fashion

Fashion Freakout 5 brings runway back to Mohawk on March 2

February 15, 2012 By Eugenia Vela

It’s that wonderful time of the year—when music, fashion and the irresistible charm of Austin style come together for Fashion Freakout! The event takes place March 2 at The Mohawk.

The fifth annual fashion extravaganza brings the coolest looks from Prototype Vintage Design, Buffalo Exchange and newcomers Charm School Vintage to the runway, with models decked head-to-toe in make-up and hair by Avant Salon and Spa. The Freakout wouldn’t be complete without music, though, and this year we’ll be rocking out to live performances from A Giant Dog, The OBN III’s and The Fleshlights.

Fashion Freakout is truly an event we look forward to all year—an Austinite gem of fashion and fun. This event sells out every year, so make sure to get your tickets before they run out. Purchase advance tickets here and visit the event post on Do512 here. Read our interview with Audrie San Miguel in 2010 here, who together with Jason McNeely, founded the event.

Review: Fashion Freakout Four at Mohawk

February 12, 2011 By Eugenia Vela

Photo by Mari Hernandez

“The show must go on.”

That’s what greeted me Friday when I woke up, cold and a bit hung over, and opened up my Facebook inbox. The team behind Fashion Freakout was well aware that even though Texas had panicked with half an inch of snow, there was still an exceptional bunch of Austinites who would laugh, grab their coat and ear muffs, and happily freeze their asses off at Mohawk. Happily of course, if they could have a Jameson while snapping shots of size 0 women.

We’ve got the people from Prototype Vintage Design, Laced with Romance and New Bohemia to thank for giving us something to laugh about in 26 degree weather. The place was impressively alive, full of fur-clad hipsters and eager photographers pressed against the edges of the runway. The fourth annual Fashion Freakout officially began when a penguin took the runway at 9:30 p.m. The penguin danced, threw leis at the crowd, then took off its mask to reveal the man underneath: Matt Bearden.

We were all thinking the same thing, but Bearden said it. “Some people didn’t come out ‘cause they said it was too cold. Those people are cold pussies.”

So us non-pussies took our spots and enjoyed the show. Laced with Romance presented the first set of looks. Women in boho chic, floor-length dresses and stick-thin men strutted down the catwalk. Obi belts reminiscent of Marc Jacobs circa 2009 hugged the women at the waist, while men walked with cigarettes dangling at the mouth.

The fun thing about vintage is, there is no particular era. You can play with clothes like costumes, and Laced with Romance showed us we can be a pretty blonde and dress like Jack Sparrow, or a young 20-something and dress like Jeff Bridges in Crazy Heart. There are no rules in vintage.

New Bohemia followed with a lot of spunk. Leopard was everywhere, as well as fur coats, covering the shoulders of a lucky few. New Bohemia played with the decades as well as ages, sending out a surprisingly upbeat middle-aged cowboy (hey, we are in Texas) with a spring in his step. Then a long-haired boy with a fuck-you attitude walked out, turned and sneaked us a peek of his Chicago Bulls jacket.

Throughout the show, we had the joy of listening to all kinds of music—everything from Dylan to Lou Reed to go with the sequined jumpsuits. It was all very DVF at Studio 54 with a lil’ Southern flair. The reek of weed hung over the catwalk—a perfect Austin addition. Bearden spoke out in between sets, telling us that if we played our cards right, “the old cowboy would show us his True Grit.”

Prototype Vintage gave us a lot more ‘70s glam, with perfect combos of Jessica Simpson platforms and Bianca Jagger-style pants. The models were perfection, giving us glimpses of Rolling Stones ankle tattoos and second-skin red dresses with berets. The crowd seemed to cheer louder for the men, who walked with a shyness and the right amount of sass. And Audrie San Miguel, if you’re reading this—that look with the pink jumpsuit and the white fur coat, yeah. I need that coat.

The Gary Glitter cover band Leaders of the Gang took the stage in between the first and second looks. Unfortunately, most people ran indoors to keep warm for a few minutes. If they’d stayed outside, they would’ve witnessed the most marvelously uncomfortable 20 minutes of my life. There was singing at some point, but more than anything, there was glitter, a butt crack and a fabulous fur-lined sequined cape.

The second set of looks were a blur, what with the weather finally freezing the last bit of functioning brain cells. Laced with Romance ventured out with head gear and masks, and a girl known as The Bravest Model There Has Ever Been walked out half-covered with the flimsiest piece of fabric known to man. New Bohemia got the most cheers on their second looks, sending out a full-on wedding theme. Flapper dresses, black and gold sequins, that awesome cowboy again. Male models in bowler hats and walking sticks, with bright pink ties and lots of rich velvet. The set ended when the models/newlyweds took the stage to the warm applause, finishing their walk with their first kiss as man and wife. Prototype Vintage Design finished off the show, offering us looks of flowy romance and provocative frocks. One by one the models took their final flirty strut, their breath heavy in the air, and clapped along to the music for the last hurrah.

Fashion Freakout Four was a true success. Even with the cold, which surely cost the event a few guests, the night ruled with music and vintage. The team behind the event lured us with the promise of hot chocolate and hot babes, but even if there had been neither (but there were), anything would have been a good excuse to drag that fur coat out of the closet and stomp out to Mohawk. Let’s hope the weather behaves for next year’s Freakout, but if not, what the hell? We’d brave five more inches of snow to check out that old cowboy again, the flirt.

[Show as slideshow]

Laced With Romance

[Show as slideshow]

New Bohemia

[Show as slideshow]

Prototype Vintage

Photos by Mari Hernandez

A Look Back at Fashion Freakout 2

April 19, 2009 By Ian Morales

February 6, 2009

Fashion Freakout is Austin’s new annual rock ‘n’ roll fashion show produced by Audrie San Miguel, owner of Prototype Vintage on South Congress, and Jason McNeely. Audrie’s passion for vintage fashion, her city and live music all came through that night at The Mohawk perfectly. It was the perfect marriage of vintage fashion and rock and roll. In only its second year of existence, Fashion Freakouk did not disappoint. Everything about Fashion Freakout was absolutely perfect and absolutely Austin.

Hosted by Austin’s own Riverboat Gambler’s front man, Mike Weibe, Fashion Freakout featured two sets from the classic rock soundings of Hacienda. Having been declared by Rollingstone Magazine as “the Mexican Beatles”, Hacienda was the perfect fit for Fashion Freakout. On the turntables that night were DJ Tweedy, McNeely and Big Face.

Prototype Vintage Models (photo by Mari Hernandez)

Early on in the show San Miguel’s Prototype Vintage featured a diverse array of models that were almost as fun and colorful as the clothes they were wearing. Many of those clothes looked straight out of a Nick At Night rerun we used to watch as kids. As the Prototype Vintage models strutted down the runway, crowds cheered and eyes lit up.

For Prototype’s second round on the runway, they brought out their models in a more formal but edgy, black and white clothing line. One female model wore a tuxedo style bow tie while one male model paraded the runway in a black top hat in true gentlemanly style. Despite the “formal” look of the attire, the models for Prototype were smiling and carrying on with the swagger of young rock stars. That night in February, they were.

New Bohemia models (photo by Mari Hernandez)

Another South Congress Fashion Freakout participant, New Bohemia, turned heads and entertained the scenester crowd…then there were the clothes. With flashy and eccentric models, New Bohemia not only displayed their clothing line but also the New Bohemia attitude. That attitude is young, care free and fun. With clothes one could wear in an everyday setting and formal lines to offer, New Bohemia held its own and won over the Fashion Freakout attendees. The male model in the blue vintage dress was a crowd favorite.

Laced With Romance models (photo by Mari Hernandez)

Laced With Romance is an online, Ebay boutique that sells vintage clothing. The edgiest and most out of the box line of the Fashion Freakout participants, Laced With Romance’s models were as confident and brooding as the people who would actually wear the line. Not for the everyday or casual shopper, Laced with Romance’s line includes dark, tie dyed inspired prints on leggings, on their womens tops and on their women’s one piece jump suits. For the men, Laced With Romance’s collection offered a very dark bohemian chic look sure to appeal to the out of the box nonconformist.

Buffalo Exchange models (photo by Mari Hernandez)

The fourth and final representative for Fashion Freakout was none other than the popular Guadalupe Street hot spot and Fashion Freakout attendee favorite, Buffalo Exchange. Their models included some familiar faces to many as they featured their own employees on the runway. With a good mix of vintage chic and an everyday bohemian hipster, Buffalo Exchange did not disappoint.

The female models wore vintage dresses that would have donned the pages of fashion magazines before most of us were born. Their eclectic offering of female accessories, ranging from belts to boas, enhanced the look of their most simple tops and dresses modeled. As for the guys, one model came straight out of the pages of a renaissance fairy tale while another wore vintage brown leather pants with an open jacket. Both drew cheers and screams from female attendees.

Hacienda performed at Fashion Freakout 2 (photo by Mari Hernandez)

Fashion Freakout concluded with the second set from Boerne, Texas’s own Hacienda. Fashion Freakout was their final Austin gig before going on tour with The Black Keys front man, Dan Auerbach. Sporting their own black and white vintage Beatles look, the guys from Hacienda were as chic as the models that took the stage before them. Lead singer, Rene Villanueva, is quite the rock and roll crooner in his own right. Several comments about Villanueva could be heard from the female attendees in the front row. For anyone who has seen Hacienda live before, vintage style is their style of clothes as well as their style of music. They were the last piece to what was Austin’s best fashion event of the year, and quite possibly Austin’s best ever.