editor: BYRON BECK contributors: MARK BAUMGARTEN, KIM COLTON, ELIZABETH DYE, KATRINA RAMSER art direction: ANNE REESER, JASON LANDIS style direction: ELIZABETH DYE photography: MARK KOHLMAN production assistant: ALEX VALDIVIESO stylist: GALEN AMUSSEN production: AMY RYAN, THOMAS COBB, FRANK ZURBANO, SAMANTHA GARDNER, TOM HUMPHREY, KENDON GRAY, SARAH BODEN copy editors: IAN GILLINGHAM, MARGARET SEILER special thanks to: RANDY CAPRON, BIRTHDAY BOY FRANK, ADAM AND ALL THE GOOD FOLKS AT DANTE'S |
DANGEROUS THREADSBY MARK BAUMGARTEN - mbaumgarten@wweek.com Finding spring style in the house of music.Fashion in music has become as fractured as the urban music landscape. Each sound-- rap, New Wave, goth, grunge, hip-hop, emo--has also come with a distinctive style. Image has become so vast and varied that now, at the beginning of the 21st century, musicians seem retro-crazed, once again mining musical influences for fashion sense. And they've got a lot to work with. From that moment in 1964 when the shaggy-haired Beatles stepped off the plane in America, personal fashion has been locked in a dance with rock 'n' roll. Sure, bluesmen had style and Elvis' hips were risqué. But the Beatles ushered in an era of fashion-as-rebellion that would eventually move them--and the rest of the pop world--out of their formal wear and into their birthday suits, dancing naked in the rain. The '70s brought pomposity and spectacle to arenas across the country, with big-haired dinosaur bands and the pronounced glitz of glam artists like David Bowie and T Rex's Marc Bolan. Then in the latter half of the era, punk changed everything. The very ethos of punk was about breaking down the spectacle of performance, and fashion was one of the movement's most powerful tools. The threads punks on both sides of the Atlantic wore--and sometimes punk fashion was little more than threads--introduced an element of danger to performance: The sexual danger of torn skirts, bare chests and amped-up androgyny. Or the physical danger of pins, garbage bags and filth. The punk scene is where Portland's Roulettes have scavenged much of their music and fashion sense. Taking cues from bands like the Slits and second-generation punks Bikini Kill, the Roulettes have just started to take local stages, playing a ragged post-punk that flirts with danger. To tell a story about spring fashion, we've dressed up the band, as well as other rock-'n'-roll characters--promoters, a roadie, a bouncer and a bartender--in styles of the season. Sure, the looks may be borrowed. But in a borrowed world, secondhand danger is almost as threatening as the real thing. Music Editor Mark Baumgarten writes about fashion but displays none of his own. THE BANDThe Roulettes are four recent Oberlin grads out to prove that (a) girls rock, and (b) liberal-arts degrees can pay off. Their basement-born band is taking Portland's most debonair dives by storm with their carefree, punked-up sound. Hand claps? They got 'em. Fuzz bass? Check. Light-up tambourine? Ohhhhh yeaaahhh. Check them out at Ash Street, at Slabtown, on Friendster, or on their self-titled debut on the new local label Lucky Madison. On Rachel Hass (tambourine, keys, vocals): White studded cuff, $14, Dragonlily. Gray/black striped Kites dress, $240, Seaplane, 3352 SE Belmont St., 234-2409. White studded belt, $28, Urban Outfitters, 2320 NW Westover Road, 248-0020. On Rebecca Keith (vocals, guitar): Black dress with pink tulle skirt, AliMay, $228, Dragonlily, 1740 SE Hawthorne Blvd., 234-5459. Irregular Choice shoes: model's own. On Amanda Huhn (drums): Pink sport mesh pleated skirt, $38, Urban Outfitters. Black silk top by Claire LeFaye, $84, Seaplane. On Caitlin Poliak (bass, above right): Black-and-silver top by Frocky Jack Morgan, $43, Seaplane. Dickies black-and-red pinstriped pants, $45, Local.35, 3556 SE Hawthorne Blvd., 963-8200. Black rivet double-wrap belt, $18, Urban Outfitters. THE PROMOTERS
On Mike (above left): Hummel zip pullover, $90. Sunglasses,
$14. Both from Adam Mackintosh does double duty as both the booker and promoter
at Dante's, On Adam (above center): He picked up his threads in London, baby. THE ROADIE
On Mason (left): appliqué and stenciled zip hoodie, $53, Local 35. THE BARTENDER
On Bridget: Black/blue velvet halter top by Linea, $64. Hoop and chain earrings, $14, Urban Outfitters. Black layered skirt, $58, Urban Outfitters. Fishnet stockings and Fornarina shoes: model's own. GROUPIE
On Abner (center): Grnappletree mint green button-down shirt, $56, Local 35. Back-zip pants by Cover, $150, Lit, 214 SW 8th Ave., 827-3300. SECURITY
On Travis (pictured right): This guy wears whatever he wants, but it's usually black on black. |
Mike Quinn is the
co-brains and brawn behind Monqui Presents, as well as the co-owner
of East--you have to have heard of him. Watch for his new venture,
Doug Fir, embedded at 8th and East Burnside in the soon-to-be-remodeled
Jupiter Hotel.
That hunk hauling gear
is no stranger to grunt work. Mason spends his days as a WW
intern. Lucky man.
Rock-star bartender
Bridget O'Connor can be found slinging shots at hipster compound
Holocene (1001 SE Morrison St., 
When he's not "with
the band," Abner Gutierrez (a.k.a. DJ Makeout) daylights as retail
engineer for Red Light Clothing Exchange.
Travis Carstensen
provides the muscle at Dante's by night, but don't let the biceps
fool you. He also attends the Art Institute of Portland. Course
of study? Video-game design.