After a Fashion

A gaggle of beauties in resort-wear, representing about half of the models at the Made in Heaven show benefiting the Long Center. (Photo By juicythat.com)

MADE IN HEAVEN The sequins, chiffon, and velvet were flying, and we sewed all day and all night for a week like drag queens on crack. Of course I'd waited until the last minute and began axing garments off the list like I was chopping firewood, but I sent out 42 ensembles for my Made in Heaven fashion show that benefited the Long Center. My assistant Ashley Heathcock showed a triad of ensembles that I never could have dreamed up – hot pants, leggings, tiny cropped jackets – scandalous things that my elderly mind can't think about. We also showed men's shirts by Kathie Sever's Ramonster collection (www.ramonsterwear.com), sold at Blackmail. But having burned the midnight oil so much, by the time I sat down by the runway to see my own creations, I was twitchy – like Lindsay Lohan before a drug test. I'd never seen some of these clothes on a human being before, so there was a lot of nail-biting and crossing myself, but as the resort clothes using the hand-painted fabrics from my friends at the Felton Knorra Collection came out, I was PFT (that means pretty fuckin' thrilled, but give an avatar credit for trying to be polite enough not to say it) to see how beautiful, in my own humble estimation, the dresses looked. The girls were hot as pistols coming down the catwalk in hair and make-up conjured up by images of Bridget Bardot, Dusty Springfield, Nancy Sinatra, and Sophia Loren, with eyeliner all the way out to there and false eyelashes so thick they looked like matchbooks. Pink, Sage, and Orbit salons had outdone themselves and made my Jacqueline Susann/Valley of the Dolls fantasies come true. Eliza Page's Elizabeth Serrato draped the dolls in swags of necklaces and belts, and DJ Architektur (www.loungeproductions.com) played my favorite Eighties songs about dreams, angels, and heaven to complete the theme that Kevin Pruitt of Strike Productions (www.strikeproductions.com) and my producer Rita Garza arranged. For Seabrook Jones' creative video of the event, go to www.seabrooktv.com/heaven.html, and for photos, see www.juicythis.com/heaven.html.

The glamorous Amy Rudy channels Ursula Andress with hair and make-up by Sage Salon.

HO ON THE GO We've probably all been there at some point – the unexpected night out that leads to a romantic tryst, leaving you scrambling in the morning to pull yourself together and get home, clutching your shreds of dignity around you like a cardigan sweater. Well, turn that walk of shame into a scene from Fame with the Ho on the Go overnight kit. Composed of two lubricated premium-brand condoms, a travel-sized toothbrush and toothpaste, a moist towelette with soothing herbs to wipe away the raccoon eyes, and a thong with the Ho on the Go logo imprinted on it, at $18.99, the Ho on the Go overnight kits are compact and fit easily in a small purse for travel – in case of lost luggage or any other "emergency." Though just hitting the market after coming up with the idea long ago, Ho on the Go developer Sunny Merry of Austin says, "Between working and children flying out me like monkeys, spare time was tight." You can order the fruits of her labor at www.hoonthego.com.

BEAUTY NOTE Legendary Austin hairstylist Jon D. has left Avant after a very long stint there and is now at the new salon Method.Hair in the Saltillo Flats at Fifth and Comal. To book an appointment online, go to www.methodhair.com, or call him at 469-0044.

MERCURIAL There are never enough cool men's stores in Austin, so it's always an event when a new one opens. Look for the Mercury Clothing Gallery opening next Thursday, Nov. 30, at Mary and South First. The store caters to the sensibility of a young, gay clientele and any male with adventuresome taste. Featured clothing lines include Romain Kapadia, Buckler, Roy Caires, Tommy Cole, EFOR, persona non grata, This Old Thing?, and Sexy Bastard. Many of the lines are unavailable anywhere else in Central Texas, and Mercury Clothing also carries Mënaji Skin Care products.