Top model Lulu Tenney is styled by Katie Burnett in ‘Lady Stardust’ lensed by Oliver Hadlee Pearch [IG] for Harper’s Bazaar France [IG] November 2024./ Hair by Mustafa Yanaz; makeup by Yadim

‘Lady Stardust’ is a reference to Ziggy Stardust, a fictional character who served as David Bowie’s stage persona during 1972 and 1973. His song ‘Lady Stardust’ is the central piece of the narrative of the album ‘The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars’.

The song ‘Lady Stardust’ presents a complete "birth-to-death chronology" of the Ziggy character, who arrived on Earth as an androgynous alien rock star. With an impending apocalyptic disaster facing planet Earth, Ziggy’s purpose was to deliver a message of hope to a planet dying over a lack of natural resources.

Finding himself accumulating a large fan base, who worshipped him as a messiah, Ziggy became obsessed with the idea of achieving intergalactic stardom. Eventually he dies as a victim of excess, torn apart on stage by higher forces arriving to put a stop to his growing fantasies of self-grandeur.

Bowie’s character was inspired by English rock 'n' roll singer Vince Taylor, known to Bowie after a mental breakdown. Taylor was coupled with the persona of Iggy Pop and the music of Lou Reed and his band The Velvet Underground at a time when Bowie spent a lot of time in New York City.