The streets of NYC still roams with thousands of peeps attending Fashion’s Night Out, which took over September 6th and ends in a few days. So, if you’re in the neighborhood, there’s still some time for hitting up events, watch lovely models, and get your free booze, swag bags and makeovers. While we (the writers here) personally don’t really care too much about what’s “in” this season or that, we thought it’d be fun to compile our weekly list of songs, in honor of fashion, la moda, modeling, and looking fashionably good. So here they are, 10 Latin songs that talk about such fashion. Check them out!
by Radio Futura
[Spain]
These pretty Spanish boys piggybacked off London’s phenomenon of new wave, punk movement of the late ’70s in musical aesthetics, but in a cutesy poppy borderline cheesy way. It’s not any way to discredit them, as thousands of Latin bands did the same, and of course these are worthy influences. This track in particular was done in the ’80s, and here the young Radio Futura express how enamored they are by adolescent fashion. -IR
Radio Futura – Enamorado de la moda juvenil by spanishbizarro
by Daddy Yankee
[Puerto Rico]
There’re those who criticize the fashion world for its inner banality and those who fully embrace it and celebrate the glamorous life where beauty is power. Of course, über-douchebag Daddy Yankee in his musical power trips imagines himself surrounded with these immaculate beauties who somehow find him attractive (for this he relies heavily on his rented Rolls-Royce more than his lyricist talent, understandably). In the post-reggaetón era (they call this mambo now, whatever) dem-bow might be a fashion faux pas but materialism still reigns supreme. In the end, fashion and models are just an excuse to pack the video with plenty of top-notch eye-candy and I’m not complaining about that. -JD
by Gloria Trevi
[Mexico]
I seriously have borderline issues with weather to classify this as a guilty pleasure or not. As a pre adolescent, this lady was my idol. And admittedly, my obsession went far — notice the past tense. I’ll give in on a little secret (which trust me, I don’t share): I was a Gloria Trevi child impersonator (BTW, I’m not ready to share those photos). And with that, I really dug Trevi’s colorfully trashy and ripped up outfits back in the day, owning a whole wardrobe of DIY cloths sowed together to make up something wearable. Obviously, she also appreciated her own clothes too, as she payed a tribute to her old, garbage-material shoes, as we all know from her classic “Zapatos Viejos.” She even made a movie about it as well. -IR
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by Clotta
[Argentina]
German electro pioneers Kraftwerk did the original “Das Model” in the early ‘80s but in the late ‘90s the tune was translated and revamped by Argentine commercial dance music iconic producer DJ Dero and the late Clotta (a beloved fixture in Buenos Aires’ nightlife and TV show host—not a singer). The song came around the time when Argentina’s national obsession with top-models had peaked, when models became the main celebrities in the entertainment bizz, every rockstar dated at least one, and more high-school girls dreamt of a life on the catwalk than boys on a future as soccer players. -JD
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by Mecano
[Spain]
I always found it strange when I would pay a surprise visit to a couple friends of mine, and they’d have me waiting outside the doorsteps for kind of a while until they quickly put on a few layers of makeup on their faces. I mean, what were they hiding? A horrendous brown wart? A weird discolored mole? Who knows. Spanish pop band Mecano sings about exactly this. About being caught at that facially stripped moment and reacting with an impulsive “Don’t look at me!” This one is dedicated to all those people who preoccupy like seriously waaay too much with how they look without cosmetics on. Remember, your inside beauty shines more than the outside…maybe. -IR
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by Los Abandoned
[Chile/Los Angeles]
If you’re a girl (or a very metrosexual boy) you know how it feels to be always under pressure to comply with the ever-changing requirements of the international fashion conspiracy. Sure, many love spending cash even what they don’t have to be “a la mode,” but for others, it’s just another burden that comes with being born a female in this materialistic society. Los Abandoned’s Lady P (previously known as Lady Singer, Pilar Díaz and currently María del Pilar) fits right in the second category. Known for her quirky sense of fashion that favors offbeat, recycled and hand-made clothes over corporate brands and haute couture, the Chilean singer-songwriter and ukulele player made her snarky criticism of the fashion world in the globalized era public with this trilingual song included in the band’s first and last official release. -JD
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by Soda Stereo
[Argentina]
Back in the ’80s in South America, mainstream media and pop culture had a large infatuation in documenting youthful European royalty, like if that was the only thing that was newsworthy. In Soda Stereo‘s debut 1984 album, Gustavo Cerati inspired to create a song around such topic, and the track indeed touched on that “jet setting” spirit of wanting to pertain in a class that was untouchable, in an ironic way, of course. -IR
by Capri
[Argentina]
It’s a well-known fact that Argentines are collectively obsessed with both the fashion/modeling world and Europe. So, naturally, being up to date with the latest Parisian trends is like life’s ultimate goal if you’re one of those Eurocentric girls born to the jet-set class of Buenos Aires. Capri, born a rich boy himself, must be very well versed on this reality, since he probably dated quite a few of those anorexic wanna-be top-models who fly across the Atlantic periodically to go shopping; and he sure wrote this song dedicated to one of them. -JD
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by Fangoria
[Spain]
It’s easy to find them in any major big city. They’re fixtures in any popular weekly DJ tribute party, plant their soles in their local grimy dive bars, and roam around the neighborhood’s oldest record stores fishing for the classic rarities of dark wave, synthpop, and glam. There isn’t a speck of ambiguity of why he’s known as king of glam. He’s outlandish and extravagant, and may perhaps overwhelm you eye candy treats the longer you stare. The mistress of glam rock herself Alaska with her latter group Fangoria surely knows several of these guys in any major city you can name. -IR
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by Kevin Johansen
[Alaska/Argentina]
Everybody dress in white, now everybody in blue, tomorrow in yellow. From an outsider point of view, that’s what the whole fashion swindle seems like: a handful of snobby magazine editors dictating what you have to wear to be “in” this season. Bilingual singer-songwriter and skilled wordsmith Kevin Johansen makes his position clear while pointing out the ridicule of fashion fascism (at one point he changes the refrain from “sos tan fashion” to “sos tan facho”). -JD
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Tell us which fashion-themed song is your favorite, if or if not on this list.