After a Fashion
Your Style Avatar celebrates 10 years of telling you what's what
By Stephen MacMillan Moser, Fri., Aug. 21, 2009
AND NOW WE ARE 10 As I said, it's unfathomable that this is my 10th anniversary with The Austin Chronicle. My how we've grown from that tawdry single column in the personals section to a half-page spread with photos. Writing this column has been the highlight of my life, chronicling all my ups and downs. I was much more brutal when I first started this column, but then again, I hadn't made any friendships or alliances way back then. Then I became as much a part of the scene as the people I was covering. Day in, day out, it was luncheons, committee meetings, all the big charity balls, cocktail parties, and openings. I was living high, though it seems that within a year and half I went from glamorous party girl Paris Hilton dancing on tables to Britney Spears shaving her head in some strip mall. Mea culpa! On the other hand, I'd like to thank Louis Black; Nick Barbaro; my sister, Margaret; and my editor, Kate Messer, for keeping me in line and reminding me that the reason for going to these events is to share the experience with our readers. Thanks for everything. And to my readers, well, we'll just see what tricks I have up my sleeve to keep you guessing for another 10 years.
THE SCENE, PART III Our dear little SoCo was chugging along, with new stores opening regularly, and nearby shopping developments all had the South Austin charm. Additionally, stores such as Secret Oktober, Legs Diamond, Moxie and the Compound, and Jezebel, while not technically on South Congress, added greatly to the general Austin style ambience. Day or night, you couldn't avoid seeing friends on SoCo. Most of the merchants were friends and allies, and there was an almost insular feeling among what were becoming the hottest destinations in the city. But then? Then, First Thursday happened. I believe First Thursday – one evening a month, when stores stayed up late, serving wine and cocktails along with snacks and entertainment to lure buyers in – was started by Jyl Kutsche at Therapy. For the first few months, everything was swinging, and First Thursday was like the coolest, chicest private party with all your friends everywhere. Soon, it seemed like people were being bused into SoCo from West Campus and the outer rings of suburbia (aka the ninth circle of hell). I could no longer identify most of the people there, and it turned into a big drunkfest, causing more work and damage than the retailers ever expected. Shoplifting, parking problems, and the revolt of the neighbors made First Thursday less desirable and definitely not chic. Soon, Kutsche abandoned First Thursday. To be continued...
STARRY SHOES My friend Caitlin Smith was telling me about this friend of hers who paints masterpieces on canvas shoes. "What kinds of things does he paint?" "Anything," she said, and I thought, "Anything?" Lots of tawdry, unpleasant images came to mind, but I thought, "Hmmm ... I wonder if he'd paint Van Gogh's Starry Night on some shoes for me, and how much would they be?" A few days later, Smith arrived bearing this pair of slip-on canvas shoes that were painted after Van Gogh's Starry Night. In my size. I was absolutely shocked at the beauty and craftsmanship and how the artist had really gotten the Van Gogh look. I slipped the shoes on, and they felt like the goddamn ruby slippers on my feet. I instantly had to assemble a much more appropriate outfit with which to showcase the shoes. The artist who creates these shoes is called The Billy, and he does murals, fine art, etc., but it's the damn shoes that are so irresistible. I want to see the Virgin of Guadalupe on shoes, Mona Lisas, Warholian portraits, Pollock expressionism, the sultry colors of Gauguin .... The possibilities are endless. Just give The Billy a call at 833/222-9999.
