Consumers today are a lot more selective than they used to be in decades past and there is a reason for this. Today, shoppers have choices of a breadth and dimension never before experienced in human history. This is an era of ultimate control by the buyer and as a result, shoppers have product selections that are almost mind boggling in their variety. Gone are the days of total standards being what every woman needed to wear. The tastes and expectations of society have become far more diversified than ever before, giving women the option to customise not only how they wear their clothes, but every single piece of clothing and accessory that they might want to put on. The difference is not only in the styles, but in the designs on the fashion, as well. These days there are a growing number of companies which specialize in creating custom clothing that women can change the look of right over the web, using their computer or even their mobile phone. Some of these companies go so far as to allow users to upload photos or design images that they would like printed on their clothing so that they in effect become their own fashion designer. This is truly a revolution in fashion, but a seemingly silent one.

Gone are the days when grandma made her own tee shirt at the mall, printed with her kids’ photos. Today, savvy young female shoppers are creating their own clothing that uses the artwork of their friends to create the perfect look they can’t wait to wear. With the young and popular crowd getting behind this growing movement, many experts in the apparel industry are suggesting that it will not be long before all companies will need to offer total customization in their products on everything from color to image design.

As one of the stars in the world who is now shining the brightest, pop musician Lady Gaga has accumulated huge amounts of record sales, video play both online and through traditional music channels, all this on top of selling out world tours on a consistent basis. It seems the young star has no end in sight, fulfilling her mission to bring genuine art to the masses in a format that is as easy to understand as it is complex for the critics to decipher. Many in the music industry have already noted her very high level of skill in controlling not only her image, but her business enterprise. She is well known to have a passionate fan focus and refers to her fans as ‘little monsters’, playing on her hit album, Fame Monster, a critical piece which delves into the world of celebrity in an effort to understand and relate not only celebrity as a concept, but the way that the masses relate to these figures on the world stage. One would be hard pressed to find a star in today’s pop scene with quite the same level of dynamic energy in their performance or depth of creativity in their music.

What has amazed many in the media is the stars skill with new media, such as Twitter, and her willingness to embrace fan adoration openly. Recently, the singer noted the fan art of an artist on the digital art web site DeviantArt, a longstanding portal for artist in various mediums. The artist had done a painting depicting Lady Gaga with another pop powerhouse, Beyonce, paying tribute to their role in the music video for the hit song Telephone. The epic video showcases the visual prowess of Lady Gaga, spanning nearly 10 minutes of highly stylized footage to accompany the song.

As always, fashion designers like to be ahead of the curve in translating the desires of the masses into physical goods to be worn in the summer sun. This year will be no exception with designers already hinting at new trends to come in women’s swimwear, among them a range of truly revolutionary looks that will define Summer 2010 as one of the most scorching departures from the average that fashion has seen in some time now. The monokini is rapidly becoming one of the most sought after and talked about articles of summer swimwear and it is not surprise that hot designers are rapidly working up a whole new look for this new classic. From Carmen Marc to Miss Sixty, hot new looks are coming out such as the cutaway monokini which takes parts of the fabric out of the design to create striking patterns that are sure to draw plenty of attention to the bodies of those who choose to indulge in this latest trend. Tight bodies and full tans are in once again in 2010 and the swim suits are certainly setting out to prove this is sharp style.

Of course, no summer would be complete without the style of ladies attire that has become a true establishment in the beach tradition: the bikinis that come out every summer. This year the colors are moving to more neutral territory as designers lash back against the brilliance of past years where super bright colors became the rage. All the top designers seemed to be embracing earth tones and other neutral hues this year more than ever in an effort to reinvent the bikini look as we know it today. The over the shoulder monokini has become another big favorite, designed to emphasize the womanly curves of the shoulder region and bring the eye up towards the face. Fashion columnists are commenting that this year a bikini is going to be an absolute necessity for those who want to look their best at the beach, but the selection of designers involved is broader in 2010 so women will have far more choices than in years past.