lifestyle MONDAY, AUGUST 31, 2015 FASHION

Model displays a creations by designer Ridhi Mehra.

Bollywood actress Esha Gupta displays a creation by designer Ridhi Mehra during the Lakme Fashion Week in Mumbai, India, yesterday. — AP/AFP photos

Jeremy Scott and Scott on Cyrus, the

Moonman and what Fashion Week

he’d do to the Oscar LAKME

ashion designer Jeremy Scott is lend- be a whole new experience. I’m very excited ing a creative hand to MTV’s 2015 for it to be real and three-dimensional. I was FVideo Music Awards. Friend of host already really touched by the offer to do the Miley Cyrus and noted collaborator with the award itself, but to couple it with this, to who’s-who of pop divas, Scott revamped make it a one-two punch was really super- the Moonman statue and designed the cer- flattering. I love MTV and I love the VMAs. emony’s pre-show. Scott spoke to Variety There’s no award show like it. It really is the ahead of the Aug 30 awards about his life- coolest award show, hands down. To be long love of music videos, his predictions able to be a part of it and leave my mark on for the future of music video fashion and it ... I’m over the moon. I definitely wanted the one accessory he’d add to the Oscar to make a correlation between the statue. Moonman and the experience of the red carpet. Variety: How did you get involved with this year’s awards? Variety: Were you a big music video Jeremy Scott: MTV reached out and fan growing up? asked if I would be interested in being Jeremy Scott: Have any inspired your involved in the VMAs, which I love. I said, “Of work? So many! So many wonderful ones. course!” They proposed the idea that I They’ve all been so inspiring to me. I always redesign the Moonman. I basically lost my think about the ones with fashion, of marbles and started crying. It was such an course, like George Michael’s “Freedom” unexpected honor. For me, the Moonman is and En Vogue’s “Free Your Mind” ... and one of the most iconic awards, and one of every video. It’s so exciting to the most important to me because it’s be able to be part of that tradition in a about pop culture and music and fashion small, humble way. and the convergence of those, and that’s exactly where I fit in, what I love, what’s Variety: Did the fact that your pal inspired me my whole life. It’s been my driv- Miley Cyrus is hosting the show impact ing force. I understand that it’s an icon and I your design choices? respect that it’s an icon and that’s why I Jeremy Scott: Honestly, no because I wanted to add a layer to the iconography of came onboard before she was brought on it without altering the icon itself to such a as a host. The question might need to be asked in reverse. She knew about me doing this prior to her being reached out to, so when I heard it was her, since we’re old friends, I was so excited.

Variety: What do you think making a good music video these days? Jeremy Scott: I would say it’s really sim- ple. The story of the video should capture people’s imagination with the visual but at the same time, I default to fashion. From it being as simple as Miley in white briefs, a little tank and boots on a wrecking ball flying through the air. It’s about captur- ing the story and having an element of fashion in there. Music and fashion combined make such a lethal weapon, in my opinion.

Variety: Where do you see the future of that intersection between music and fashion going from here? Jeremy Scott: I think it keeps getting stronger and stronger. It’s just the world I live it. I hardly know another world-it’s so entrenched in me. Growing up, it was so important and I loved watching music videos and I obviously created a career Jeremy Scott where I dressed all the greatest ones. It’s really in my blood. It goes hand in glove degree that it’s oblivated. It’s very important together, that when you can really make it to me that the icon remains iconic and match seamlessly, it’s just so powerful. resembles itself. I got really inspired by the Obviously the designer helps the artist, but idea of MTV back in the old school days, the artist helps the designer. It’s a real sym- when MTV was only on television, and the biotic relationship. Working with Miley and idea of a time when things would actually and Katy (Perry) and Madonna and turn off and you’d have those color test Iggy and all these great ladies that I’ve been bars. I thought it would be so much fun to dressing and creating iconic moments with. use that iconography with the MTV logo I helped tell their story. The look is a very and then to try to place it onto the sculp- important element and it’s very thought- ture itself, which is made of the colors from out. It becomes part of their iconography the bars. And of course I added my iconic and their history too. wings to his feet and I gave him a big bling- bling peace necklace. In a way, it’s a little bit Variety: If the Academy asked you to of a reference to “We come in peace,” and redesign their awards, what would you do? aliens and stuff. He’s on the moon, and I Jeremy Scott: I would love to play think peace is a good thing to promote. around with Oscar. He’s very iconic from a whole different kind of awards show phe- Variety: You also designed the pre- nomenon. I’d have to sit and really think show, right? about it. I’d have to think about why they Jeremy Scott: I designed the whole were coming to me and what they wanted staging of the pre-show and the red carpet, from me. I do think Oscar would look real- and the step and repeat, and the whole kit ly cute with a blonde curly wig. MTV’s and kaboodle. Essentially, the guests will 2015 Video Music Awards air Sunday night step into the Jeremy Scott world and it will at 9 pm. — Reuters