StyleList (Feb. 18th 2011)

Gwen Stefani’s LAMB Runway Drama Is Bananas

“If the hat comes off and the bun comes off with it, it’s going to be a problem, drama!” Gwen Stefani told us moments before her L.A.M.B. collection at New York’s Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week.

Stefani explained how the models would have to rush through to get into their various looks: “Usually you get that one look and different variations but this is really six separate looks. They’re only changing twice but it’s still going to be a problem.”

“We divided it up into six categories and we cast the girls in them,” she said. “So all the Buffalo girls are Asian and all the Raggamuffin girls are black girls and the London girls have short hair. It’s going to be really fun to be so specific, and makeup and hair changes the whole time.”

The designer demanded a lot from her models, “These girls have to really bring it. It’s hard because they’re used to doing the same thing that they do and I want them to really let loose and let their personalities comes out. Just make it fun and make it a bit more theater.”

Stefani described the show’s expansive motif: “The theme is all over the place. It started with being more simplistic. I think L.A.M.B. is more about the layers and how you put it together, and that kind of creates the look. It’s always about the feminine and the masculine clash. And that’s always what I’ve loved. I think that’s what L.A.M.B. really is.”

She continued: “We started with wide-leg trousers for this collection, a chic ’70s vibe but it has really evolved.

The 41-year-old described how the retro era inspired her personal style, “just all the things I grew up with!”