Fashion

Daymond John's defending Katy Perry's "blackface" shoe design, and even says it's possible Gucci was trying to pay homage to a genre of art with its controversial sweater -- but most likely it was something more calculated.

The "Shark Tank" star was outside Craig's in WeHo Tuesday night and talked to us about Gucci's blackface debacle. Remember, Daymond has a ton of knowledge about clothing design -- see FUBU -- and he took us behind the curtain ... saying Gucci cooked up that sweater knowing what the public response could be.

His take is interesting, because he says not everything that appears to be blackface at first glance is definitely so ... but you gotta know your history.

As for Katy Perry's shoe, the business guru sides with the singer and doesn't believe it should be considered offensive or racist ... and gives a full tutorial on what does and doesn't qualify as blackface (or whiteface).

Here's an interesting pairing -- Paris Hilton and Lil' Kim having a blonde moment on a New York Fashion Week catwalk ... and proving hair color is truly impactful.

PH and LK were in NYC Tuesday night for Phillipe and David Blond's annual fashion show, and each of them had their own turn walking the runway in this year's designs.

Paris looked great as usual, but seemed to keep her strut in line with traditional modeling. Kim, on the other hand, had a little more fun on her way back ... dancing with some of her other fellow models, and maybe even twerking a bit too.

There were other notable celebs out in the audience as well -- Iskra Lawrence, Victor Cruz, EJ Johnson, Delilah Belle and others.

But, the true stars here are really Paris and Kim. The question now ... which one's the better blonde?

Adrien Broner says he doesn't get why everyone is all "bent out of shape" about the Gucci sweater that ignited a boycott ... telling TMZ Sports, "I don't care, it's just a sweater!"

Remember, stars like T.I., Soulja Boy and Spike Lee called for a Gucci boycott over a sweater that resembles blackface ... with T.I. calling the fashion item "racist and disrespectful."

But Broner seems to think the boycott is a massive overreaction -- and on his way into 1 OAK in L.A. he told us, "You can wear whatever you want to wear."

"I don't care! It's just a sweater! Why's everyone getting so bent out of shape about it?!"

Broner also said he's NOT wearing Gucci though -- explaining he's more of a Dolce & Gabbana kind of guy.

The decision seems to be motivated by fashion, not social justice.

AB's pal, Floyd Mayweather, also refuses to boycott Gucci -- in fact, he went on a MASSIVE shopping spree at the Gucci store in Bev Hills this week and proudly proclaimed that NOBODY tells him how to feel or what to wear.

Floyd Mayweather says he doesn't give a DAMN about the Gucci boycott -- telling TMZ Sports no one tells him what to do or what to buy ... and that's why he dropped a FORTUNE at the store Monday night.

The boxer -- along with his entire TMT crew -- rolled into Gucci in Bev Hills ... and when we told him about all of the stars calling for a Gucci ban over a sweatshirt that resembled blackface, Floyd scoffed.

"I'm not no follower, I do what the f*ck I wanna do," Floyd told us.

When we told Floyd that stars like T.I. and Spike Lee would be upset with him, Floyd laughed.

"You said they're gonna be upset with me? I love it, I love it, I love it. See, the thing is this, I live for myself. I do what I want to do."

Outside the store, Floyd and his crew showed off a BUNCH of bags filled with Gucci -- dropping a fortune on clothing and accessories.

"I'm not a follower," Floyd added ... "You know when everybody else they say, 'Everybody gonna boycott?' I say guess what, this boy gonna get on a yacht and live life."

"We all know racism still exists but that's not gonna stop my drive. I've got friends from all walks of life and to me of course, black lives matter first ... but my thing is this, I'm gonna continue to go out there live life and be happy."

He added, "Half of the people that's on social media saying, 'Don't wear this, don't wear that,' I ain't never seen none of them supporting The Money Team."

After the Gucci run, Floyd -- flanked by his bodyguards Jizzy Mack and Badou -- went over to Neiman Marcus -- where the store stayed open past the normal closing time so Floyd could shop.

Mayweather tells us he dropped $200-300k at Neiman. Good times.

2/12 -- Katy Perry and her brand management group, Global Brands Group, have responded to the backlash, stating that the shoe collection was released in 9 different colors and "envisioned as a nod to modern art and surrealism."

They continue, "I was saddened when it was brought to my attention that it was being compared to painful images reminiscent of blackface. Our intention was never to inflict any pain. We have immediately removed them."

12:53 PM PT -- The shoes have officially been scrubbed from both Walmart's and Dillards' websites.

Katy Perry's shoe that is under scrutiny for resembling blackface is about to be yanked ... TMZ has learned.

Katy's got a whole shoe line for sale at retailers like Dillard's and Walmart -- and a couple of her designs feature what looks similar to blackface ... the "Rue Face Slip On Loafers" and its high-heeled counterpart, "Ora Face Block Heel Sandal."

The "face" shoes have two eyes, a nose and red lips on them, and they come in two different colors ... black and beige. The black one is problematic, because it looks a lot like classic blackface makeup, which the fashion world does not seem to recognize time and again.

The "face" heeled sandals are also problematic ... and Katy's catching major heat for having the shoes on store shelves. Even singer Masika Kalysha is calling for Katy to answer for this, saying on social media ... "So we just gonna let Katy Perry slide?"

Sources connected to Katy tell us these specific shoes are just part of an entire line of shoes she's designed and released ... and they were never intended to be offensive. However, we're told, "In order to be respectful and sensitive the team is in the process of pulling the shoes."

2/11 8:25 AM PT -- More visual -- graphically visual at that -- evidence of the reunion ... Offset posted a promo video for his upcoming album, and it includes what looks like actual footage of Cardi giving birth to Kulture.

The punchline is a shot of Offset looking shell-shocked in a corner of the delivery room.

8:26 PM PT -- Cardi just won Best Rap Album -- beating out Mac Miller and others -- and she brought her hubby, Offset, onstage with her to accept her award. She even referred to him as her husband, and thanked him in what amounted to a hilariously sweet speech. Yeah ... they're back together, no doubt about it now.

It was certainly an emotional moment ... so much so, apparently, that somebody actually collapsed on the stage right after Cardi delivered her remarks.

A source at the show tells us the person who fainted was a female member of the pit area.

Cardi B and Offset are officially a red carpet couple again -- 'cause they just publicly reunited for the first time since their split last year.

The rappers showed up Sunday at Staples Center dressed to the nines -- especially Cardi, who was clearly paying tribute to designer Thierry Mugler's Fall 1995 collection. She wore a pink dress that looked more like a flower blooming with Cardi in the middle.

And, just to make sure we knew they were definitely back together, Cardi and Offset did this. Nothin' says we're a couple again like some good old-fashioned tongue.

Cardi and Offset were seen hanging out together at a club in Atlanta last weekend after apparently patching things up over the holidays, following a rocky 2018.

Looks like they're a lot closer to being all the way back now. Good for them.

Here's a guy who REALLY misses football already -- Kacey Musgraves' producer Shawn Everett who decided to grab some full WR shoulder pads and rock 'em to the Grammys.

Everett is a stud producer -- he's worked with huge stars like John Legend, Alabama Shakes, The Killers, Weezer and more. He's kind of a big deal (which is why he was onstage while Musgraves accepted Album of the Year).

He's also got an interesting sense of style ... and went full CTE chic to the award show -- dressing up his shoulder pads with a full-length skirt, corset, gloves and boots.

As for the pads -- we found 'em online (in case you're looking to recreate the look) -- Adams VS500 Varsity Football Shoulder Pads ... and you can get 'em for around $80.

Of course, Everett ain't the first star to fuse football pads with fashion -- the WWE's legendary tag team Legion of Doom was rockin' the look back in the '90s!

The 2019 Grammys was a shimmering affair of talent -- but it was also a shining achievement in the wardrobe department ... just peep what the stars wore behind the scenes.

Hollywood's A-list musicians and artists went full sheen for their outfits at this year's award show -- including sparkling gowns from Lady Gaga, Jennifer Lopez, Noah Cyrus, Miley Cyrus, Dolly Parton, Meghan Trainor, Evan Ross, Ashlee Simpson, Katie Perry ... and even Michelle Obama.

You could probably see your own reflection in a lot of these get-ups -- which isn't to say they aren't fabulous, 'cause they are.

Some other honorable mentions who went the more traditional route with their attire -- Travis Scott, Mark Ronson, BTS, John Mayer, Jada Pinkett-Smith, Bebe Rexha and others.

It's Grammy season, which means we're due for another outlandish Joy Villa outfit to grace the red carpet ... this time, she's here dressed as President Trump's border wall.

The alt-rock singer -- who's super conservative -- showed up to the Staples Center Sunday ahead of the big show wearing a silver "build the wall" gown, complete with faux barbed wire on her shoulders and a spiked crown on her head. Lady Liberty would be ... proud?

Joy told reporters that her 'BTW' ensemble was custom made by Designers Allinger of Desi Designs -- and, of course, she wore it to make a political statement, per usual. If her "steel" colored dress didn't tell you that ... her MAGA handbag hits the point home.

This isn't Joy's first rodeo with right-leaning outfits. She showed up to last year's Grammys wearing a pro-life dress, which also had an on-the-nose accessory.

Her 2018 fashion choice was apparently a big hit with DT's fam ... Joy told us that Eric Trump's wife, Lara, gave her rave reviews ... calling her dress "stunning."

Considering Joy has been rockin' MAGA gear to the Grammys since at least 2017, something tells us this is gonna be an ongoing thing as long as Trump's in office.

12:40 PM PT -- Dapper Dan -- a Harlem-based fashion designer, who was recently at the center of a separate Gucci controversy -- says he is meeting with Gucci's CEO this week to discuss the company's blackface scandal. DD says there's no excuse for how Gucci's Balaclava knit top was greenlit, and he promises to hold "everyone accountable."

Dapper Dan is credited with turning Gucci into popular sportswear and streetwear for athletes and rappers. He's outfitted celebs like Run-DMC, Floyd Mayweather ... and even Beyonce has worn his designs. Gucci was accused of ripping him off in 2017, and after some backlash ... they partnered up with him.

Soulja Boy is kicking Gucci to the curb after its blackface scandal -- and considering how much he's repped 'em and spent on them ... this is really bad for business.

Young Drako was leaving Fendi in Bev Hills Saturday with Ray J and a posse of people behind him, when we asked him if he'd be disavowing the luxury fashion brand in the wake of their disastrous decision to hawk a sweater that greatly resembled blackface.

It's an easy choice for Soulja -- he says he's done with Gucci and is giving away all his Gucci gear ... which is kind of a big deal since he's usually a walking billboard for the company. Just last month, SB was wearing a very prominent Gucci headband during his viral 'Breakfast Club' interview ... and has been sporting the brand continuously for years now.

Here's what really sucks for Gucci ... Soulja says he's dropped upwards of a million-plus dollars on Gucci garments, so they're losing one of their best customers. Unless, of course, they do what Soulja's asking for here ... which will call for some serious $$$ to be handed out.

If that doesn't happen ... it sounds like there'll be a lot of less fortunate people who could be coming up on some new Gucci wear. Assuming they still want it at this point.

Malik Yusef says he was doing work on Kanye West's behalf to arrange a New York Fashion Week show but it didn't work out ... but it's definitely not the shady scheme it's being made out to be.

We broke the story ... Kanye's G.O.O.D. Music associate is accused of forging the rapper's signature to strike a deal with Philipp Plein to stage a NYFW event with Ye performing, and then making off with at least $750,000.

Yusef strongly denies those allegations and tells us it was business as usual as he negotiated with Plein to get some "futuristic t-shirts" at Fashion Week. He claims Kanye was aware of the pending contract, but when it became clear Ye wasn't going to perform ... he let Plein know the deal was off.

Malik claims he didn't touch a dime of Plein's money and even sent it back to him. He's adamant he's not scamming anyone and points out he's been working with Kanye for years ... and they run a foundation together.

Yusef insists he's never taken anything from Kanye, adding ... "I barely take his f***in' advice."

On Twitter, he's also responded to a suggestion he might be getting set up, saying ... "Its actually less against me and more against @phillip_plein but I ain’t going either tho."

Sources close to Kanye tell us a different story, though ... saying Kanye never committed to anything and had no idea about the show Yusef was communicating to Plein about.

Fashion designer Jerry Lorenzo says Gucci's got a serious problem -- either the brand's too dumb to realize it's promoting hateful imagery ... or it's doing it on purpose.

We got the founder of streetwear label Fear of God outside Delilah in Weho Friday night, who compares the Italian fashion house's recent blackface sweater blunder to a popular scene in the 1995 film "Casino" ... and it's pretty great.

Jerry's take is Gucci's at fault no matter how you slice it, because it's either not socially conscious of how an item like this would be perceived ... or it's flat-out being racist intentionally.

And, it's a bad look regardless.

Lorenzo thinks Gucci will recover, though -- despite calls for a boycott by Spike Lee and T.I. -- because that's just the nature of the news cycle these days.

What's the best way to highlight the features of models like Emily Ratajkowski and Bella Hadid ... well, for one fashion designer, the answer is covering their amazing bodies and making them look like loofahs.

Yes, somewhere under all that fabric lurks the smokin' hot bods of Emily, Bella and other gorgeous models walking the runway Friday at the Tomo Koizumi show.

You never know what you're gonna see at New York Fashion Week ... and we gotta admit, we weren't expecting to see the world's hottest supermodels covered up and looking like they're ready to take the runway to the shower.

Oh, and notice the short hair ... no word on if Edward Scissorhands was consulting.

3:17 PM PT -- T.I. just weighed in on the controversy, saying he's going to stop buying Gucci and also calling on people to boycott the brand. The rapper says he's been spending seven figures on Gucci for several years, but that ends now.

T.I. went on a long rant, saying he's not accepting Gucci's apology and accusing the company of purposefully being disrespectful and racist. He ended his rant by saying, "I Don't Give a F*** if I gotta wear Target brand s***."

Spike Lee's had it with Prada and Gucci's racist blackface blunders ... so he's boycotting the luxury brands until they hire some black designers to keep them in check.

The "BlacKkKlansman" director announced he's no longer going to wear either Prada or Gucci Friday in wake of yet another blackface controversy from the Italian Fashion houses. If you missed it, Gucci got dragged this week over an $890 blackface sweater.

Spike says he's done with both brands "Until They Hire Some Black Designers 'To Be In Da Room When It Happens.''' He added ... "It's Obvious To Da Peoples That They Don't Have A Clue When It Comes To Racist, Blackface Hateful Imagery. WAKE UP."

Gucci apologized for its ridiculously offensive balaclava jumper and says it's been pulled from all stores. It also vowed to increase diversity across the company ... but Spike's clearly taking a wait and see approach.

As for Prada, you might recall its high-end Manhattan shop put a purse in its window in December with this "Sambo" figurine attached. It was also quickly pulled after cries of racism.

Still, both incidents beg the question ... who the hell's watching the shop???

Spike thinks he knows the answer, and says more black staffers have to be on board to help end the "coonery and buffoonery."

We reached out to both brands -- Prada has no comment and Gucci has yet to reply.

Pusha T is just like his partner in music, Kanye West, because we've learned he just signed a new partnership deal with Adidas that will line the rapper's pockets with stacks of cash.

Our sources say Pusha T is signing a new multi-year deal with the sportswear company, and we're told it's worth millions of dollars.

Pusha T and Adidas will continue working together developing products and content ... and it's the next big step for the rapper in his longstanding relationship with the stripes.

As you know ... his good buddy Kanye also hooked up with Adidas -- after Pusha, for the record -- and Ye famously said he's the "single highest paid person in footwear" ... claiming he's pulling in more cash than even Michael Jordan!

Pusha and Adidas started working together back in 2012, but the Grammy-nominated rap artist is gearing up to make an even bigger splash. Adidas says Pusha will be heavily involved with their EQT footwear series.

Kourtney Kardashian's dialing her fashion all the way back to the Renaissance period ... a shout out to Leonardo da Vinci that may or may not have him rolling in his grave.

The reality star stepped out Friday in NYC wearing this catsuit with the famous image of Mona Lisa plastered from neck to toe. She also flaunted some old-school Doc Martens. So, maybe she's going for a grunge look ... elevated even further by a trench coat.