After a Fashion

Your Style Avatar shares an intimate moment with Farrah Fawcett under the unforgiving glare of the paparazzi lights. (Photo By bobshermanart.com)

STARRY EYES The scene was almost eerie: the wind blowing across a barren lunar landscape sprinkled with remnants of West Texas. A flat expanse that seemed to go on forever, punctuated with portions of split-rail fences, fierce cacti, and glowing moon rocks. As dusk settled, the only lighting was provided by the multitude of cameras and the glow of the stars themselves ... real stars. The location was the Austin Film Studios at the old airport, and the event was the third annual Texas Film Hall of Fame. The set, created by Big Red Sun, was brilliant -- an evocative and stunning platform from which to enter the glamorous awards show. On one side of the rustic fence were the press and the fans, on the other side, the stars, their handlers, and the various staff members involved. And the parade of stars was dazzling: Peter Fonda, Luke Wilson, Woody Harrelson, Owen Wilson, Matthew McConaughey, Dabney Coleman, Tess Harper, Anna Deavere Smith ... founding chairs of the event Texas Monthly's charming Evan Smith and the Chronicle's own esteemed Louis Black must have been thrilled to see what the little idea they came up with a few years ago has turned into. The event is, in my estimation, the most glamorous of all events in Austin. The event also brought out the best and brightest of our local scene: Heather Brand of the Bob Bullock Museum, KLBJ's Bob Fonseca, Charlie Hodge, and Dale Dudley (I sat next to Dale at dinner; I'm sure he doesn't mean to be as nice as he is, but maybe he just can't help it), and my beloved Susan Antone of ... well, I guess you know where she's from. Zarghun Dean, still glowing from the second anniversary party of his wildly successful creation Tribeza, was there along with top staffers Phil Hudson and Sarah Seiders, and visiting royalty included Paul Steckler, Ellen Spiro, the fabulous Nancy Savoca (Nancy, I love you, and you don't even know it), and husband Richard Guay ... and so many others too fabulous to mention. On the star-front, Woody Harrelson was a charmer -- watching him chatting with Ray Benson and then both of them disappearing into thin air was too funny. Matthew McConaughey was open and friendly, as was Owen Wilson. Luke Wilson pretty much kept to himself, as did Dabney Coleman. Peter Fonda was gracious and outgoing, as was Tess Harper and Anna Deavere Smith. My favorite? Farrah. Farrah was divine. People say all kinds of stupid things about Farrah, but this is one babe who has just about seen it all and managed to remain so sweet, so charming, and so personable ... not to mention gloriously beautiful. What a sweetheart she was; she took me by my arm and led me into her private accommodations backstage where we gossiped as she signed photos for me. I had selected the clips for her tribute, and she threw her arms around me saying how beautiful they were. "Madame," I said respectfully, "any clip you are in is beautiful." She beamed at the compliment and admitted that she had been ill with the flu when she boarded the plane in L.A., but now that she was back in Texas she felt wonderful. Welcome home, honey.

THE BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE Omigod, Pamela Des Barres is going to be a presenter at the Music Awards, and by the time you read this, she and I will have become eternal best friends, pricking our fingers and swearing eternal devotion and all that! I love Pamela. Her wonderful book I'm With the Band is a great read. I've written her and asked her to bring me a photo to autograph for me. I need her picture on my Wall of Fame. Pamela will be jetting in just in time to have her hair done at Pink by the legendary Deborah Carter (Deborah also provided make-up and hair services for the stars at last week's ultra glamorous Texas Film Hall of Fame). Another presenter is my other NBF (new best friend) D'Arcy Wretzky-Brown, former bassist for the fabulously successful Smashing Pumpkins. I know, I know, I've been keeping secrets again (so unlike me), but I've been respecting Mme. Wretzky-Brown's anonymity. But as long as she'll be onstage at the Awards, I am free to tell you she and her companion Luke Kreager are among Austin's newest residents. Suddenly I feel like the Stylist to the Stars, as I've been arranging for various luminaries at the Music Awards to be groomed and dressed by some of our coolest salons and retailers. 101X's Trina Quinn and Drew Bennett are both being groomed courtesy of the excellent salon Bella. For their stage clothes, Drew will be dressed by the drop-dead stylish Blackmail, and Trina will turn heads dressed as a Thirties glamour queen, courtesy of Giada. Mega 93's glamorous Miss Kitty is being groomed by Bella and dressed by St. Thomas. The length of the show is a bit shorter this year, ending around 11:15 at the latest ...