No doubt, some of the seminal popular music of the ’90s emanated from the salient, ska-inflected sounds of Gwen Stefani, our September cover star. The singer, and her (then) band No Doubt, skyrocketed to fame with breakout hits “Just A Girl” and “Don’t Speak.” But it was Stefani’s tomboy-skater-punk style and pitch-perfect tap of the ’90s pop-feminist mood that gave the group its incandescence.
Stefani’s lyrics and gender-bending look worked to put the band on the map. Both have since weathered the tides of shifting social culture, and still land with relevance today. As a measure in fact, the lyrics in “Just A Girl,” while not subtle, aged well:
Cause I’m just a girl, oh, little old me. Well, don’t let me out of your sight. Oh, I’m just a girl, all pretty and petite. So don’t let me have any rights.
Stefani’s own look fronting the all-male band was a statement in and of itself. With her trademark boyish baggy pants and screen-siren combo of bleached-blond locks and bold red lips, it was a stylistic mashup that visually transcribed her music’s message of women’s struggle with cultural identity and social equity.
A lot has transpired in Stefani’s life since those chart-topping and identity-smashing hits: three children, a new marriage, a starring role on NBC’s hit show The Voice, and the launch of GXVE, her new beauty venture.
As writer Roxanne Robinson discovers in “The Artist’s Brush”, Stefani’s music was a vehicle for autonomy and self-realization in the same way her new makeup company is a vehicle for authentic self-discovery and personal empowerment. It is Stefani’s inner passion that drives creativity across all her disciplines: music, fashion and makeup.
It is a mood that inspired our editorial team throughout this issue. After all, fall is a time of year expectant with a sense of fresh self-discovery and purpose. And this season, designers and style stars alike give us a lot to mine in these pages by way of new fashion and lifestyle ideas, as we take a note from Gwen’s book and craft a passionate and purpose-driven next chapter all our own.
Enjoy the issue!
Kate Davidson Hudson
Editor-In-Chief
LVR
