After a Fashion

QUEEN FOR A NIGHT

Gee, I was treated like visiting royalty when I was out on the town a couple weeks ago. Okay, so I don't get out to clubs much; I'm old, seemingly twice the age of anyone else present. I've seen it all and done it all before. But, just to see if I remembered how, I went out. We went by Le Privilege (912 Red River), the former Caucus Club, a warm and lovely redesign of a great space, scene of the Designers' Guild's very fun Favorite Figure of Fashion party on September 8 (we'll report on that in depth next week). We headed for Texture (505 Neches) for the Liquid Locks 2001 fundraiser, a riot of wild hair, clothes, and make-up benefiting the American Cancer Society. Mysteriously, I never received a press release about this event -- a distinct oversight on someone's part -- so I was unable to promote it in this column, but I wish I had. What an event. The organizers obviously put an enormous amount of work into this and had a virtual who's who of Austin businesses represented, either in the show or as donors. The hair show itself, I understand, was not particularly riveting (I couldn't say for sure, since we arrived late and missed it); from all reports, it was a lackluster affair. That aside, the hairstyles were fabulous, as models wandered through the post-show crowd; there were staggering creations to behold. With styling from Avalon (good work, Granville, Jen, and Ronnie!), as well as by Garbo, Jackson-Ruiz, Senon's, Innu, and Fringe, it was a feast of fabulous coiffures. The party was wonderful, and Texture is great -- not only do they regularly host fashion events, but everyone from the owner, Tarek Morshed, to bartender, Layla Riffle, was incredibly attentive and made us feel right at home. Layla was a party all by herself: so funny and so generous, with enormous personal style that Texture should pay her to be there. DJ Sliver (aka Cyberslut and Gary the Fairy) was making the rounds and was nicer than he probably meant to be: He scoffed at my choice of liquor and upgraded me accordingly. The fabulous and outrageous radio personality Miss Kitty was a major star of the evening. She's skyrocketing across the heavens (or at least the air waves) with her new 6-10pm stint on the all-dance music station Mega 93.3. Leaving 101X in the dust, she markets herself like no one's business and is on her way to becoming a very serious celebrity. Amazing food was from several sources, notably the always-excellent El Sol y la Luna, and a reasonably recent addition to the local catering scene, Kurant Events, whose owner Steven Konarik and partner provided interesting, unusual, and delicious treats (458-3777). September 19, Texture will also be hosting Move, the official opening party for Austin Jazz Fest 2001, produced by Gomi and Beatimprint. Go to www.textureaustin.com for details We swung by Plush (617 Red River) for a few moments. Stylish and mannered like a New York club, it looked great, had fun music, and a fashionable crowd. Then we wound up at Oceans 11 (720 Red River); what a trip that was. The place has a kitschy Trader Vic's kind of style, and bartender Jason, and waitress Tracye were excellent: slinging the exotic cocktails at us like machine-gun fire. Truly fabulous. Did I say fabulous? That would be Mr. Fabulous to you, Dino Lee himself: bandleader, singer, songwriter, performer, and host extraordinaire. Incredibly stylish in his inimitable Rat Pack way, he was the epitome of graciousness. Needless to say, it helped that my illustrious sister Margaret has a lengthy history with Dino (she was one of his showgirls many moons ago), so Dino and I are practically related. He is one of those Austin denizens whose style is categorically his own, yet by the very essence of it, contributes greatly to the total equation that is real Austin style. As a complete original, he shows 'em all how it should be done. Next, was Club DeVille (900 Red River). I love Club DeVille: Any club that promotes local fashion like they do wins a place in my heart. As if that weren't enough, the hostess with the mostest, Emily Fawcett, is perhaps the CDV's primary asset. Glamorous, vivacious, wicked, and hysterically funny, she is everything any club would be proud to have as its representative. Though we had a long wait before she and her stunning new figure made their appearance, we were thoroughly entertained by bartender Lana. Lana's always been amazingly charming, but this night, she outdid herself in the charm department -- tough as nails and sweet as candy. Another major CDV asset. And then there's co-owner Nathan Tate; what a doll. And what a great night out it was: Austin style at its best.