The Real Life of Gwen Stefani
The Real Life of Gwen Stefani
A Storybook Wedding—with Pizzazz
The Launch of L.A.M.B. Clothing
Another Fashion Venture—Harajuku Lovers
Gwen Stefani had experienced many thrills throughout her life—concerts, travel, award shows, adoring fans, and many other opportunities that celebrities enjoy. As much as she loved her life, her world had been all about the band ever since high school. Some exciting changes were in store for her—changes that would allow her to focus on herself and her own dreams.
A Storybook Wedding—with Pizzazz
Even with her rock star lifestyle, Stefani always considered herself very traditional about marriage, children, and family. Like many women, one of the biggest days of her life was her wedding day. On September 14, 2002, Stefani married Gavin Rossdale at St. Paul's Covent Garden Anglican Church in London. The priest who married them had been Rossdale's religious studies teacher in school. Stefani was so busy before the wedding that Rossdale handled much of the work with a wedding planner.
Stefani's wedding gown was custom designed just for her and combined a traditional white wedding gown with her own personal flair. The dress was a full-length pink and white silk gown with a flowing train designed by John Galliano. The dress had an asymmetrical neckline that was off the shoulder on one side. The back featured corset-style lacing. The most striking feature was the deep pink hemline that encircled the gown. It was created using the ombré technique—the skirting's pink color was deepest at the bottom, with the pink dye growing paler as it flowed up the skirt, until it blended perfectly with the creamy white of the upper gown.
The look was completed with a full-length sheer veil, and Stefani carried a small white orchid bouquet with ribbon streamers affixed to her grandmother's white prayer book. Stefani was hailed as a trendsetter who combined classic elegance and tradition with her own sense of style and flair.
Gavin Rossdale
Lead singer for the British grunge band Bush, Gavin Ross-dale met Gwen Stefani in 1996 when No Doubt was scheduled as the opening act for Bush's concert tour. Ross-dale was interested in Stefani from the moment they met, but Stefani would not date him at first. When she began to consider it, Adrian Young, Tom Dumont, and Tony Kanal forbade her from seeing Rossdale. Because he was a musician who traveled extensively with his band, Stefani's No Doubt "brothers" could not bring themselves to trust Rossdale. They changed their minds after Stefani and Rossdale's relationship began.
Rossdale married Stefani in 2002, and their son Kingston was born in 2006. Their second child, Zuma, was born in 2008.
Rossdale recorded five CDs with his band Bush and has recorded three solo albums. He filmed numerous music videos and made brief appearances in three movies, including Zoolander. He toured the United States and Europe over the summer of 2008.
A former tennis player, Rossdale was a schoolmate of tennis champion Roger Federer and is sometimes in attendance at Federer's tennis matches, such as the series at Wimbledon.
Even Stefani's arrival at the church was unique. She was driven in a beautiful blue Rolls-Royce, but was an hour late for her own ceremony.
The groom added his own personality to the ceremony. Ross-dale was escorted down the aisle by his Hungarian sheepdog, Winston. The dog wore a garland of red roses for the occasion.
Following the ceremony, guests were driven on London's signature double-decker buses to a private club called Home House. About 150 guests were invited.
Two weeks later the newlyweds hosted a second wedding in Los Angeles for all of their California friends and family. Guests were instructed in the invitations to wear "romantic" clothing. Stefani again wore her pink and white gown but altered the accessories. The ceremony was a renewal of their vows and was officiated by a Catholic priest.
Stefani and Rossdale departed for a short honeymoon in Capri after the Los Angeles festivities. After their return, the couple had little time as husband and wife before Stefani was back on tour with No Doubt, including three shows with the Rolling Stones in October.
The Year to Slow Down
Already a big year, 2002 was topped off with a huge honor in November. The mayor of Anaheim, Tom Daly, presented No Doubt with the key to the city, in honor of their Anaheim roots and their tremendous success.
No Doubt had been living with jam-packed schedules since the explosive success of Tragic Kingdom in 1996. They had recorded two more albums, filmed several videos, and toured around the world more than once. After playing the Super Bowl in January and winning their first-ever Grammy Award for the song "Hey Baby," the group took a deep breath. They decided that a long vacation was what everyone needed most.
Stefani was looking forward to spending time with her husband. Similarly, drummer Adrian Young longed for more time with his wife and baby son. The others also felt the need for some time off, so they all agreed that they would take a break from theband. None of them considered it a breakup. They all knew that the time would come when they would be ready to write, record, and go on tour again.
Stefani was ready for a break, but in her heart she had always wanted to record a solo album with styles that were different from No Doubt. She dreamed of creating music that reminded her of dance music from the 1980s. She had been writing songs for many years and felt ready to strike out in a new direction. Creative opportunities came along even before she was ready.
Next Stop: The Silver Screen
The singer's chance for a new project came along in a hurry, but it was not a new album. Stefani had been interested in acting in a movie for several years. She had tried out for a few parts, but her schedule of recording and touring with No Doubt made that process difficult.
Stefani knew that director Martin Scorsese was filming a movie called The Aviator with Leonardo DiCaprio, but her agent told her the film was using only big-name actors. Set in the 1930s, the movie embodied the Old Hollywood glamour that Stefani loved.
About the same time Scorsese was casting his movie, Stefani appeared on the very first cover of Teen Vogue magazine. The photo shoot for that magazine had been designed to match the styles of Marilyn Monroe's famous beach photos from 1949. While driving in New York City, Scorsese spotted an ad for Teen Vogue magazine on the side of a bus stop shelter. He asked his daughter, "Who's that girl? We should get her to try out!"21
When Stefani got a call to audition for the movie, she thought she might have a real shot at getting the part of actress Jean Harlow. But first, she had to audition, and that was terrifying. "My stomach was on the floor," Stefani said. "It's totally humiliating to walk in and have to try out. They know who you are, but it's a casting-call thing."22
Stefani was encouraged by the casting agents. They gave her suggestions for what to wear and how to perform. Soon after, she got a call to return for an audition in front of DiCaprio and Scorsese. The second audition was even more stressful, since she could hear other women trying out in the next room.
Although the part was small, consisting of only a few lines, Stefani was thrilled to get it. It gave her the chance to step into the past, directly into the shoes—and dress, hair, and makeup—of one of her biggest idols. She had wanted to act in a movie and was a huge fan of Jean Harlow, so all her dreams meshed together. She traveled to Montreal in August and Los Angeles in September 2003 for the filming.
Stefani loved the new experience, even though her scene was like something out of her own life. She said: "It was really familiar, walking down the red carpet, so it wasn't really branching out. Acting is a lot different than singing. It's not as theatrical, it's a lot more subtle, and that's a lot harder. Simpler is usually harder. So I would love to do more."23
The Aviator was released to theaters on December 25, 2004. It received eleven Academy Award nominations and won five Academy Awards.
Jean Harlow
Known as Hollywood's original "blond bombshell," Jean Harlow made her first movie, Why Is a Plumber? in 1927. She got her big break in 1930 when Howard Hughes cast her for a lead in Hell's Angels. She made six movies with heart-throb Clark Gable and was in high demand as a movie actress. In 1935, as her popularity grew, she changed her name to Jean Harlow, her mother's maiden name.
Harlow was born Harlean Carpenter in Kansas City, Missouri, in 1911. She married her first husband at the age of sixteen. That marriage ended in divorce, and Harlow's second husband committed suicide after being married for only two months. In 1933 she married for the third time, but that marriage lasted only eight months.
Jean Harlow made a total of thirty-six films. Some of her best-known movies are Dinner at Eight, Bombshell, and Reckless.
Harlow died in 1937 at the age of twenty-six. She suffered from kidney failure, which was linked to an incidence of scarlet fever during her childhood.
Jean Harlow was idolized by many women during her lifetime, and she caught the attention of young Gwen Stefani. Along with Marilyn Monroe, Stefani had a fascination for Harlow. Playing Jean Harlow in the 2004 film The Aviator was a dream come true for Stefani.
The Launch of L.A.M.B. Clothing
Whether Stefani was onstage, appearing in a movie or video, or just going shopping, fashion was important to her. Experimenting with clothes was as natural for Stefani as breathing. After years of designing clothes for the stage and music videos, as well as her personal wardrobe, her stylist prompted an idea. Stefani explains:
My stylist, Andrea Lieberman, and I were making so many outfits, we decided, Why don't we do a clothing line together? It's every girl's dream. We were going to do something really small and just sell our stuff at a few boutiques, and then I met this guy who said he wanted to do a clothing line with me and pay for everything. The best part was he said I could do whatever I wanted creatively. I was like, Are you kidding? Okay24
In September 2003, about the same time she was filming The Aviator, that fashion dream came true. Stefani launched a line of handbags and accessories under her new fashion label called L.A.M.B. It stood for Love. Angel. Music. Baby. and would become a phrase that Stefani would use repeatedly. The bags were mostly black, with handles that resembled guitar straps. The bags were an instant hit and sold quickly.
In the spring of 2004, L.A.M.B released its first clothing line. Stefani described the clothes: "It's basically the clothes I wear. I want it to be my style, so I can wear them. I don't know what it will evolve into. . . . I'm still learning. It's just another creative thing for me to do, and it's exciting."25
The L.A.M.B collection began as an assortment of Stefani's favorite styles going back about ten years. It included T-shirts, destroy-washed jeans, and a halter dress reminiscent of a dress worn by Marilyn Monroe. The clothes caught the attention of celebrities such as Hilary Duff, Sandra Bullock, and Carmen Electra. Within a few years, the collection expanded to include CD and iPod cases, tote bags, wallets, and shoes. Some items were adorned with Stefani's lyrics.
The goal of the company was to produce clothes for teens and young women with a classic yet updated feel. For her spring collection in 2008, many of the shapes were form fitting and evoked the mood of the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s. The palette was predominantly black, white, and gray, but with patterns, splashes of color, and designs to make them modern and trendy.
"The simple reason that I started L.A.M.B.," Stefani revealed, "was to have something really creative in my life other than music. 'Cause I don't know what's going to happen. I want to be prepared [in case my music career ends]. I'm very passionate and I never get tired, but I never thought I was going to get this deep. I pinch myself every day."26
Stefani credited her mother for supporting her fashion endeavors ever since she was young. She said she considered the clothing line "a connection to my mom because we always sewed together."27 When Stefani told her mother that she was going to appear in Vogue magazine with her clothing line, her mother cried with excitement.
A Compact Disc of Her Own
In between filming The Aviator and launching L.A.M.B. clothing, Stefani talked about new music with Tony Kanal. They thought that a new CD with the sound of 1980s dance music would be fast and easy to put together. They tossed around ideas and styles that included Prince, the Time, Madonna, and Club Nouveau. As ideas kept coming, though, the project became larger and more difficult than they ever expected.
Being married presented a new challenge as well. Stefani told Cosmopolitan: "It's been hard to focus. Coming off the tour and having my first year of being married. I'm kind of lazy. I like to lie around with my husband and watch TV and stuff like that. It takes a lot of selfish time to make music."28 For the first time Stefani was torn between working on her CD and spending time with her new husband.
Stefani was also alone with her music—something she had never done before. In the past she had the band members of No Doubt to support her and write songs with her. As a team they all contributed to the band's music and produced impressive results. Working without her team was harder than she expected.
Jimmy Iovine, who produced No Doubt's albums for Inter-scope Records, encouraged Stefani to attempt the solo album. He paired her with Linda Perry, a singer, songwriter, and producer. Perry had worked with Christina Aguilera, Pink, Alicia Keys, and many other artists. Iovine had confidence in Stefani. He recalls, "She was nervous about it. It was her first time doing something without her band, and it was a big step. I said, 'Let's just experiment and see what happens.'"29
Trying to be creative on her own made Stefani feel vulnerable. "It was very threatening to let these people into my world," she says. "Because that's what I define myself as—a songwriter. The hardest part was letting someone even suggest an idea and then my ego being able to take it if it was good."30
On their first day of working together, Stefani and Perry wrote an entire song called "Fine by You." Stefani went home at the end of the day feeling proud and happy at their accomplishment. The next morning, Stefani discovered that Perry had been up all night and had written a song called "What You Waiting For?" Perry had seen Stefani's talent and could not understand why she was holding back. The song was Perry's way of nudging Stefani to jump into songwriting and let her creativity run free.
Breaking New Ground
Stefani felt pangs of jealousy at Perry's ability to write music. That jealousy motivated Stefani and pushed her to write more and try harder. "It was like a dare, and I don't even remember writing the words," she said. "I just barfed them out."31
As Stefani became more comfortable with the album, she allowed her creativity to pour forth. She became determined to dedicate a song to the Japanese Harajuku girls, whom she had seen during her trip to Tokyo with No Doubt in 1996. She explained: "Everyone had this crazy personal style. All these different things like gothic Lolitas and girls with blond hair and dark tans and high heels, like they were from Hollywood."32
Love. Angel. Music. Baby.
By working with Linda Perry, Tony Kanal, and more than a dozen others, the songs for Stefani's album were eventually finished. The CD was titled Love. Angel. Music. Baby. The initials spelled the word L.A.M.B. and mirrored the name of her clothing line, and the phrase was actually a secret reference to her dog Marilyn.
The CD was released in November 2004. Music critics gave tough reviews, finding the lyrics to be too simplistic. They felt the album did not have a cohesive theme to hold it together, and the songs were too much of a hodgepodge of different musical styles. Because Stefani collaborated with more than a dozen different people in writing the songs, the critics felt the true Gwen Stefani was lost in the jumble. The critics admitted, though, that the album was enjoyable to listen and dance to and contained a fun mix of tunes.
In her own way Stefani agreed with the critics. She told Blender magazine, "Everyone keeps calling it a solo record and I keep calling it a dance record. 'Cause if I was doing a solo record, that would be like, finally, me . . . finally this is the real Gwen Stefani. It's not that. This album is actually less of me than I've ever been before."33
Fans had different opinions from the critics. The CD was a hit, and it reached gold and platinum status in less than a month. After six months Love. Angel. Music. Baby. reached multiplatinum, and within days of its first anniversary, the album had sold 3 million copies, certifying it as triple multiplatinum.
The most popular song on the album was "Hollaback Girl," a high school-themed tune with a driving dance beat. As a single, it also reached gold and platinum status. The songs "Rich Girl" and "What You Waiting For?" followed closely behind. Both became gold certified for Stefani.
The singer's reaction to the success of the album was repeated over and over throughout her career: surprise. Just as she had experienced with No Doubt, she was amazed that her album was something so many people wanted to buy. When she went on tour to promote the CD, she was amazed again that her concerts sold out and that so many fans lined up to hear her music.
Stefani's Own Harajuku Girls
As she was writing the song "Harajuku Girls," Stefani got the idea to create actual Harajuku Girls to help promote the album. She hired four dancers to perform onstage with her and also to appear along with her during interviews and promotions. The job of the dancers was to look cute and wear the trendiest Japanese Harajuku fashions. Pictures of the dancers are sprinkled throughout the artwork in the liner notes of the CD.
Stefani described the Harajuku Girls as a figment of her imagination brought to life. She considered the girls to be culturally positive and an art project—something fun to add to her music. Stefani named the four Harajuku Girls Love, Angel, Music, and Baby.
The Harajuku Girls sparked unexpected controversy. Comedian Margaret Cho, a Korean American, and Jonathan Ross, a British TV host, made jokes about the Harajuku Girls. They suggested that Stefani was promoting a negative stereotype of Japanese women. Cho later apologized for her remarks, admitting that she had not bothered to understand why Stefani had added the Harajuku Girls to her performances.
Stefani was surprised by the racist reactions she received but refused to give up the Harajuku Girls. She had always considered them to be an element of fun—just another way to add different styles to her concerts and videos. Her determination was another example of her ability to resist pressure and stay true to herself.
The Highs and Lows of Fame
Despite her fame and success, Stefani still felt like an ordinary girl from Orange County. Yet she truly appreciated the good fortune in her life. She says, "I'm lucky not to have a real job, to be able to express myself, be creative, and be relevant. I don't know what I will be doing in ten years."34
Stefani had come a long way and had learned many things about music, recording, and touring. Yet every once in a while, a hard lesson still came along. Stefani was blindsided by reporters from Spin and Face magazines when they asked whether she had lost her virginity to Tony Kanal. Stefani, with her Catholic background, was horrified that they would ask such a question. She replied:
I would never tell you that! Are you crazy? I would never tell anyone that. I have pretty strong feelings about that. If any girls were to ask me what my advice would be, completely wait as long as possible, wait till you're married. I think it's really a sacred thing. It's different when you get older and have a boyfriend. . . . It's such a blessing that God gave us—we should be able to respect it. I'm not going to talk about that stuff any more.35
The situation made Stefani wish that reporters would stick with topics like her music and her fashion.
Harajuku Girls
While on tour in Japan with No Doubt in 1996, Stefani fell in love with the mix-and-match fashion of the young women in Japan, and she discovered the style known as Harajuku. The style was named for the Harajuku district of Tokyo. Girls in that area developed a unique style that blended school uniforms, ruffled miniskirts, short petticoats or crinolines, bright colors, and artistic makeup and hair-styles. The style is also sometimes called "gothic Lolita," because it incorporates little-girl clothes with spiky hair, punk shoes, leather dog collars, and other elements of the goth look.
Stefani never forgot the look of Harajuku and began weaving elements of the style into her wardrobe. Even years later, when writing songs for her first CD, she liked it so much that she wrote a song called "Harajuku Girls." She also hired four young women to wear the style and serve as dancers in her videos and on her tours. One of their appearances was in the "Wind It Up" video, in which they appeared as the von Trapp family children.
Another Fashion Venture—Harajuku Lovers
Stefani's L.A.M.B. clothing line had exploded on the fashion scene. It was enjoying huge popularity and sales beyond anyone's expectations. As a result, Stefani saw another opportunity to share her passions with the rest of the world. She launched a line of accessories in 2005 called Harajuku Lovers with the purpose of making new items available to fans of the style. With the Japanese styles not readily available in the United States, the new line provided a source for the hard-to-find look.
The new items quickly gained popularity and featured watches, backpacks, tote bags, T-shirts, tank tops, shorts, and sweat pants for women and girls. The designs included bright colors and pastels; cartoon characters; and bold, whimsical patterns. Stefani established a new Web site for the Harajuku Lovers line in order for fans to have access to the merchandise from anywhere in the world.