After a Fashion
Where, when, and with whom was Your Style Avatar seen and whom did he see? Hmmmmm? And what about the Pope? Or Prince Charles? Hmmmm?
By Stephen MacMillan Moser, Fri., April 15, 2005
CATWALKING: First Thursday brought the Maximum FX fashion show on their terrace overlooking the chic SoCo strip. There was fun and fantasy galore, though the crowd acted like they'd never been to a fashion show before (lots of cell phone conversations, bad outfits, and chitchat). I didn't know a single one of them except for the great Maximum FX folks Friday was the Jhane Barnes & Patrick McMullan event at Capra & Cavelli. Designer Barnes showed off her new men's collection, and the charming Mr. McMullan, whose glorious photos decorate Vanity Fair and other top fashion publications, cordially made the rounds, chatted us up while taking pictures. Mostly we gossiped with, I mean mingled with, writer Mark Sullivan, singer/songwriter Michael Clay, Maristella Ostrewich, Cliff Redd, Alfred Robinson IV, the enchanting Leanne Raesener, and the glamorous Sara Fox, chair of this fall's fab Ballet Austin Gala Saturday night was the Sodalitas art show at the wonderful home of prominent psychiatrist Dr. Robert Cantu, whom I sat next to at the Sin City premiere. I practically drooled over the house, especially the gorgeous chandeliers, but the real treasure was the Sodalitas (www.sodalitasart.com)artwork, which combines the talents of Jana Swec, Joe Phillips, and Shea Little, imprinting all three individual styles into each piece The evening ended by attending the opening of the restaurant Arturo's Underground (314 W. 17th), which, among so many, attracted a large white-people-with-dreadlocks contingent. But the food from chef Jantszen was very good, especially the salsa, and the service was more than attentive.
FUNERAL RITES: Now, in honor of the Pope's funeral, we present the Popie Awards. The handsome and exquisitely dressed King Abdullah of Jordan won Best Dressed Monarch with his black tailcoat and vest with scarlet sash dripping with medals (a look co-opted by Michael Jackson); the gorgeous Jordanian delegation with their perfect tailoring won Best Dressed Posse; Cherie Blair won Best Mantilla; Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger won Best Gown; Best Posthumous Ensemble went to John Paul II himself; and Best Moment was the crowd, rallying themselves from their grief to boo when George W. Bush's picture appeared on the big screen. With so many young people in attendance, one ABC commentator said the funeral was being referred to as the Catholic Woodstock, but clearly there were distinctly fewer brown acid casualties.
THAT WEDDING: Meanwhile, back in Hooterville, Prince Charles married his leathery bag of bones, as he should have done long before the two of them went on their rampage of deceit and homewrecking. The quality of the event could be determined by the guest list, which included Joan Rivers (who knows a thing or two about looking leathery), as well as the man Charles cuckolded, Camilla's ex, Andrew Parker Bowles (who, due to his submissiveness while his wife destroyed Charles and Diana's marriage, was known as Andrew Park-Your-Balls). Perhaps undecided in their feelings, like much of the world, MSNBC took the high road, rerunning a telecast of Charles and Diana's wedding right before they telecast Charles and Camilla's.
OMIGOD: I had a horrendous experi-ence in bad service at Maudie's on Lake Austin Boulevard. Anyone close to me knows I love Maudie's at Davenport and especially the one on South Lamar, which is unquestionably my favorite Tex-Mex restaurant in a city that is swimmingwith them. But when my sister and I drop-ped into the original location for lunch, it was like another planet. Not a single aspect of the food or service was acceptable. The food, when it eventually arrived 45 minutes later, was cold. Then the waitress and manager wanted to argue with us. I kept looking for the cameras to prove it was a reality show stunt, but, alas, it was all too real. Needless to say we left in a snit, and drove directly to the south location where they do understand the basics of good customer service
OUT: Next Thursday, April 21, 5-8pm, Eliza Page, Austin's newest jewelry and accessories boutique (2026 S. Lamar, 445-9667), hosts its first Shop/Talk event with Austin artist Laura Gibson showing and discussing her MetalsGirl jewelry line (www.metalsgirl.com)at 6:15pm, and across the Horseshoe Lounge parking lot, 2040 Gallery (2040 S. Lamar, 912-0902) hosts Stella Alesi discussing the exhibition of her paintings at 7pm. Also a noted photographic portraitist, Mme. Alesi's work can be seen at www.stellaalesi.com. More info can be found at www.elizapage.com/shoptalks/april.shtml Saturday, April 23, 11am-8pm, Buffalo Exchange (2904 Guadalupe, 480-9922) presents Surf Day!, a free event and Dollar Day Sale benefiting the Surfrider Foundation. For further info, see www.buffaloexchange.com and www.surfrider.org Also on Saturday, Youth Interactive (www.youthinteractive.com) presents the Rockin' Family Fitness Fest, a creative event for all ages with an emphasis on health, nutrition, fitness, entertainment, art, and music. See www.rockinfitnessfest.com for more info. at Capra & Cavelli, on a tour of Texas with designer Jhane Barnes. McMullan is shown here with local photographer Matthew Fuller.