Shebang Shebang

Ongoing.

HEADDRESSES

A bit Ziggy, a bit Erté. A dash of drag, a pinch of glitter. Miranda’s bananas, Baker’s burlesque, Picard’s pineapples. Slavic spirits & saturnalia. Camp hi-jinx & carnival. Made with deep reverence for irreverence. Assemblages emerge from an ongoing fascination with designers and divas, with the carnivalesque, circuses, vaudeville and those who create and perform joyful extravagance.

HANDMADE

All materials repurposed, up-cycled, found, made, rescued, liberated, (re)possessed, thrifted, lifted, stolen from your closet. Ironically bespoke with the discarded.

“You just keep on usin’ me until you use me up.” - Bill Withers

“We’re gonna need a special locker for the hat.” - Violet (Lily Tomlin) to Doralee (Dolly Parton) about Judy’s (Jane Fonda’s) hat in 9 to 5

The Kit Kat

After the Kit Kat Klub in Cabaret and all the real-life cabaret performers the film fictionalizes. “That’s me, darling. Unusual places, unusual love affairs, I am a most strange and extraordinary person.” - Sally (Liza)

THE BELLE OF THE BALL

After James Van Der Zee’s styling of Bessie Smith.

The Sylvester

After Sylvester, disco dj & diva - do ya wanna funk? You make me feel mighty real.

The Baker

After Josephine Baker and the bananas she invited onstage with her. And with respect for her lifelong activism.

The Bentley

After Gladys Bentley [born in North Philly in 1907] who kept it bent and bawdy at the piano at the Clam Club in Harlem.

THE DORALEE

After Dolly’s character in 9 to 5, and her wigs, rhinestones and sequins everywhere else.

The Wong

After Anna May Wong and her sublime subversions until The Gallery of Madame Liu-Tsong.

The Reeves

After milliner, designer and dressmaker Mae Reeves who owned a hat shop in Philly (Mae’s Millinery on South - one of the first businesses owned operated designed directed and loved by a Black woman).

The Blout

After Mildred Blout who designed hats for Hollywood’s femme fatales, including Joan Crawford.

THe Fini

After surrealist artist Leonor Fini, her painting Two Women and the feathers she heaped upon her head.

The Brooks

After Louise Brooks in Pandora’s Box (and her post-Hollywood writings).

The Divine

After Divine, of course, and her exuberant screaming insubordinate heated heart.

The Kawakubo

After Rei Kawakubo’s gender bending nonbinary Comme des Garçons ballgowns.

The Erté

After Erté, who designed costumes for many theaters and productions, including the Folies Bergère.

The Picard

After feminist performance artist Lil Picard who once designed hats.

The Alexandra

After the 14-year-old immigrant from Warsaw who became my great grandmother.

The Jones

After Grace Jones and her genius afrofuturist androgyne.

The Hudson

After Ola Hudson who designed for the Pointer Sisters and Diana Ross, and collaborated with David Bowie on clothing for Station to Station and other projects.

THe Valdes

After Zelda Wynn Valdes, the spot she opened on Broadway in the ‘40s and those dresses she made for Joyce Bryant!

The Marzanna

After the Slavic goddess of winter’s death.

The Madcap

After Elsa Schiaparelli.