MOMOKO NO JOKE-O Last Saturday's extraordinarily ambitious
Momoko Japanese Fashion Show co-coordinated with
Jessica Scheick came off well in spite of numerous hitches. Aside from the fact that they had never produced a fashion show before, and that there was a lot of organizational problems and unfortunate in-fighting, they pulled off a fairly respectable event. It was suggested we arrive at 6:45 for a 7pm dinner and an 8pm show. We'll stop with saying that, while the food was delicious, it was still being served at 9:45. But once things got going, the show was pretty fun. The emcee,
Club DeVille's infamous Tuesday nights karaoke host
Emily Fawcett (with her proud parents in attendance), looked fabulous with her amazing new figure and amazing hair -- a one-sided cascade of beautifully highlighted curls tumbling over her shoulder. The omnipresent
Bob Sherman, along with his able-bodied (and shirtless) assistant,
Seabrook Jones, handled the technical end -- filming and projecting what was going on inside to a large screen outside. Hair was styled by the wonderful
Pink girls and the pros at
Maximum FX; the divine Kathy Miller, as well as Stacey Pridham and Pink, crafted the make-up. Momoko showed cute Japanese animal-themed T-shirts, and some spectacular kimonos. The always gracious
Jane Vanesko-McCann showed a sampling of the dreamy and lovely clothes that she buys for her store,
Shiki: fluttery chiffon halters and contemporary dresses.
Pangea Trading Co. offered fairly typical club-type clothes -- not unusually distinguished, but there were a couple of really beautiful dresses.
Judy Masliyah was the finale -- Victorian-inspired corsets and skirts in delicious candybox colors -- so original and gorgeous. The
real star of the show proved to be model-turned-designer
Summer Lawson, who swears she's
never designing a collection again. It was a stunning first effort -- her collection was the best debut I've seen yet in Austin. Her Lolita-inspired designs with their
j-rock background (we've talked about this before, in the July 13 column) were an eye-popping combination of color, texture, and styling. Utilizing a classic baby-doll look, she presented a profusion of velvet, lace, and satin, petticoats, puffed sleeves and bows, paired with striped stockings, sky-scraping platform shoes, and massive hair. The make-up by Summer and hair designs by Summer and hairdresser extraordinaire
Phillip Thomas were incredibly creative and original and complemented the clothes perfectly. As they say, she has "the eye." And despite her protestations to the contrary, I'll think we'll be seeing a lot more design work from her. Remember, Summer: Producing a collection is
not the same thing as preparing for a major fashion show. If you keep them separate, the amount of work will be more manageable. (It amazes me that one unnamed photographer who considers Summer part of his chosen "family" declares that there is
no fashion scene in Austin, and that we're all just delusional. What a slap in the face to so many members of his "family" who are prominent hairdressers, models, and designers. The best thing I can say about that, is that
that attitude will free him up to pursue other work in the music scene --
if he believes there is indeed one here.)
SATURDAY From San Antonio, we hear of an intriguing affair, the Pageant of Divine Right. A major goth extravaganza featuring a male and female beauty pageant, and many other attractions will be held Aug. 4. Check out their Web site at PraxisProd.com, or contact Pandora Lyrael: 210/724-0636, or [email protected].
TONIGHT! PR whiz Jennifer Hill tells us of the Texas Fine Arts Association's Spin-Art Party at the Jones Center for Contemporary Art, tonight, Aug. 2, 6-8pm. Eat, drink, and be merry to the tunes of DJ Faith Guy, while perusing the cutting-edge art, and creating spin-art of your own. Omigod, I love spin-art! 512/453-5312.
ALSO TONIGHT! Aug. 2 is First Thursday on the chic SoCo strip, with merchants staying open until 10pm and providing all sorts of entertainment. One of tonight's notable events will be New Bohemia's Pin Up PJ Party. Engineered by the illustrious Ruby Lamb, it will feature models wearing vintage lingerie and loungewear, and encourages patrons to do the same.
RECIPROCITY So nice to see my name two weeks in a row in the vaunted "Dancing About Architecture" column ("of all places!"). So I thought I'd mention this unlikely candidate in "After a Fashion" ("of all places!"). Ken Lieck.
