Paris Is Still Burning: Ballroom Voguing Prevalent in Icona Pop’s Current Video and Gaultier’s Latest Show

The Swedish Pop duo, Icona Pop has followed up their massive hit, I Love It with their equally catchy single, All Night. The inspiring video features the duo performing at a drag ball, where two “houses” are observed by a table of judges to see which “family members” strike the fiercest fashion poses, otherwise and obviously known as Voguing.

This fashionable duel was best captured in the fascinating 1990 documentary, Paris Is Burning, which takes viewers way, way underground into the cutthroat world of the New York drag-ball culture. Although the film and Madonna’s Vogue, which made “strike a pose” mainstream, are both 23 years old, the overly presentational dance style has been making a bit of a referential comeback as of late.

A clip from Paris Is Burning:



Icona Pop’s All Night (with corporate sponsorship made evident)



Jean-Paul Gaultier’s Spring/Summer 2014 fashion show was held recently, where the catwalk sported a table of three judges, one of whom is the Spanish actress and model, Rossy de Palma, seen in the black bob and striped shirt. (De Palma was best known for appearing in six of Pedro Almodovar’s films and is a muse for the French fashion designer.) Models paraded in front of the judges, before they headed down the runway. The judges, as expected, held up cards to visually express their critique. One fashion model in particular, Karlie Kloss, was serving silhouette realness, as she literally struck several poses before heading down the runway, much to the ecstatic satisfaction of the judges. Kloss posed to the Scissor Sisters’ Let’s Have a Kiki. As some would say in the ball culture, Kloss “turnt it out.” BSo

Karlie Kloss: