After a Fashion

SUNDANCING @ ACL Okay, we loved the glamorous Belvedere Music Lounge presented by Spin magazine that was at the San José hotel during Austin City Limits for celebs, musicians, and media – the usual suspects. Each room in the south end of the hotel was set up with a different vendor (we especially like the phrase "gifting suites") doling out the goods to the lucky ones. DKNY outfitted the San José staff. Visitors to Belvedere Vodka's lavish bar setup enjoyed food, drink, gaming, entertainment, massage, hairdressing, and Internet access while loading up on loot such as the new Kenneth Cole men's fragrance, 2(x)ist underwear, Cafe Bustelo coffee, iPod accessories, hats, bags, clothes ... you name it. Luke Wilson parked himself there for a while with friends, and Drew Barrymore and new boyfriend Justin Long relaxed there, too (also, making a notable appearance at FactoryPeople's LCD Soundsystem party). Jeff Tweedy and Mikael Jorgensen of Wilco hung there, along with Asleep at the Wheel, Cary Ann Hearst & the Gun Street Girls, Sound Team, Aterciopelados, and Catfish Haven. Other ACL celeb moments showed Matthew McConaughey rocking out at ACL (see it at www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tu4hOgC7C7o). We liked the rumors that Jake Gyllenhaal was at the Wilco show, even though no photographs have surfaced and he was photographed at Il Sole in Los Angeles on the same night.

STYLE MAKERS We had fun with Katherine Kissel and Joe Bickett on Fox 7 twice this past week, dishing about the Emmys on Monday and Fashion Week on Friday. We talked about our friend Ron King of Bô Salon on South Congress (www.bosalon.com), who regaled us with tales of New York Fashion Week, at which he worked the shows and did styling for a Vanity Fair layout with the Victoria's Secret models. King was working for Ted Gibson, another local boy made good; Gibson's new salon is on Fifth Avenue in New York, and he counts Anne Hathaway and Demi Moore as clients. At $950 per haircut, Gibson has come a very long way from Killeen. Bô Salon carries the exclusive Ted Gibson product line, along with retailers like Henri Bendel and Bergdorf-Goodman... We love that James Newman and Kirk Haines of Service Menswear announced that their new store in the 04 Service was just selected to be included in Gentleman's Quarterly's "GQ 100" – the style maker's list of its favorite 100 men's clothing stores in the United States (click on Austin at www.men.style.com/gq/features/gq100)... The Tribeza fashion show at the Blanton was pretty glam. The Blanton is such an incredibly versatile space, and the clothes from Keepers, Estilo Boutique, Garden Room, Envie, Fetish, Girl Next Door, and Valentines Too were dazzling.

FINALE We completed our week by attending the Capitol City Rodeo, produced by the Texas Gay Rodeo Association. "Fish out of water" is a phrase that comes to mind when we imagined ourself at the rodeo, but how could we dare miss an event that included something called the Grand Mounted Entry? All those handsome cowboys in their painted-on jeans were out all over town, so we decked ourself in our most glamorous finery and went to the Travis County Expo Center to see them in their own milieu. The cowboys gawked at us, we gawked at them, and we still have the odor of cow manure in our nose. Favorite moment was the drag show with Miss Saffire Trinity-Barin, Princess Royal of the United Court of Austin, tearin' up the floor to Dolly Parton's "Why'd You Come in Here Lookin' Like That?"

BACHELOSER Is there a certain man in your life who's looking for love but not really that hard and in all the wrong places? Season 11 (!) of The Bachelor debuted this month with Austin bar owner/hunk Brad Womack doling out the roses, so what better way to celebrate the thorny grip of Austin's singles scene than with The Austin Chronicle's first Bacheloser Search, which starts Oct. 12. We're looking for Austin's least-eligible bachelors, fellas who perhaps fall behind in personal hygiene, disposable income, and social skills and are proud of it. C'mon, Austin. We know you've got it in you. If you are one of those aforementioned or you have our man, visit austinchronicle.com/bacheloser to submit your (or the candidate's) name, age (must be 18 or older), occupation or profession, interests/hobbies, and a short biography explaining why he/you should be our Bacheloser. Serious applicants only, and no obscene photos ... you can send those to me, personally.