Usually, it would be a 21st birthday that is met with a huge celebration, but over at Dazed & Confused, clearly 20 is the milestone that is worth celebrating. 

The magazine celebrated its 20th birthday in style – by coming out with 20 different covers featuring 20 different faces on the cover of its special anniversary issue. Each cover has a gatefold pull out, which features 20 rising stars chosen by each cover star.

Top photographer – and Dazed & Confused co-founder – Rankin was on hand to photograph some of the hottest singing, modelling and acting talents, including the lovely Kate Moss, Chloe Sevigny, Bjork, Alicia Keys, Kelis and The Kills to name just a few.

All of the pictures have the same bold but somewhat eerie black and white shadow detail going on, which gives the magazine a unique and distinctive look. We would have personally gone with something more bright and celebratory, possibly with some balloons and a cake the way birthdays were meant to be, but we can’t say we don’t love what Rankin and the rest of the creative team came out with.

Check out all 20 covers in our gallery below – we’re good to you, like that – and let us know which one is your favourite.

[Show as slideshow]

[Coco Perez] [Images] 

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Alicia Keys has been a permanent figure on our style radar for the past few weeks, doubling up in designers like Givenchy and Dolce and Gabanna and looking utterly fabulous on every red carpet she graces.

Now, she’s been given the honour of a waxwork at Madame Tussauds in New York. We were unsure for a moment which one was the real Alicia, but the pale skintone of the waxwork gave the game away.

Whilst her doppelgänger looks fierce in all black leather, the real Alicia Keys stood out in a turquoise dress – for the wrong reasons, might we add.

Striking a pose, Alicia looked frumpy in a floaty turquoise dress with batwing sleeves and a frilled front. Whilst we love the bright colour, we’re unsure if the shape suits Alicia’s voluptuous figure – the tight material clings to her thighs and what are usually leg-lengthening nude heels make her look short and stout due to their strappy ankle detail.

We applaud her recent efforts, but Alicia, this one just ain’t cutting the sartorial mustard.

Do you agree? Cast your votes below!

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Alicia Keys seems to have a thing for wearing two designers to one event. A few weeks ago she wore Givenchy on the red carpet and on stage at the Keep a Child Alive Black Ball, and now she’s donning double designers again.

Alicia chose two Dolce & Gabanna dresses for the red carpet and her performance on stage at the BET awards on Sunday.

Wearing a stylish black draped jumpsuit with manish braces, she added a tailored white blazer for contrast and continued the monochrome theme with towering zebra print platforms, courtesy of Louboutin. A messy side pony tail ensured she didn’t look too polished, and a slick of red lipstick gave her a girlish edge.

On stage, Ms. Keys wowed in another black D&G ensemble, this time a raw-edged bustier and super-skinny bottoms. Knowing that every A-lister has to bare some bling, Alicia accessorised with a chunky gold harness that added a tough luxe appeal alongside her artfully messy fishtail plait.

But which of Alicia’s Dolce & Gabbana looks is best? Cast your votes below!

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We admit it – we were just a tad envious when we saw these photos of the amazing Alicia Keys. We mean, first she hosts the hottest charity music event of the year, then Givenchy dresses her for the red carpet – and gives her another for the stage.

Still, despite our jealousy, we can’t fault Alicia’s flawless style at the Keep a Child Alive Black Ball this week.

On the red carpet she wore a custom made Givenchy Haute Couture by Riccardo Tisci long black bustier dress embroidered with black ostrich feathers on the skirt. It’s stunning, of course, and to keep from looking too cuckoo in all her fabulous featheryness, she accessorised with a glittering gold metal belt, suede sandals and a black satin clutch.

Then, for her performance on stage, she continued the decadent statement in a short zipped black lace and silk dress from Givenchy by Riccardo Tisci’s spring 2011 collection, which she teamed with black bondage leather sandals.

What do we love most about Alicia’s two outfits? Her ability to change from sleek and sophisticated on the red carpet to soulful and sexy on stage, all thanks to a quick hair wash to gain some crazy-beautiful curls.

Two dresses, two hairstyles and one amazing voice – we’re definitely still jealous.

Which Alicia Keys dress do you prefer? Cast your votes below!

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We didn’t see this one coming. Alicia Keys is turning her creative hand to designing as she creates a line of jewellery with Gisele Theriault.

The soulful singer, who made it onto Vanity Fair’s best dressed list earlier this year, is teaming up with the renowned jewellery designer to launch The Barber’s Daughters Jewellery , a collection of silver jewellery with poetry inscriptions and prayers of Dr. Masaru Emoto, author of Hidden Messages in Water.

Set to launch in November, The Barber’s Daughters Jewellery, which is part of new company AK Worldwide, will appear in a pop-up shop for two days – 23rd and 24th , in lower Manhattan, with Ms Keys making an appearance on the second day, reports WWD.

We’ve had a little peek at the hand-crafted jewellery in all its rustic, natural glory, but we’re not entirely convinced , a few nice pieces, perhaps, but its very simplistic. Oh well, even if it doesn’t do so well, Alicia’s always got that Grammy Award winning career to fall back on…

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“To be fashionable is to be uncompromising to the things you love… “

- Sistahs Harlem New York

What do Alicia Keys, Cody Chestnutt and Jada Pinkett Smith have in common with Common? Apart from all being very fine people they all share a love for the phenomenon that is Sistahs Harlem New York. With a passion for fashion and sheer determination, Carmia Marshall and Carmen Webber took it in to their own hands to make a name for themselves. Starting in 2001 they have already dressed some of the most prestigious entertainers, and their collections of street couture continue to creatively grow from strength to strength. Coming soon are a line of Accessories and a Brothers Harlem New York and it looks like these Sistahs are set to make a very chic mark in the world that is fashion.

MFL: How do you decide upon the theme for each collection?

Carmia: There are many things that inspire a collection. Music. Friends. Family. Colors. Laughter. Books. Politics. We love to empower women (but we are not limited to solely empowering woman (smile). We love to educate. Our collections always have an educational lesson about something or someone. Our last fall collection was entitle Le Femme Du Monde ( High Society Woman) Our muse were Margaret Sanger, Assata Shukar, Zora Neal Hurston, Amy Tan, Tina Turner, all these woman, so different yet so influential and magnificent. We wanted to celebrate them. Our latest spring collection Afro-Cuban: The Africa in Cuba. We wanted to explore the African heritage in Cuba. Very festive, very colorful . . . Sometimes we sit over coffee and brainstorm; other times I may have an idea and I’ll call Carmen and say, “hey what do you think about this idea or vice versa. We may be having a conversation about trees and a new idea may be born.

Carmen: Themes are usually chosen by what moves me or what’s important to me or us as a team. We also like to bring some great knowledge through clothing even more we like to bring awareness to the forefront without it being “in your face”.

MFL: Do you ever have creative disagreements, and if so how do you manage to settle them?

Carmia: Strangely, we never have creative disagreements, we always manage to incorporate our ideas together. And, if we do have a disagreement, we will talk it out. We are like sistahs. We will find a way to make sure that we are both 150% happy with the design.

Carmen: Actually believe it or not we have had the wonderful fortune to not have those problems. Normally our disagreements pertain to the administration or business side of things.

MFL: One of the most famous quotes is “Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know which one your’e gonna get.” If you had to choose a box of chocolates that represented your life best which would it be?

Carmia: Chocolate, sugar in general, is my weakness. My box of chocolates would consist of every chocolate known to man, even chocolates that I do not like or may be unfamiliar with. It best reflects that I take the good with the bad and I make the BEST out of it!!!

Carmen: Although I love chocolates I am not a huge fan of boxed chocolates, however to answer your question I would say Godiva Chocolates mixed with those cheap drug store chocolates that come in the little tacky heart shaped box that your grandfather or in my case with my Southern roots, that my Papa would buy. You know the ones with the rum jell cherry fillings.

MFL: What role do you each play in the design process of a collection?

Carmia: I am the business personality; however, I do research and communicate my design ideas to Carmen. Being a wardrobe stylist, I have designs in my head. We are always on the same page. It’s scary. We complete each other’s sentences. Once we know, the theme, have sketches etc, etc. We put them into action, determining the cost of each collection. I handle Sistahs Harlem New York finances.

Carmen: As head designer I come up with design concepts that I like, however we collectively make the final decision on the line.

MFL: Which male and female celebrity would you crown best dressed?

Carmia: Gwen Stefani, Halle Berry, Erkah Badu, Oprah. Men: Lenny Kravitz, Common, Mos Def

Carmen: Actually we of course have celebrities that we have had the fortune to dress, however that is a hard question to answer because there are so very many celebrities that have great style. Tweet/Erykah Badu/N’dea Davenport/Gwen Stefani/Fatima Robinson/Nicole Kidman/ Angela Basset/Oprah/Mos Def/Commen/ Prince etc.

MFL: What’s the best piece of advice you’ve been given?

Carmia: I love inspirational quotations. They motivate me. Cliché as it may sound never give up. Be fearless as you pursue your dream do not let the unknown deter you. There is no such thing as failure. Failure is synonymous for learning lesson, learn and keep moving forward.

Carmen: Like what you do because if you are doing something for money. It will not pay off in the long run, never work for money let the money work for you.

Pieces from the Sistahs Harlem NY collection are available from the following locations

For more info visit www.sistahshny.com

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In my first deal I felt they wanted me to be
a clone of Mariah or Whitney, and I couldn’t
do that. I’m not the sequined dress type or
the high heeled type, or the all cleavage type.
I’m not coming like that for no one.
-Alicia Keys

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