Tonight’s the night party animals, and if you're like us, right about now you're freaking out about what to wear, where to get it, and how much to spend. In these tough economic times, who's got the dough to drop on elaborate costumes? Not too many of us. (Anyway, even the pricier ones always look cheap don’t they?) Save the headache of that last minute trip to Hollywood Toys & Costumes, and read on for quick, cute, comfortable and even clever ideas that require no more than digging through you're own closet or a jaunt to the drugstore, and see pics of the rockin' get-ups we snapped at Steel Panther (aka Metal Skool) at the Key Club this past Monday night and around Hollywood last week for inspiration.

Rainbow Brite. The '80s cartoon character is super easy for us gals with an already vibrant wardrobe. This hottie (shot at the Key Club) obviously bought hers, but you can make yours by wearing your most colorful dress, rainbow socks (on your legs and arms), anything with stars or glitter and ribbons in every color (do one or two big ponytails to complete the look). Bonus: this one’s a big hit in the streets of WeHo!

Read on...

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What could be better than a mortuary calendar with hot funeral industry men for each month? Not a whole lot, that's what. What is Men of Mortuaries? I'm not sure. It's something to do with charity and cancer. However, I'm too distracted by the buff guys who want to comfort me in my time of grief. You can apply to be in the calendar as well. If you're accepted, you'll get a little bio blurb like the other men. Perhaps it will say something like "Meet Chuck. He enjoys carpentry, taking his shirt off and working with dead people."

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In the spirit of Halloween (and the severed chocolate arm) and Mexican sugar skulls, here are some chocolate skulls. Will Thanksgiving bring the rest of the chocolate body? Only time will tell.

From top left: (1) Vosges has a Red Fire Skull with ancho chiles, a Barcelona skull with hickory smoked almonds and black sea salt eyes, and a Blanca skull with Venezuelan white chocolate, $8 each. (2) Chocolate Fantasies has chocolate body parts, including these Itty Bitty Chocolate Brains and Chocolate Dentures (which also come in lollipop format). (3) DL & Co's Mori Ex Cacao, translation "Death by Chocolate." At $65 for three skulls, make every lick count. They were made for Valentines, but maybe they're still in production? Dean and Deluca had them for a while. (4) Then there's this one by Chocolateskulls.com, cast from an actual human skull. I didn't think there was a way to make chocolate gross, but I stand corrected.

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It's a deer...in cashmere. Artist Rachel Denny apparently does custom does or bucks in different colors and knit textures. It costs $700. It's sort of like you caught a deer with your sweater. She's also got rabbits. But I'm really kind of over the whole rabbit thing. The deer, however. Brilliant.

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Any dude can throw on a dress, spew sassy one-liners, lip-sync the pop diva hit of the moment, and call themselves a queen. But real drag royalty, those who take performing to its most provocative and entertaining heights, are much fewer and further between. L.A.-based bitch goddess, Jackie Beat is definitely in the exclusive cross-dressin’ crew of drag performers as clever as they are camp and she’s got years under her waist-cincher to prove it, performing around the world (stand-up and music shows seen on Comedy Central, VH1 and MTV, tours with the likes of Roseanne Barr) and right here in L.A. at WeHo faves Hamburger Mary’s and Here.

This week, she the brings her vampy vox and skewering song stylings to the stage in Gruesome Twosome, a spooktacular Halloween show -with equally talented, dance-rock art tart Jer Ber Jones- at another of her haunts, Silver Lake’s Cavern Club. If it’s anywhere near the Holiday hi-jinx and hilarity we enjoyed at her X-mas show last year, prepare to laugh up a lung or two. We had a heart-warming chat with the witty/witchy wo(man) this week, and she spilled and thrilled us with everything from cheap makeup tips to Halloween costume ideas to her most shocking anthems to why dressing your kids up like KISS can turn ‘em into transvestites, sweet or otherwise. Read on, if you dare….

Read on...

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I put together this little assemblage of girls from Tokyo Fashion Week, which preceded our Fashion Week by one month. Must Tokyo so thoroughly kick our ass in the fashion creativity department? I mean, they've got drama and weirdness down, obviously. Like, what's with the pink crablike neck corsage on the girl to the far left? And is that a blue dinosaur skeleton toy on that girl's head? And don't even get me started on the mannequin with the yellow ears.

But all things considered, it would have been fantastic to see this sort of stuff here, in this city where imagination is king, and weirdness and drama are what happen when you wake up in the morning.

You would think that Japan has explored every possible variant of the Little Schoolgirl Thing, but check out the chick on the far right. So cute! And the pale Grecian/Beethoven ensemble on the lower right...adorable. Can we please put on our blue dinosaur skeleton head caps and get some surreality out here next time? Thanks.

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Fashion Week is already a distant memory, which means we can -- for a li'l while -- give the fabulous, blister-inducing footwear and edgy frocks a break. (Hello flip-flops!) But the creative looks seen at Box Eight's shows downtown won't be quickly forgotten, and we’re not even talkin' about the runway. Fashionistas and art-freaks alike came out for the 8 Factory's nightly presentations, and while most wore the obligatory black, there were still a handful of colorful n' quirky clothes-whores to behold. Here, some of the ballsiest out-of-the box babes we could find.

Undercover of the night.

Glam gal meets disco diva...

Black and white, and fierce all over.

He comes in colors everywhere.

Pink-lovin' power puff girls.

See this week's Nightranger for a review of Box Eight's runways, plus the cirque de sexpot spectacle that was the Maggie Barry show and a report for the VIP bash at Shin in Hollywood. Ogle the catwalk and more in our slideshow.

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Tuesday night the El Rey Theatre took a step back in time to host "A Night on the Town with Mad Men," a '60s-era variety act performed by the cast of the hit TV series.

"Mad Men" costume designer Janie Bryant lent her talents to outfitting the performers, and the red carpet was awash with glittery frocks and swanky suits.

Maggie Siff and Bryan Batt.

Melinda McGraw.

I love a good lounge act, but in truth it was the secretaries I was there to see. By day I am a secretary, and as far as I'm concerned the temperamental typists of "Mad Men" are the best reason to watch the show. And the show's lead secretary, Joan Holloway, is a real credit to the profession. With a stern glance and a swish of the hip, she manages to keep the high-spirited staff in check.

Read on...

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I saw this a couple days ago. Tried to forget it. But couldn't. Now here it is to embed itself into your very own retinas. It's a dead fox rendered in carpet. The maker, Ooms, says "The Road Kill carpet is a continues (sic) struggle between attraction and repulsion." Yeah. You think? My friend Kevin in high school had a tee shirt that detailed four different kinds of road kill, which I had to stare at at least once a week during AP English. This carpet reminds me of that shirt.

(via Apartment Therapy. Thanks AT! Thanks a lot!)

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Fashion Week is over now, but for my final Fashion Week post, I wanted to show you what was inside the goodie bags. Every designer, if you sit in the front two rows or so, gives out a goodie bag. Each night, I'd come home, deposit the bags on the floor and sort through the contents. This is a portion of what I accumulated after one week. My understanding is that LA's goodie bags are weak compared to virtually every other city's fashion week goodie bags. Or maybe IMG and Smashbox had senioritis, given that this is the last Fashion Week for them in LA for a while. In any case, people were carrying around $1,500 Chanel purses, but the bag to have was that purple Mercedes Benz/Smashbox Fashion Week el-cheapo $2 plastic made in China tote. People were rioting over that one.

My favorite goodie bag items were this Smart Glass necklace made from recycled bottles, a book entitled "Break Into Modeling For Under $20," and a bag of Market Street toffee (not pictured, already eaten). Some of the weirder items included this "Strapless G-String." You basically stick it on.

Members of the press were issued these neck badges. At first you hate it. Then accept it. Then like it. Then love it and need to be with it at all times. The back of it (shown here) has the schedule of shows. I wore it everyday and now feel a sick sense of attachment to it. I have an impulse to check the schedule every 20 minutes, even though I know nothing is coming up. That is called Fashion Week withdrawal.

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For spring, Amelia Toro is doing flowing dresses with butterfly prints and clean, white ankle-length dresses that look like night gowns. Her models walked the catwalk with birds in little cages and birds in their hair. Femininity is back in a big way. Toro did sweet, candy-striped jackets with black piping. The whole affair was sort of tropical, nature-fantasy-esque.

At her show, I sat in the second row behind Dean and Davis Factor, the heirs to the Max Factor makeup empire.

(I don't know who this model is, but she looks super cute in this dress.)

(Doesn't this dress look like the wing of a monarch butterfly? Also, that head outline on the right hand side is the back of Dean Factor's head. The Factor brothers own Smashbox Studios.)

(Sweet little jacket. A bit Coney Island candystriper.)

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Designer Samora showed a Paris-themed collection for Spring 09. Dresses with slim bodices and flowing, ruffly, pleated skirts. High-waisted pencil skirts. Palazzo pants. Again, pink seems to be a color for spring, but when isn't it? Samora's clothes this season are sort of what I imagine every American guy's fantasy about what rich, upperclass French women look like.

She played Parisian accordion music for the show. There was a bike with a basket of flowers at the top of the catwalk and a poster of the Eiffel Tower.

(striped dress)

(flouncy dresses)

(this suit is fabulous, but you have to have really skinny thighs to get away with that button and piping detailing)

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Why is it when there's something totally amazing that I need to take a picture of, a live WOLF for instance being walked by a model on a fashion runway, my camera chokes? This photo is blurry because the wolf was pulling the skinny model. It's at "The Green Initiative" show at Smashbox. It was the season's closing event. The line was around the block, a great thing for green fashion.

Emily Factor showed some flirty, ruffly dresses, all in eco-conscious fabrics. M the Movement showed menswear. We know the stuff is comfortable because the guys were doing hand-stands and jumping around like frogs. EcoSkin did slinky gowns and dresses and skirt and top separates. One of the Smart Glass designs by Kathleen Plate (who did the show's jewelry) was this amazing dress made out of slivers of recycled glass bottles. I'm not sure where you'd wear it, or how careful you have to be not to break it, but it was very pretty. For eco-aware Vegas strippers, saving the world one lapdance at a time?

All in all, it's nice to see eco stuff looking modern and fashion forward. If only eco consciousness could be a given for designers, and not the exception. But it's a start.

And of course, no fashion week would be complete without a sighting of...Bai Ling. Of course, her photo is super in-focus. I hate my camera.

(model with wolf)

(model with snake)

(glass dress...careful where you sit!)

(hello bai!)

(m the movement breakdancers)

(tribal dancers)

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Planning outfits for a night on the town can tough, but during Fashion Week in LA, it's especially treacherous. You wanna look good and somewhat "on-trend," but not like you're trying too hard. If you do go for the gold -i.e. glam it out and stand out- ya better make sure you're pulling off whatever wild get-up you throw together, or you'll get noticed for being a victim not a vamp.

LBDs (more clubby than chic, but still cute) at The Hollywood Life Awards.
Best part about black? You can go nuts with the shoes!

Perhaps these concerns are the reason so many in fashion capitals like New York and Paris -and yes Los Angeles- opt for all black looks when attending shows. This season, we haven't been crowding into the "official" slew of runway presentations at Smashbox Studios so we don't know if that's been the case -that grueling task has gone to Gendy Alimurung, whose extensive coverage here on Style Council and in the paper has been fun and fascinating indeed- but we're guessing it was Back in Black as usual beyond the front row.

We've been checking out "out of the box" happenings (read all about two of the best in this week's Nightranger and see 'em -along with some Rocky Horrorific looks- in this week's slideshow) and the looks on both runway and in the crowds we've seen have been quite inspired. Though we must say, we are pretty sick of the still-lingering '80's references.

The outest lesbian from America's Next Top Model,
Kim Stolz, in a new wavey striped get-up, interviewing
Eve at the Hollywood Life Awards. (Nice MTV gig).

Surprisingly, (or maybe not) some of the more amusing looks on patrons was at a starlet-soaked event. The Hollywood Life Style Awards at Pacific Design Center gave out trophies to B-listers like Sophia Bush and Eve for their looks, as well as Ludacris (who got props for his "Green" lifestyle, to which he explained quite eloquently, "When you grow up in the hood, the idea of 'reuse and recycle' goes without saying.. the jelly jar becomes a juice glass, and the grease from your fried chicken cooks meals for the rest of the week.") We struggled growing up and he's so right on that one.

Anyway, the party had lots of sexy LBDs (like those on the hotties in first photo) but there were also some great splashes of color and high-end designer looks (loaned we're sure) floating around the after-party. Even some designers themselves came out, including sequin master to the stars Bob Mackie.

Cher & current Tina Turner tour designer Bob
Mackie gets his trophy from pal Mitzi Gaynor.

But our pick for cutest and quirkiest look goes to Jane Bryant (left) who won for her work as costume designer on the retro-cool cable show Mad Men. Her 80's (okay, in this case we liked it) meets 50's mini-gown fit her to a T, and definitely stood out in the crowd...in a good way. Unfortunately, this pic does not show the super-hot red shoes she wore, but take our word for it, the contrasty pops of color worked.

In fact we're thinking of copping the blue frock/red shoe thing tonight when we attend the Brian Lichtenberg show at Box Eight....

Or maybe we'll just wear a black.

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Christian Audigier, the king of the Ed Hardy empire and moving force behind the Von Dutch brand, is a master showman. At his Spring 09 show, entitled "American Lord," models walked on a runway lined with live grass. Two British guards with big black poufy hats stood at attention then began dancing as the music swelled. Models in distressed, screen printed, blinged-out, shredded jeans strutted in green and red top hats with massive Great Dane hounds in tow. Children waved American flags.

The clothes are signature Audigier: a mashup of graphic symbols, glitter, rhinestones and denim, this time with pleated plaid kilts, stretch leggings, tartain trousers, and tartan tights. The girls are rock and roll princesses, the troublesome wild children of an aristocratic family, freshly rolled out of a dumpster, tiara still stuck in their bedraggled hair after a night out clubbing with the rich and famous. They guys are heirs to the throne who crash their Ferraris every couple of weeks then go out to buy another.

When you boil away the circus antics--the dancing children, the dogs, the smoke and mirrors, even the cloud of glitter that exploded at the show's climax heralding the arrival of Emperor Audigier himself--you're left with very basic, ambitiously priced items, bedazzled with exuberant graphics. That Audigier's come up with a way to sell a hoodie for $300 is testament to his genius. As was the show. Depending on your level of cynicism, it either represents everything wrong with American decadence, commercialism and excess, or is a jolly good time. I'm pretty cynical, so I think it's both.

Heidi Klum, who watched with a serious expression from the front row, smiled enigmatically when a girl in black sequined leggings came out.

(the grass runway)

(songlist to the show)

(a tiny bit of Heidi's golden locks)

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People kept asking me "Who is Debra Davenport?" and I kept having to say, "I'm not sure." A bit of googling reveals that she is the CEO of a luxury women's fashion house headquartered in Phoenix Arizona. HauteAZ tells us "She received her B.A. at the age of 19, her M.A. degree at the age of 21, and ultimately earned her doctorate in 2002," so Ms. Davenport is apparently a brainiac. What do brainiac CEO's in Arizona wear? Fairly conservative stuff, as you'd expect.

"What is that material...suede?" asked reality TV star Chad Tulik, who was in Season 2 of Tila Tequila's MTV show, who broke a guy's jaw on camera and won a Best Fight award, and who sat next to me decked out in head-to-toe Ed Hardy gear watching the proper corporate executive lady fashions going by. "Looking at pretty girls always makes me want to buy pretty dresses for someone," he added, scratching his mohawk. Chad, the material is not suede. It is silk noil.

"You're going to write 'the clothes were green and simple,' aren't you," he said. No. The clothes were teal, cement grey, dusky seal brown, crisp white, and culottes with belts, and basketweave collared shirts...and simple. Nothing revelatory or earth shattering. Ready to wear epitomized.

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Crispin & Basilio, the line by Donny Barrios, is the kind of stuff you wear when you want to exude a relaxed, chic, slightly preppy air, yet not appear like you purchased the entire J. Crew catalog. Barrios's clothes are casual, fresh and clean looking, with construction interesting enough that you'll want to keep them around for many seasons to come.

Spring 09 to him means a palette of pale pearl greys, stingray browns, bisques, antique whites, blushing tans and corals. It means culottes, drape-y tulip dresses, woven skirts, and silk crepe boyfriend vests. If these clothes are machine washable, then I'd say to them let's get married. Let's elope to Barbados. I'll wear Barrios's version of the Little Black Dress, with the cap sleeves alighting upon the shoulders like bird wings.

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Elmer Ave is what Gatsby would wear if he were into punk and black eyeliner. Pinstripe denim jeans over boots with spats (yes, Victorian spats!). Jackets--mens and womens--impeccably tailored to within an inch of their lives...then mucked up on the back with spraypaint and anarchy. Military coats worn over crisp white long sleeve shirts with the cuffs hanging out. The model saluted the photographers, while another model flipped them off.

This line is one of my Fashion Week favorites. Mainly for the way it plays with male tropes and archetypes, yet keeps the craftsmanship up to snuff (with just a bit of punk-gothyness). Your average aggressively heterosexual male isn't going to wear skin-tight bermuda shorts with suspenders, but the world would no doubt be a better place if he did.

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Beach Bunny Swimwear couldn't have been more appropriately named. Unless you called it something like "What Hot Chicks Wear When They Pretend To Swim, Though What Are These Designs Doing At A Supposedly High-Fashion Event" Swimwear Collection. This show was extremely well attended. Some of the bunnies wore mittens with their bikinis.

I'm fairly disturbed by the placement of the ring on the black bikini bottom (shown below). And by disturbed I mean curious. And by curious I mean...wow. It's probably to clip your keys onto, right? So when you go swimming, you don't lose them in the ocean? The big, bad mean ocean that wants to swallow up unsuspecting bunnies whole and get their hair all wet.

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Julia Clancey was about flowing silhouettes and a kind of breezy, beachy Art Deco look. Kaftans with rhinestone details. Mini dresses in white, turquoise, lemon and orange sorbet. Hip-grazing, mod-ish 60's shifts worn with scarves tied around the head, ensembles Jackie O. and her sister might choose to lounge about in while spending a day at St. Tropez. Also reminiscent of Edward Gorey's flapper ladies, only with sunshine and popsicles instead of bats and death.

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The velvet ropes, that is. I was prepared to give "The Hills" reality telvision star-turned-designer LC a fair shake. Evaluate her designs on their own terms. Nevermind the rumors that she doesn't do any of the actual designing herself. Nevermind the lackluster critical reaction to the previous season.

Had it not been for the stampede at the check-in desk, the crush of people with valid tickets to the show being turned away at the last minute. Had it not been for security letting in everyone who claimed to have once had a cocktail with Lauren at Le Deux. Had it not been for the fire marshall declaring absolutely, positively no more humans are fitting into the space (giving whole new meaning to the name Smashbox), and turning away press, LC's close personal friends, and sponsors--you know, the people who give her money--alike. You might have read a review of her clothes right here.

I might have liked them. I might not. I might have not wound up standing in the parking lot with one of the models from America's Next Top Model, waiting for the valet to bring around our cars. You might not have had to look at this picture of Lauren Conrad, with a cat. Such are the tragedies of Fashion Week.

Alas.

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That Whitley Kros! She's so hip, clever, funky, and well-traveled. She's kooky about how she mixes her prints, but she always looks good despite herself. For spring/summer 2009, she's wearing Africa-inspired chambray jumpsuits, tunic dresses, dip-dyed tanks, bloomers, and chiffon dresses. As her website says, she's "comfortable in cafes, or standing at the sea." She slips tiny handwritten poems into books and lives out of her satchel. Was she at her fashion show tonight? No.

Why? Because Whitley Kros is not a real girl.

She is not even a human. She is an imaginary muse cooked up by designers Marissa Ribisi (a.k.a. Giovanni's twin sister and Beck's wife) and Sophia Banks. "The concept for the line is if everything fell out of her suitcase what you would see," Ribisi said in an interview once. This was the show everyone was looking forward to tonight. Whitley Kros is a Gossip Girl favorite. The entire idea is a slam dunk, really. Since what is more alluring, more bedeviling and capitvating than a pretty girl who is so cool and perfect and effortlessly stylish she doesn't even exist.

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The Sheiki Collection was all about (1) jeans, (2) rock and roll, and (3) hooker hair. The girls wore tee shirts that said "Life Fast, Die Pretty." Your mother does not want you to wear these outfits. These are outfits you would wear to a bar fight or backstage at a Van Halen concert. This is not a bad thing.

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Kevan Hall is known for his red carpet gowns. Backstage, just before the show, as models were getting dressed and made up and having their boobs taped into place, I barely even noticed the gowns on the racks. It's amazing that clothes that look sort of lackluster on a hanger really come to life on a body. Asked which of his designs he thought would sell the best this season, Hall said probably the daywear he's now moving into producing. I think he's right. He sent out an abundance of classic little society dresses, with girls in smart, structured berets.

Gowns were fluid, a la Harlow, Garbo and Dietrich.

The crowd clapped when this woman in ivory crinkled chiffon tunic and silk pencil pants came out. And only partly because you could see her nipple through her shirt.

Who was there? The Mayor arrived to a barrage of strobe lights. Of course evening gowns take priority over stuff like, oh, running the city. But hey, these dresses are just about perfect. As are the unsmiling girls wearing faraway expressions.

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The other night was more Gen Art. Again at the Petersen Automotive Museum. Eight new designers showed collections, six womenswear (Nanushka, Quail, Peonie, Wayf, Laeken, Maxine Dillon) and two menswear (Wayne Hadly, KZO). My favorites were KZO and Laeken.

This is KZO. It's designed by a bashful young man named Joel K. The men sort of looked like they were futuristic, grunge warriors. One guy was shrouded in head-to-toe flannel, as if he'd run through Kurt Cobain's laundry line in a desert sand storm. I'd also like to report that Doc Martens are back. Maybe this is the beginning of a 90's resurgence.

This is my absolute favorite look of the evening, from Laeken. The girl is wearing oversized eyeglasses, a black bubble short-jumper-shirt thingy with a drawstring waist. It's simple, understated, comfy-seeming, and sexy in a librarian Lolita visits the beach way.

These are some other looks from the show. The girl in pink is wearing Quail. The guy in pink is in Wayne Hadly. The swimsuits, worn by the women with the perfect figures, are by Peonie. When the girl in the long, columnar white skirt by Wayf came out, she could barely walk. "My grandmother has a house dress just like that," said my seatmate when one of the Nanushka models came out in a peach tank dress.

Oh, while guests were waiting to be seated, one of the bits of entertainment that kept people scratching their heads was this woman in a plexiglass box. She was pretending to be a cat-burglar trying to steal some jewels. She crept around the enclosure, in an Irma Vep-ish black catsuit and mask, with a plastic gun, while muttering into an earpiece. She did that for what seems like hours. Imagine having that on your resume: Cat Burglar in Plastic Box at Fashion Show. It's a step up from Disneyland Jungle Cruise Boat Guide, but not much.

Event host Mandy Moore was hanging out in the VIP area giving an interview to Extra TV. People accreted around her, trying not to look like they were accreting while casting secret glances at her in all her gorgeous tallness, which made it look like Mandy was being snubbed by a crowd who'd gathered around for the express purpose of ignoring her. I've captured her here looking rather like a squirrel. I'll attribute that to my inability to take a focused picture despite a $500 camera and to her girlish charm.

This coming Thursday, I'll have a more thorough debriefing of the events at Fashion Week in our print edition. I'll be posting more each day of Fashion Week right here on this blog. I would have posted this last night, except in a misguided bid to blend in with the crowd, I wore stilettos to the show (big mistake) and came home with blisters so big Kate Moss could have had a Jacuzzi bath in them. I came home, ministered to the battle wounds, curled up into a fetal ball and went to sleep.

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Every October for the past several years, Fashion Week in Los Angeles begins with the Gen Art show. Actually, it begins properly in September with people going on diets and many frantic emails between fashion reporters, stylists, buyers, and publicists, with a deluge of invitations in the mail, and with a general sense of excitement/foreboding/anxiety/elation about the gorgeous shows to come and the models who will by necessity be thinner and prettier than you no matter how many cupcakes you sacrifice.

Anyway, Gen Art is the organization that typically launches the hottest designers in this city. They also run the Project Runway casting calls. If there is a designer whose name you recognize from LA, chances are they were Gen Art alumni: Tarina Tarantino, Grey Ant, Jeffrey Sebelia.

Four designers--all with some kind of eco or sustainability angle to their clothes--showed at the Gen Art "Fashionably Natural" show at the Petersen Automotive Museum: Velvet Leaf, Brigid Catiis, Popomomo, and The Battalion.

Waiting for the runway show to begin, I stood next to three very young, very thin, very pretty Vogue girls. I can’t be sure, but I think they were interns.

The already dim lights dimmed some more, and we scrambled into our seats. Actress Maggie Gyllenhaal popped out for a few seconds, indicated the backstage area and said in her deep, caramelly voice, “There’s lots of girls in short skirts waiting to come out.”

Velvet Leaf’s Spring and Summer 2009 collection is called “A Geometric Revolution.” There are lots of girly babydoll dresses in pale tones with large primary color circles on them. Some of the dresses, the ones in gold with big red circles on the front with little lapis lazuli accents, remind me of Egyptian scarab beetles.

In Popomomo’s collection, “Searching For Aesthetic Utopias”, the models wear socks with their high heels and trouser length nylons, the nude kind like you buy at CVS, pulled up to their calves, a nerdy effect which I’ve just now decided I like.

The girls look as if it’s the 1940’s, and they’ve just started getting dressed (or undressed) and are halfway through when they have to go answer the door or something. Popomomo also did, to the delight of the straight men in the audience, a micro, micro, micro mini butt-cleavage revealing skirt called the “Less Than Zero Skirt.” Because it takes almost zero fabric to make it? Because you have to be less than size 0 to wear it? Because you feel like you’re wearing practically nothing while in it?

The Battalion did a Spanish flamenco dancer thing, which concluded with this magnificent white flowing gown. It's made out of bamboo jersey. It made me think of mosques and Morocco for some reason. And ghosts.

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Couple last-minute parties to tell our lovely SC readers about.

Over at the Fonda Friday night, Dos Equis is throwing a bash featuring the burlesque babes from Rock & Roll Strip Show, plus The Johnn​y Fayva​ show and host Jim Rose (of Circus Sideshow fame). Obviously this one's got a lot going on. We got two different flyers for the party, one from the RnR babes and one from club promoters (David and David) touting DJ Chris Holmes. Should be an "interesting" mix of peeps.

Not that the crowd matters. The girls are hot, the sounds should be cool, and the booze will be free! No word on if the old guy from the commercials will be there (but let us take this opportunity to say "the most interesting man in the world" is hot... not!) See flyers below and stay thirsty my friends. RSVP at: DandDrsvp@mac.com

This Sunday, a unique kick-off to LA Fashion Week will do down via designer/artist Bettina Hubby's "CoTour" fashion show/bus tour around the Eastside of Los Angeles. Seats on the bus are limited (and are $250 a pop) but the after-party at groovy home design shop A+R is free. Mama Tamales and Silver Lake wine will be available and the creations will also be displayed and available for purchase in the designer's pop-up shop in the Silver Lake space. DJ SUN, Aardvark Letterpress (printing the map of the tour for guests), Belvedere Vodka and Izza soda are also on tap.

The pop-up shop will be open at A+R for two weeks following the party until November 2 (hours: Thurs-Sun.12-6pm). A+R Store, 1716 Silverlake Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90026 (323) 913-9558. www.aplusrstore.com

See the flyer below for tour info. Party portion open to all...

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Fashion Detour Ahead: Dreary weather made for some creative clothing ensembles at the LA Weekly Detour Music Fest last Saturday. Seen pounding the pavement at the outdoor gathering in the streets of downtown- scarves, knit hats, leg-warmers and the ubiquitous hoodie.

Velvet Margarita's Big Daddy Carlos was one of few who chose a less-covered look, though he was sweating it up serving yummy Mexican food like mole, frijoles and tacos de CABRON (see the tee) in the VIP section.

With the clouds in the sky, out came the coats, tights and boots too.
Hello Fall!

There was lots of look-at-me layered get-ups too.

From punky...

To gyspy-esque...
(one guess who they came to see)

To artsy and heavily adorned...

Check out Detour music coverage here.
See Nightranger this week featuring reports from Bootie LA (featuring Detour's Silent Disco DJ Paul V), Medusa Lounge and Rancid, plus club closure news and even some early Halloween happenings.
See the slideshow here.

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So, recently this mysterious chocolate arm arrived in the mail. My cubicle-mates all coveted the arm. Some tried to steal it outright. Some gnawed off its fingers. One person claimed the thumb, which we cut off and left on his desk. There were many questions. Here are the F.A.Q.'s:

What the hell is it?

It's a life-size arm made of chocolate.

Who sent it to you?

The people who make AXE cologne.

Why?

Because they have a new cologne scented like chocolate called "Dark Temptation." The girls in our office sprayed it around the room. It smelled like chocolate and men. Some people liked it and made erotic moaning noises. Some people hated it. According to AXE's PR, it's becoming the number one selling scent of the brand.

Are you a shill for the AXE corporation?

No. But I do like chocolate. And I've seen the movie "Alive" more than once. And if I were stranded on a desert island and you were the only other human around and there were no food, I would totally cannibalize you.

Are publicists always sending you body parts as swag?

Yes. Okay, no. But this type of thing is not unheard of. Several years ago, the Beverly Center had rats in it. They exterminated the rats, and to let people know that the rats were gone, their publicists sent out press releases attached to gummy rats in coffins. True story.

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As a 30-something grown up woman who still keeps her babyhood teddy within reach at all times (despite bawl baths, matted and pilled fur and a loose plastic eye, he’s aged quite well!) we definitely understand the joy and comfort a soft n’ fuzzy creature can provide. Stuffed and plush animals and dolls evoke innocence, nostalgia and crafty cool -and something else entirely (“plushy and furry” fetishists actually find ‘em a turn-on). But whether they’re classically cute, unconventionally quirky ( ie “Ugly Dolls”) or just plain weird, they always beg to be touched.

Keeping your hands off of the adorable pieces exhibited at Super Plush, Ghetto Gloss Gallery's current art show curated by Mr. Funky’s Narumi Agawa, will be tough, but its ridiculous cuteness is so fun to look at, it's worth the restraint. Or, just buy a couple to take home and squeeze away all ya want…

Mr. Funky

Enjoy this little lookee at the sweet handmade lovies below and see more of the collection here. And check out Mr. Funky’s fashionably cozy creations (we heart the knit hats) or learn how to make the Amigurumi (Japanese for crochet dolls) style toys and stylish wares yourself in Nagwa’s book, "Super Crochet Wonderful," all available here.

Chikagraphy

Rock Scissor Paper

Revoluzzza

Heidi Kenney

SUPER PLUSH AT GHETTO GLOSS EXTENDED THROUGH OCT. 14! CALL FOR HOURS.

Wanna really get to the knitty gritty? LA's coolest crochet house, Atwater Village's The Little Knittery (where Ogawa has taught classes), has weekly instruction including a class this Sunday that’ll teach ya how to needle up this sweet Halloween bat. It's not one of Ogawa's, but it's still pretty fly.

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It's October, the creepy month! Etsy, the Ebay equivalent for handmade stuff, has some fine selections for Halloween. Foremost among them, this "Instant Cemetery Display." The paper tombstones come in a can.

This "Floral Skull Necklace" is pretty...disturbing.

Or how about a Tutu for Dog or Cat? My cats would kill me if I tried to tutu them.

These Hemoglobin Skeleton Hand Soaps are lovely. Good for hostess gifts at a housewarming. When you wash your body, the soap dissolves and you're left with a bony plastic hand.

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Thursday night Canadian shoe designer John Fluevog was in town to host a celebration for the 5 year anniversary of his Los Angeles store. The occasion was marked by a complete re-modeling of the Melrose avenue location, and the unveiling of a limited-edition "Melrose" boot.

The affable Fluevog with his Los Angeles-inspired creation.

Partygoers were treated to a preview of the Spring 2009 collection, providing us with plenty of new Fluevog designs to covet.

The "Mini Zaza"

The "Operettas"

The limited-edition "Melrose" boot. The magenta color will only be available in the Los Angeles store.

Dunno what it's called, but I want it.

For the fellas

The "Wearever Gracias"

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Our trip to Disneyland last week offered a sneak peak of the park’s Halloween makeover (fans of The Nightmare Before Christmas MUST check out the Haunted House this month!) but it also saw a near miss meeting with one of the tabloid world’s most obsessed-about twosomes (and the trail of paparazzi who flashed ‘em all over the park). Lindsay Lohan and Samantha Ronson happened to pop into the happiest place on earth on the exact day we did, and though we never saw them in person, the next day these pics of ‘em were all over the net.

Cool Jack Skellington ears! Photo from Gossip Girls.

A few notes on their ensembles. It was seriously like a 100 degrees that day. So hot in fact, that we actually bought a dress at one of the Disney shops (purple with tiny Mickey trim) for relief from the broiling Rock & Republic blue jeans we wore there. This duo look cute in their matching skinny denims, but they had to be uncomfortably hot!

As for the flannels, these plaid shirts are a butchy staple, yes, but we’ve been seeing more and more of ‘em when we go out on both boys and ghouls (straight and gay). As the weather gets chillier, we predict the flannel will finally have the resurgence that’s been threatening to rear its grungy head for a few seasons now. Especially with these pics seen everywhere (including the cover of OK! mag this week, which essentially outs LL… again).

Speaking of “outings” Disney will surely see lots more flannel, not to mention rainbow accessories, when the annual homo hoedown called Gay Days takes over the park today, Oct. 3 through Oct. 5.

At last year's Gay Days: Momma is the queen of the ball as always (and is that Jenny Shimizu at her lap?)
Photo from gaydaysanaheim.com.

There’s been tons of talk on the blogs about Miley Cyrus “kicking out” the queers from the park on Sunday so she can host her own private birthday, but, according to the Gay Days website anyway, it’s a non issue. Here’s what they have to say:

“Yes, Miley Cyrus is having her birthday at Disneyland on Sunday, October 5 and Disneyland will be closing at 5pm that day. That's our scheduled day at Disney's California Adventure so we don't foresee any changes to Gay Days Anaheim. Although we would love her to come sing for us!”

Check out the Gay Days site for the complete G.D. schedule (with parties galore at Downtown Disney and the adjacent hotels, including one with our pal Momma (pictured in red above) hosting and Club Tigerheat’s Ray Rhodes on the decks!)…. Wish we were going!

We love Tigerheat. In fact, the club is part of this slideshow and accompanying piece in the LA Weekly’s Best of LA issue. Nightranger took a break this week, but pick up the very special edition of the paper featuring our staff’s “classic” bests in the city. In addition to “Clubs for girls who like boys who like to be girls,” this LL covered everything from “How to Get a Deal on Robertson Blvd” to “Best Club Makeovers.” Check it out all over the site, but be sure to pick up the glossy paper itself too. It's a keeper folks.

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Sportswear enthusiasts and fans of British gangster flicks arrived for Nike Sportswear at the Montalbán on Vine in their finest kicks Tuesday night for a screening of Guy Ritchie's latest film, RocknRolla. Nike Dunks and stilettos were the prevailing footwear of choice, complimented by spandex leggings and skinny jeans.

Photograph by Shannon Cottrell.

Over the past two months Nike Sportswear has inhabited the historic Hollywood theater as a retail store and a community events center, outfitting the space in classic Nike T's and bright collections of shoes. The theater hosts free movies curated by Flux on Tuesday nights, and Sports on Stage every Sunday, when the movie screen is tucked away and young community members gather on the old stage to play organized sports.

Photograph by Shannon Cottrell.

Nike Sportswear at the Montalbán is nothing short of a creative collaboration, with walls papered in designs by L.A. artist Geoff McFetridge, a studio upstairs where customers can create their own pair of shoes, and a special edition series of Dunk Highs inspired by the recent street-art documentary Beautiful Losers lining the regal staircase.

Photograph by Shannon Cottrell.

Read on...

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