Reveille Magazine - Voltage 2008: Style, Flash, and the Kitchen Sink

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Voltage 2008: Style, Flash, and the Kitchen Sink

Written by Carl Swanson
Wednesday, April 23, 2008 at 09:37 AM
Zibra Zibra dressed by Ivan Idland Runway lines by: Pomije & Kristina Bell So it begins… Zibra Zibra take the stage in boxing robes that line up to the back and then they pledge alleigence liberty, justice and fashion for all, yet It’s not ironic, it’s weirdly earnest and all in all, wrong. Ivan Idland dressed them in singlets supposedly to “bring out the characters they play on stage”, but all I can really see (while trying to tune out the forced hipster irony) is the fact that the zipper on lead singer Z’s crotch is either really badly cut or he is sporting a small erection. All of Kristina Bell’s creations were made from recycled t-shirts, giving all the jumpers and skirt combos a soft, slept-in look. An advocate of the “craft revolution,” Bell’s dedication to creative re-use is unassailable and her monochromatic combinations contained a slouchy charm, especially accentuated by librarian glasses on chains and evening gloves. Overall though, I couldn’t help but feel that the lines’ inspiration lay more in baby onesies than adult fashion. Jenny Olson of Pomije is a return to Voltage, having dressed The Alarmists last year. Her ready to wear lines have a rock and roll practicality to them, and the detailing she does on her denim adds a unique flair to everyday jeans. In her video intro, she made sure to tell us that she was going back to the 70’s with high-waisted jeans and was working with printed fabrics. Taken as a warning, it was needed. Jeans sat up past navels and the loose empire tops were insanely busy with three or four mis-matched patterns in each, sadly setting a precedent for other designers throughout the night. Not until she got to some of the longer dresses did the patterned fabric have a chance to breathe and hold its own, which allowed some of the concept of loose color to came through, resulting in sophisticated, playful garments. The Haves Have It dressed by EM/MA Runway lines by: Belle & Calpurnia Peach I’ll be honest, I have never been able to understand a single word sung in by Portia Richardson, buried under the distorted guitars and muffled drums. Tonight was no different, as they ground through songs dressed in go-go inspired dresses that somehow attempted to include tube tops. Jenn Gallup’s sleeves kept falling down on her and Richardson’s open back left enough fabric flapping around to make it look like the dress was trying to escape the venue and find a clear chord. Belle’s Brianne Jones' two line bio in the Voltage Look Book includes the phrase “ modern tribes of enigmatic individuals.” Belle engaged “tribe” part with trite chunky necklaces, but also used an African black and white batik for detailing on her long dresses and pencil skirts. That touch of sophistication was offset by the busyness of her madras plaids, again succumbing to the kitchen sink approach to design. Calpurnia Peach hands down wins as my favorite line this year. The brainchild of Luci Kandler and Ashley Wokash, two recent U of M grads, their line of jumpers, rompers and sundresses displayed confident vision of craft, detail and youthful verve. Instead of worrying about how to explain their style and design, each piece held its own, and with whimsical screenprints, seemed ready to jump off the runway and into the summer streets. Showing off great savvy, one of their accessories was a pair of black stockings with “Calpurnia Peach” running up the backseam. Wokash tells me that they plan to start offering personalized versions for customers, so keep an eye out for that, as well as your eye on Calpurnia Peach. Bella Koshka dressed by Ann Alyse Clothing Runway lines by: Max Lohrbach & George Moskal Bella Koshka seem like sweethearts, bashful in front of such a large raucous crowd. As their vaguely eastern European name would imply, they play cinematic-esque music lead by violin, replete with synth crashes. The female vocalist kept a soft yet sultry charge, although at times I found myself thinking of Loreena McKennitt's 'The Mummer’s Dance', which if you can't guess, wasn't a good thing. Meghan Cohen from Ann Alyse spoke of “structured” clothing in her video intro, and it showed in the offset white piping on the men’s black trousers. Paired with a white dress shirt it made them look like off-duty servers at an upscale seafood restaurant. The women’s black dresses which were well cut to their figures, offered a classy and timeless look. Still the best style element of the band were the matching wafted cloud tattoos on the two women, something that screamed for accentuation in their clothing design. Max Lohrbach’s line attempted to lead the audience on a Victorian seaside excursion, ludicrously including knit one-piece swimsuits on men and women. His use of gauze and lace in his women’s separates came off as cheaply thrown together and the best elements of his line, close fitting men’s boating jackets with bold black and white vertical stripe, still had threads hanging off. Two of the pieces had bunched green fabric detailing that looked suspiciously like marijuana buds, too much of the influence, anyone? Give George Moskal credit for creating one of the standout single pieces of the night however. A form-fitting bronze silk evening dress open shoulders and a high collar, layered in lavender lace. His inspiration, 40's noir films, came through loud and clear with this stunning piece. The rest of his line was hit or miss, with some other well made skirts and tops, but often clashingly paired. His love for reds and warm colors seemed to overshadow the fact that sometimes they just don’t go together. White Light Riot dressed by Elizabeth Chesney Runway lines by: Amanda Christine & Katherine Gerdes White Light Riot take the stage and within 10 seconds Mike Schwandt slips on a chord and falls down, and yet he doesn’t miss a beat. Thankfully Schwandt doesn’t try to jump on to the cat walk or the paramedics may have been called in. White Light Riot tear through their set with their high-octane verve, accentuated by their overcoats, cravats and spectacular silk vests. Topped off by Mark Schwandt’s stove pipe hat, they look like Victorian hit-men and own it. The Ramones are claimed as the inspiration for Amanda Christine's women's line, but the palette is definitely light and feminine for the most part, grey-blue with cream shirts and dresses made from layered strips of cotton. Her designs are elegant yet durable, and when she switches her pallette to black, paried with tight jeans, the outfits look like something to wear to a Joan Jett concert. Most people familiar with Voltage already know Katherine Gerdes from Project Runway and past Voltage shows, but once again Gerdes displayed why she deserved the national attention. Her hand dyed organic bamboo cotton dresses flowed loosely but flattered, and the creamy white dyed in violets and oranges held a softness that bespoke elegance. Instead of shooting for overdone costuming, her command of fabric and willingness to push new sustainable experimentation solidified herself as a designer to trust and continue following. MC/VL dressed by Erin Smith Runway lines by: Annie Larson & Red Shoe Clothing Awesome! That’s what you would design for MC/VL, says Erin Smith. Smith is by trade an accessory designer for Target and runs her own accessory company, SisBro. She didn’t bother weighing Mighty Clyde or Vicious Lee with any kind of costuming, instead putting throwback gold chains with microphone and tape pendants over Members Only jackets and denim, MC in red, VL in white. Lee manages to break both of his in the first 5 minutes, as he and Mighty Clyde jump all over the catwalk screaming into their mics. The crowd goes wild and the models look slightly nervous, as they should. MC/VL brought their A-game, a terrific fourth act bang. Annie Larson, who designs under the moniker Swank Dollar, seemed to have chosen her color palette from the covers of Lisa Frank note books and taken her shirt/jumper/sweatpant combos from the Cosby kids and grandmothers in Boca Raton, Florida. No matter how you cinch loose, lightweight jersey, it isn’t going to flatter a figure. Pair it with backpacks inexplicably sporting blond acrylic ponytails and you have a life size Polly Pockets on acid. On the upside, the necklaces from SisBro, clear neon vinyl cut outs of tapes, glasses and ponytails on simple chains, should be a hot item. Red Shoe put together a line that tried to combine elegance with city wear. Some lovely cocktail dresses ensue, but so does a skirt that looks like it is trying to climb back into the womb. And isn't a holster with a pistol the dumbest possible accessory for a black man in the city? Birthday Suits dressed by Dan Patrick Runway lines by: Russell Bourrienne & Laura Fulk The crowd has thinned before Birthday Suits take the stage, as Voltage brings out cliques of supporting friends who had split for the bar. Anyway, I can’t tell from the pit what is special about the Birthday suits design. It looks like simply t-shirts with some fabric detailing paired with jeans. Regardless, they tore into their explosive noise-punk set, driving us all to the end of the night, screaming as a pick-me-up. I’m not gonna touch Russell Bourrienne’s menswear line with a 10 foot shuffleboard pole. Bourrienne deserves his Macy’s Distinction in Design Award, as he seems to have hired a good tailor. Other than that, I don’t know what to do with shipwrecked beefcakes in embroidered wide lapel beachwear and utility kilts. Laura Fulk wins the John Galliano gold star for her line. Inspired by “bad-ass” pioneer women, the amalgam of canvas, feathers and lace grew wilder and wilder as the night progressed. Never one for demure design, the outfits became less and less an homage to the practicality and spirit of pioneer women and more like costumes for bordello extras in Deadwood. Still, the sly winking at sex, complete with a face-off between identical twins provided a great close to a night full of mixed up fashion, crashing music and people looking to push their boundaries.
Last Updated: Sunday, April 27, 2008 at 11:01 PM