate
those sort of sheer weird different sort of sexy elements i guess in reality the cover is defined
by the text underneath billy in this gucci look it's all about what makes you feel good next came
a beigey pink custom look from alexander mcqueen again tapping into this pin-up aesthetic billy
has said inspired the shoot i can't help but think alexander mcqueen would have loved billy
the same way he did little kim and lady gaga in this silky corset you can see boning a possible
playback into mcqueen's love of the macabre of the victorian era there are stitches which are
little x's at the waistband which reminds me of the rough thread seen in tailored garments that
are mcqueen's signature too the silver necklaces that dangle all around her neck and torso also
remind me of mcqueen's first collection jack the ripper stalks as victims where a model showcased
necklaces that drape themselves all over the torso it might be a stretch but there's something about
eilish mentioning her own past abuse in this interview and how young boys also face abuse
which reminds me of alexander mcqueen himself now while sarah burton's mcqueen is far more proper
and definitely she did design this look lace was a highly documented mcqueenism that also fell back
into his love of victorian aesthetics as well as communicated a ravaged beauty in collections like
highland rape and dante arguably mcqueen's most infamous fashion show highland rape alluded to
england's rape of scotland but also his and his sister's abuse at the hands of a certain family
member and he utilized lace heavily leaving it tattered and torn beaten and bruised it resulted
in a sort of savage beauty which is the same name that came out of that met exhibit but in reality
from trauma beautiful music or fashion can stem in response but it should never have to have occurred
in the first place in my opinion and like billy's interview mentions discussing talking or singing
about abuses of power like these needs to happen in order to change the rape culture that is
prevalent all over the world i also think it's important to note the latex gloves and tights by
atsuko kudo the london-based designer who has made some of the most memorable latex looks of recent
years one of them was in collaboration with the designer of the next look billy next is seen in
a custom burberry look consisting of a corseted bodysuit and trench by burberry as well as
a mugler stocking boot billy has worked with burberry under ricardo tish's era numerous time
so this pairing isn't shocking too much but this form-fitting look is not the usual result of
a billy and burberry collaboration shapewear and lingerie like this corseted bodysuit is often seen
as sexual although lingerie expert cora harrington has taught me that's not inherently true
through her book in intimate detail she actually goes on to say in the book that
unlike all the other things you may need to make others happy lingerie can truly be about dressing
for yourself lingerie isn't intimate apparel because it's hidden it's intimate because
it reflects your innermost self latex lace and lingerie are all commonly associated with sex and
sexiness and i can't help but associate trench coats with the exhibitionist fetish aka flashers
to some extent so in the context of the shoot it's easy to associate this look specifically
with fetish wear but thomas burberry did start making his own trench coats in 1856 and unless he
had something else in mind for them which i mean could have been a thing but i feel like it wasn't
i think they really were for just protection from the rain some people would take thomas burberry's
invention and go on to interpret the trench coat in a sexual connotation but that doesn't mean that
everyone that wears one is trying to get their rocks or lack thereof off so in the same vein i
do wonder why everybody associates billy's wearing of lace or latex or lingerie in general with
a same sort of sex or sexiness if that's not what she's actually trying to do now ricardo tishi's
work is generally plunged in gothic romanticism and you can see a bit of that in eilish's music
as well with the face and voice of an angel she sings of the dark realities of the world and
tishi's burberry has delved into corsets before in its fall 2019 and spring 2021 collections the
bodysuit in the signature tan does expose sheer panels and further explores this pin-up aesthetic
eilish did mention betty brosmer an american model of the pinup era who'd rented hundreds of magazine
issues and calendars and had the quote coveted 38 18 36 hour glass measurements as inspiration
for the shoot these looks continue to open up conversation about billy's clothing choices
it's not unknown that billy has been unwillingly heralded for her covered up aesthetic and in the
way eilish was less so sexualized wearing those looser duds i don't understand the sexualization
of her in these clothes either in the context of clothing the word revealing has a bit of a dirty
connotation it is usually used as a weapon against women and girls in order to denigrate humiliate
and belittle them by others who are usually threatened uncomfortable and ashamed of themselves
but revealing is also defined as quote making interesting or significant information known to
reveal a part of yourself means you are somewhat self-assured well-adjusted and brave why shouldn't
we see and treat revealing clothing the same way we do that latter definition the last look we will
discuss is a black custom mugler bodysuit one that has put mugler's name on the tip of everybody's
tongue thanks to casey cadwell ladder at this point we've seen different iterations on so many
celebrities and while some may be tired of them i enjoy seeing the minute differences implemented
by cadburladder here a crisscross black leather halter and mock neck bodysuit full of contouring
seams captures the essence of betty brosmer poses the custom corset seems to be placed over top and
is full of curved boning that emphasizes the waist and creates motifs through its exploration of
different levels of opaqueness the corset strings on the hips fall and dangle towards the ground
and draw your eyes to the matching stocking shoes eilish also noted that elmer batters a
stalking fetish photographer was also another inspiration which explains the stalking seams
that run down the mugler heels nuclear isn't an odd choice for most celebrities but for billy it
just never seemed to make sense but when i think of how billy speaks about her growth throughout
her career and during quarantine this shoot seems to be the perfect place to have these two entities
meet casey cadwell adder said his mugler woman is quote fully formed she has really found herself
in a 2020 interview and while i'm sure billy isn't exactly fully formed or has totally found herself
this shoot is a stepping stone to that and so wearing mugler is a part of that journey
in reality billy is wearing one of the most worn garments of the past two years and i don't
think there are any other products that we have really seen more of and even with that immense
popularity billy still manages to stand out in her mugler bodysuit now there has been a lot of
discourse about this billy isla shoot and it seems billy knew that this would happen from the start
she even said so herself but even though she knew this would stir the pot i think back to the line
the response to the shoot whether or not she wanted it will still affect her in the same way
it would affect any one of us i think some of the conversations have been healthy with praise for
billy and criticisms of the music industry for forcing sexualization onto young women
that work within it but i do see a lot of nasty comments and now i'm not saying i'm perfect or
the authority on being nice i mean but i do think comments about the authenticity of billy certain
parts of her body and the assumption she is just playing into the male gaze is ignorant gross and
a misconception in that order strictly i'm not saying people can't have opinions i mean but some
have gone too far even in my opinion i'm going to address each firstly to call into question
billy's authenticity is deranged to me because do you know her when's the last time you dm'd her or
face timed her when's the last time you forwarded her an email or sent her a funny tick tock or got
a carrier pigeon message from her i'll guess what is never and i know i seem a bit overly passionate
about this but it's because she's a 19 year old living in the spotlight and 19 year olds tend to
experiment with their style at least most do i did it was really bad i i used to wear black knee high
leather boots with a four inch heel those weren't the problem it was everything from the knee up
but that is a part of growing up that is called rebelling that is called learning about yourself
fashion often feels so vapid but this is a moment it doesn't and it's not because billy is getting
sent custom luxury brand looks or even that i like all of them that's not what this conversation is
about but you know it's because we are lucky enough to see a young person express themselves
through clothing whether it's billy on the cover of a major magazine a goth kid at your
local supermarket the dandy at the bodega or the girl doing a tick tock dance these are special
moments where we get to see someone share a part of themselves on a journey called life i'm not
saying everything is some revolutionary moment of expressing yourself but sometimes it is and now i
know this seems diametrically opposed to what hotlimot is pretty much a platform for me to
spew my unwarranted opinions on people's outfits but i'm also happy to see someone's style change
adapt and evolve because well that's what good fashion is all about now secondly talking about
any part of her physical body is so weird and icky to me again comment on the actual clothing all
you want you don't like latex or you think that the lace motif is ugly fine but if you feel the
need to comment on billy's actual body when she has discussed how her own body images made her
depressed you're probably a bonafide [ __ ] licker thirdly i could see how some might interpret
tight-fitting clothing in fabrics usually associated with sex as playing into the male
gaze but billy was very clear in this interview on her thoughts suddenly you're a hypocrite if you
want to show your skin and you're easy and you're a [ __ ] and you're a [ __ ] if i am then i'm
proud me and all the girls are hoes and [ __ ] it you know let's turn it around and be empowered in
that showing your body and showing your skin or not should not take any respect away from you in
the same way certain fabric sewing techniques or silhouettes shouldn't belong to only one gender
because gendering inanimate objects is really weird fabrics associated with fetishes and kinks
aren't only for people with those fetishes or kinks case in point wearing a trench coat or latex
boot so if you immediately sexualize billy in these clothes it's not billy's problem it's yours
to me it's reminiscent of young girls being forced to cover up because it might be a distraction to
boys instead of forcing girls and women to cover up learn to unpack your own contributions to the
very real notion of the male gaze the sooner we all do that myself included the sooner we can
all start fixing the problem to round this out i personally don't think this shoot is the beginning
of the end for the oversized silhouette eilish has become known for i mean just look at her
outfit in the your power music video a loose long sleeve t-shirt pants and chunky rick owens shoes
are the first visuals we have of her new album but with that said i'm grateful to see eilish's
fashion experimentation be a public-facing deeper look at herself her insecurities and her interests
and it's all through the medium of revealing clothes so that is the end
of weird that it did i get possibly why it did but i also just sort of think do you really
care much thank you guys again for watching i'll see you guys in the next one and ttyl