After a Fashion

Estilo celebrates five years of making Austin fashionable. (Photo by Seabrook Jones/www.juicythis.com)

THE REPORT CARD There was a time a few years ago when Bella was the most fashionable salon in Austin. But then it sort of dropped off the map amid a flurry of hot new salons that were popping up around Austin like mushrooms on a meadow muffin after a spring rain. Now Bella is back – re-energized, redesigned, and raring to go. I needed some serious head-to-toe grooming to get my carcass in shape for the fall season, and when my friend Roggie Baer mentioned that she was going to Bella for a facial before we attended the Tribeza men's fashion show, I jumped on the phone and booked myself in too – for a facial and much more. Long story short? It was the best spa/salon experience I've had in years. Really. Hair by Blake James, mani/pedi by Mie (pronounced "me-ay"), face and brows by Carrie Heiner-Berry, and massage by Miss Shelby. I give it an A+... Ever since I'd heard that Tribeza's Style Week was including a men's fashion show this year, I was excited. There's little men's fashion in Austin, so this was indeed a departure. Held at the ND at 501 Studios, the Rock + Runway was not rocking at all. It was a somber, deadpan show. In a nightclub setting (no seating, which I loathe). With deeply boring selections from Service Menswear, Estilo, and Stag. Worse than the deadly boring clothes was the presentation itself. The layout was hardly ideal, with the models doing the zombie walk across a stage and back again. I love zombie models, I really do. No expressions, no spirit, and no indication that anyone's watching them. They hark back to the haughty haute couture models of the 1950s, which can be a good thing. But I always feel that to pull off the zombie walk, you must be wearing kickass clothes. We did not see kickass clothes that night. We saw clothes that appeared to be the Brawny Man's Sunday best – which is fine if you live in Wasilla. What trends stood out? The shrunken sport coats. Remember 10 years ago when everything looked shrunken? It just pains me that we've spent more than a thousand years developing perfect construction and perfect fit in clothes, just to see it all washed away by 20 years of bad taste. Talk about Devo-lution. Clearly, the biggest trend was ill-fitting pants. Even though I was thrilled to see the return of slimmer-cut, higher-waisted pants, they all looked terrible in the back. "Paper-bag butt" is what we called it. Perhaps that was underscored by the fact that our faces were butt-level with the models: perhaps it was design work; perhaps it was the styling; perhaps it was the dearth of professional models. In any case, I have to give the show a C... The aforementioned Roggie Baer, who seems to have her fingers in many pies (www.rajiworld.com) brought her friend Lathan McKay (pro skateboarder-turned-filmmaker) with her, and we retired to Justine's Brasserie to calm our shattered fashion nerves. You'd have to live under a rock to not know that Justine's is the hottest place in Austin right now – and the coolest place on Earth. Even I knew it without ever having been there. But then, there we were. An unforgettably lovely experience in food, drink, and service. Another A+... I just couldn't drag myself to Estilo's 5th Anniversary party last week, but I send them hearty congratulations on it. We've seen more than a few stores come and go in the last five years, and Estilo has kept its grip as one of Austin's most fashionable stores... Friday was Tribeza's women's fashion show. While this show was everything the men's show wasn't, it was interesting that the best menswear was saved for the women's show. The addition of Saks Fifth Avenue to the lineup raised the menswear bar considerably (but where was By George?). The production values were what we expect from a Tribeza show and did not disappoint. The clothes were all over the map (even when they were from the same store), and while I personally might have styled the ensembles differently, the models were terrific, the runway was well-lit, and some great holiday options were featured. Notably, the jewelry from Eliza Page was fantastic – big, showy, runway-ready pieces that were a departure from the usually more delicate pieces. I give them and the show an A... Then it was back to Justine's for more fashionable critiquing and a divine steak. Saturday was the Livestrong Mellow Yellow Benefit at Matt McGinnis' house. Two of my favorite females ever, Jessica McMillan and Jane Schweppe, were there, and with the great DJ, desirable silent auction items, an intimate backyard setting, and small guest list, it was a fabulously relaxing alternative to some of the stuffier benefits lately.