08 November 2010
Not gonna lie, I was shit nervous about City Dolls. I have never done anything remotely resembling a fashion event, and most people probably question my affiliation with anyone fashionable in the first place. But I had the spark of an idea to do something never before seen; to defy the unknown, to say “no” to “I can’t” and make something out of nothing. But really I depended on my team heavily to pull this one off; they were the experts who brought the talent and know-how. Had any one of them fallen through, the night could very well have been a terrible disaster.
Sculpture by Jude Swafford
After 9 weeks of regular meetings, incessant emails (mostly on my part), furious blogging, photo shoots, butting heads and kissing up; the day arrived. Friday, November 5, 2010: the humongous date that had loomed in my future like Christmas to a little girl waiting for her first pony (though sadly my real pony never came). I had harassed the entire crew with itineraries, spreadsheets, inventory lists, and late-night meetings the week prior. Yet somehow we all arrived atSpace Gallery SF at 9am on Friday morning with smiles, coffee and donut holes. We were buzzing with excitement: this was the fun part we’d all been waiting for.
As the models trickled in, Kelle Schlax and the Ginger Rubio crew immediately stripped them of any modesty through giant hair, yarn braids and rat-tails. Becky Jane Harrington meticulously steamed every garment as Jude Swafford sat atop the ladder fixing white curtains to the ceiling. Piles of naked books and fresh sod created obstacles on the gallery’s wood floor, with the occasional scuffed manikin leg jutting into your path. Every moment the models got more big and freakish, the installations more grand and psychedelic, and the team more jazzed. After 11 hours of hard labor, we wiped the sweat from our brows (and pits) to put on our pretty. High wasted skirts, onesies, black mink and high heels were in order; our hands shook as we quickly drew on eyeliner. It’s showtime babies!
Ten minutes till 8pm, our exuberant photographer, Antonio Fernando, lined up the models in various shadowboxes for some quality one-on-one fashion photography. Just as we took a deep breath and greeted the guests flowing up the stairs, BOOM. The gallery turned black, music stopped, and we all blinked confusion. Not only had we blown a fuse, our electric menagerie had completely melted the light socket. I laughed nervously as I imagined hundreds of people filing into Space Gallery to find a dark void in the place of glowing, ethereal light boxes filled with lovely models. Thank the lord Chris Shaher (owner & manager) MacGyver’ed the light socket using only a hairpin and toothpick. The show must go on!
© Meghan Nicole Photography
Overall, City Dolls was a smashing success. I was 110% proud of our presentation; the models were gorgeous, Becky Jane’s dresses were lovely, Sally Lorenz' jewelry corner was enticing and polished, and Crystal Arrias' trunk of vintage treasures added a classy finishing touch. Our shadowboxes came out better than I could have ever imagined. Through narrow slits, warm yellow light spilled from an inner world where City Dolls played. Reading books, reclining in the grass, lounging on piles of clothes and hovering over dismembered manikins, each girl carried a natural confidence. The crowd was enthralled and lively; music by Satans Helpers kept the atmosphere fresh; and best of all, my own grandpa of a boyfriend came out to party.
© Meghan Nicole Photography
While one model joked about “doing time” in her shadowbox, another less wise doll had one too many glasses of champagne and proceeded to fall down the stairs (twice). At the eleventh hour we had to reel in others as they attempted escape (“smoking a cigarette” turned to fleeing through the Tenderloin). But could we blame them? Boiling under all those hot lights in their caked makeup and fancy dresses, under the scrutiny of every old man’s camera phone, I would be over it after two hours and a half bottle of champagne. We let them go with a kiss and a kick in the rump; truly they made the show.
© Meghan Nicole Photography
Though it was an insane amount of work, the final show was well worth the trouble. The greatest reward was the community that grew between the artists and celebrating the many talents coming together for a fantastic show. The next one will be even bigger and better; maybe I’ll call it City Babies, or Moon Dolls.
© Meghan Nicole Photography
SPECIAL THANKS:
See more photos from the event from Janelle Stephanie and Meghan Nicole.
Copyright © 2011 Kirsten Incorvaia. All Rights Reserved.