Daphne Guinness's 'Fatal Flaw' Music Video With Nick Knight Is A Triumph
Daphne Guinness in her 'Fatal Flaw' music video.
Photo: Via SHOWstudio's Youtube Channel
So, fashion icon Daphne Guinness, heiress to the Guinness beer fortune and best friend to the late Alexander McQueen came out with a music video. Entitled “Fatal Flaw,” the 5-minute video was directed by Nick Knight (who also directed Bjork’s “Pagan Poetry” and Lady Gaga’s “Born This Way”), and the song will be available for download via the director’s SHOWStudio web site in ten days. As an aside, Knight’s also the dude who takes a TON of pictures of Kanye West and Kim Kardashian. Tasteful-nudes style.
I don’t know about you guys but I follow Daphne Guinness on social media because I’m fascinated by how legitimately heartsick and emo she seems all the time. She actually reminds me of #IMOK Instagram feeds where every comment is “stay strong” because they only update melancholy-pretty things. Case in point:
No cure for Love twitpic.com/cjbd0b
— Daphne Guinness (@TheRealDaphne) April 14, 2013
A couple of years ago it came to light that she was romantically engaged with French philosopher Bernard-Henri Lévi who is married so I imagine her pining constantly. Her Twitter is like if the fake Tilda Swinton account were real because Guinness sounds exactly as she does in my imagination when I write fanfic about what she and McQueen used to talk about. All this is to say that I am pro Daphne Guinness in a big way and after watching this video I can’t help but be really happy for her.
Daphne Guinness in her 'Fatal Flaw' music video.
Photo: Via SHOWstudio's Youtube Channel
Visually, it’s stunning. This comes as no surprise since Daphne is nothing if not dazzling and Nick Knight’s blessed with a flavor of genius that rules at showcasing compelling women doing magical, beguiling things. There’s a lot of blurred, jagged images (not unlike Daphne’s entire TwitPic archive of selfies) with warped, speedy light and according to Knight, the aesthetic is based on the lyrics of the song.
Daphne Guinness in her 'Fatal Flaw' music video.
Photo: Via SHOWstudio's Youtube Channel
Daphne talks about the inspiration in this article with British Vogue: “This song came from broken bonds, fragmented dreams. In part, it’s about the sheer randomness of love and its illusionary effect.” Parts of it looks like if you were watching Daphne moving in and out of one of those PinPressions toys that you can get from Spencer’s Gifts but way more expensive. I'm particularly stoked on considering what the visuals for this would look like for an onstage presentation and I'm hoping for some next-level projection mapping situation for ultimate face melting.
Daphne Guinness in her 'Fatal Flaw' music video.
Photo: Via SHOWstudio's Youtube Channel
The song is loosely split into three acts with a lot of turmoil at the beginning with redemption at the end. The lyrics sound exactly that homegirl’s late-night tweets: “love is a sort of madness” and “love is a sort of deadly nightshade” but then ends that “love is forgiveness,” interspersed with refrains of “your fatal flaw.” It’s genius in its sincerity. I hope she makes a full album or at least a fleshed-out EP with videos for each track and crazy album art even if nobody makes album art anymore.
The thing that I love most about this enterprise is that while she's been a boon to anyone with eyeballs as a muse, model, collector and an IRL curator (in the non-internet sense), I adore the notion of her making something outright. It feels correct. And while we're feeling hopeful and positive, I'm going to go out there and WISH she collaborates with Kanye. I'd certainly like that more than if there were a sequel to #fashionshower.
Daphne Guinness in her 'Fatal Flaw' music video.
Photo: Via SHOWstudio's Youtube Channel
+ WATCH DAPHNE GUINNESS' 'FATAL FLAW' MUSIC VIDEO
