Archive for June, 2009

Buffalo…
Land of endless winters, hockey madness and delicious chicken wings.
A desolate wasteland that serves no purpose other than a pitstop for refueling your car and currency exchange on your way from New York City to Toronto.

Hell, I’m from New Jersey and only lived here since 2008, so I’m not going to go out of my way to dispel your preconceived notions of the Queen City. But I am going to let you in on a universal truth: You take hot chicks and put them in fab clothes and magic can happen anywhere. Be it in Dildo, Newfoundland, Canada, Crappo, Maryland or Blue Ball, Pennsylvania*. So yeah, anything is possible. Even in Buffalo, New York.
*(Yes, those are ALL real places)
So what brought hot Lippy action to Western NY State, you ask?

Los Angeles, being the home base of Lip Service boasts more Fashion Freak- centric fun than any other place on the planet. It seems like The City of Angels has a monopoly on all the festivities. West Coasters get to enjoy sample sales, opportunities to model in catalog shoots and the occasional job openings within the company. Given the geographical proximity to LS Headquarters where all the magic happens it makes perfect sense that you Pacific Coast peeps get all the action. So you won’t hear a peep of bitching out of me. No need to call the WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHMBULANCE .

I drew a metric ton of inspiration from the ladies of LiveJournal’s Lippy Addicts. A brainchild of the lovely Evil Kelly Chan, the close knit community is primarily populated by ladies who exhibit an encyclopedic amount of knowledge on all things Lippy. It dawned on me that vintage Lippy must be celebrated and worn with pride alongside 2009’s offerings. And no place other than a runway would do. So I aimed to create a primarily fan based fashion show filled with models who already have a few cherished Lippy pieces of their own. Let’s face it, while we all love our dog eared copies of printed Lippy catalogs, we all wonder how each individual piece would look outside of a fashion shoot setting. Worn by the girls you see patronizing your local goth club, adorning the IRL flesh of familiar user names who post their latest haul to Lippy Addicts on a regular basis or even yourself. “A truly unique fashion experience for the addicts, by the addicts” The concept lingered and festered filed away in the back of my head for months, waiting until the right opportunity presented itself.

Favorable circumstances arose this past winter at an Auxiliary Magazine contributor meeting. Editor-in-chief and friend Jennifer Link seemed to think that my idea would work well in conjunction with an upcoming release party for the June issue of the mag. Jenny and Mike would handle the venue and the music, I’d get the clothes and round up some willing fashion freaks to rip the runway. I ran my master plan by the always helpful and lovely Lippy Webmistress Mich, who put me in touch with the right rep and we got the ball rollin’.

Cue several months of scheming and strategizing.

Once everything was set in motion and all details were finalized announcing a model call was in order. Mich and I spread the word on all the Lippy related networking site pages. I was pleased to discover that ladies and gents from ALL OVER THE US EAST COAST and Canada showed interest.  In the initial stages of planning, my heart desired to have a model list composed 100% of Lippy Addicts posters. Alas working within a certain time frame, model cancelations (it happens!) and the fact that us girls are scattered all over the globe injected a need for flexibility into my ambitious vision.  In the end we had a lovely mix of Lippy Addicts, friends of Lippy Addicts, spouses of Lippy Addicts and a few local girls thrown in for good measure. Voluntary test subjects…errrrrr models traveled from Virginia, Toronto, Brooklyn and Pennsylvania.

Ultimately Fashion Freaks rallied at Club W on June 6th, 2009.

Pics or it didn’t happen? … Oh I got your pics, alright. I gotcha pictures right here.
First and foremost…
BACKSTAGE SHENANIGANS

Red Bull was seemingly the unofficial sponsor of the evening. You gotta muster up the energy for all those outfit changes, countless rehearsals and pacing around backstage as you wait your turn to strut your stuff on the catwalk.
Not to mention that us organizers are nothing but a bunch of heartless slave drivers who didn’t allow the models any booze before they walked! HARSH!

Our models ogle Spring ‘09’s collection as they’re being held hostage in the downstairs dungeon of Club W.

Clark Dever snapped a few quick shots of our model citizens rockin a mix of Spring 09’s freshest styles and timeless Holy Grails prior to their first walk out.

Kayte Dies makin’ “Trash Talk” hot!

Lynn lookin’ steamy!

Kym and Richard reaching a hazardous level of hotness in their matching Bio Threat I black and silver ensembles.

Jen Lee poses pretty in pinstripes

Preoccupied with ensuring that the show is running smoothly your organizers have no time to stand in place for a proper picture.
Jennifer Link(left) in Devil Dolls and Vanity Kills(right) in Division LS.

Military fetish nurse Vanity Kills performs her MC duties(while cracking many a cheesy one liner) as our first model of the evening, the incomparable Kym takes the stage in Bio Threat I.

Her Haz Mat boy Richard soon follows her lead.
On Kym: “Nuclear Fallout Mini” and “Toxicity Tank Top”. Both in the black/silver colorway.
On Richard: “Mr Chernobyl 1986” pants (in black), “Contaminated” top (black/silver) and “Nuclear Winter Scarf”(black/silver).

Kaye Dies brings a double shot of the “Don’t Fuck With Me” vibe in the “Trash Talk” Tank Dress from Trash & Dagger.

Lynn has what it takes to pull off dignified Victoriana spiced with just the right amount of bad girl chic that Steam Machine embodies.
On Lynn: “Clockwork Heart” long sleeve top and “Steam This, Punk!” pencil skirt both in the black colorway.

Orange dreaded vixen Ellis Seven will kick your ass without mussing up her hair or her kimono.
Ellis Seven rocks the “Couture Tokyo Rose Kimono” from the Looks That Kill line in the white/red colorway.

Jen Lee robs the spotlight in her “Gangsta Pranksta” dress . As seen in the black/white pinstripe colorway.

Machine Sex looks nothing short of picture perfect in Patent Vinyl and Vegi Leather Classic 09’s “Polly Vinyl Senior Prom” dress in the gunmetal colorway.
Don’t you boys wish you prom date was hot like her?
(Yes, that’s a one liner recycled directly from the show)

Dori Bot is simply to die for in her Satin Persuasions “Dream Date” long dress seen here in the black/purple colorway.

Q: What’s black and blue and pretty all over?
A: Sarah Jane in the Black N Blue Ballerina “The Royal Ballet” layered dress. In the titular blue/black colorway, naturally.

And this concludes round one, ladies and gentlemen.
Meanwhile…back at the super secret underground headquarters(a.k.a the dressing room)

Kym, Richard and the back end of Vanity Kills plotted their next plan of attack

While Lynn’s adorable daughter, Molly, joined us for a minute to cheer her Mommy on.
Cheongsam today, Hollywood Geisha tomorrow. We will convert her soon enough.

Kym drove the crowd crazy in the “Zip Front Strap Dress” and “Long Sleeve Jacket” from the Institutionalized Stretch Twill line. Both in the black colorway.  And what is Richard wearing you ask?
Time to play: NAME THAT LIPPY!!!
We joined our collective Lippy Addict forces to pin down the elusive line from which Richard’s pants originated.  His  black colorway “Guys Zip Up Shirt” from Patent Vinyl and Vegi Leather Classics is a sure bet, but what about those mystery trousers?  A Patent Vinyl and Vegi Leather Classics redux? 4-Way Gang Bang? Or a blast from the past with Houses of the Holy?

Kayte Dies turns her grand re-entrance to the stage into a retro futuristic affair to remember as she gracefully sashays in “The Underworld” cap sleeve dress from Steam Machine in the black colorway.

Lynn brings a whole lot of sexy back in black as she shows off her Patent Vinyl and Vegi Leather Classics “Sleeping Beauty” corset paired with a perennial favorite Work Detail “Snug Corset Skirt”.
Her show stopping hat, classic fence net hose and dainty black PVC shoes really bring this sultry yet lady like ensemble together. Lynn proves that black vinyl can indeed be the epitome of sheer class.

Android princess Ellis Seven keeps it sleek in silver. The gunmetal colorway “Totally Fettered” high neck top and “Really Fancy Pants” suspender shorts look like they were made just for her.
The combination of fetish inspired cyberwear and massive flame hued dreads looks particularly striking on her, don’t you think?

Jen Lee is beautiful in binary. She effortlessly pulls off a pairing of the “Nano Factory” Ragdoll mini dress and “Cybertronic” cap sleeve hoodie from one of my personal favorite Spring 09 lines, Cybertronic Ragdoll. Breaking code and hearts since 2009.

50% Lady, 50% Tramp, the lovely Machine Sex takes us on a trip down the Lady is a Tramp Fall 2003 Fetish Classics memory lane. Would you like a mop for your drool?
Machine Sex channels her inner danger dame while maintaining an air of Old Hollywood glamour in a “You’re Nobody ‘Til Somebody Loves You” romper and matching “Casting Call Hot Shorts” both in the polka dot colorway. Lady? Tramp? When you look this damn good, nobody cares, because they’re too busy coveting your garb.

We can’t stop starting at the always delightfully flawless Dori Bot looking ever so stylish in the dusty rose/black colorway of the “Best Sunday Dress” from Devil Dolls IV.
If that’s what young ladies wore to church would you actually go?

Sarah Jane takes off in a Flight Stimulator bustier and mini in a rare olive colorway.

Kym and Richard gallantly rescue you from a fashion emergency.

Kym’s style RX showcases the Free Clinic staple “Sister Salvation” cincher as well as a one of a kind medical mini from the Lip Service attic. Both in a matching red/white colorway. She pairs her sexy nurse attire with a Patent Vinyl and Vegi Leather Classics must have, a white “Add Two Cups of Sugar” bra.

Real life army medic Richard raises blood pressure in some new and improved career wear. Lookin’ sharper than a fresh out of the pack hypodermic needle in a Free Clinic “Trauma Ward” shirt in the black/red colorway and a basic black Fast Times Fishnet “Reality Bites” muscle top. You gotta give the boy props for paying attention to fine details. Accessories make the man, boys and girls. Note the ever present medical cross motif on Richard’s surgical mask, goggles and best of all tattoos!
Kym scores Lippy Addict elite brownie points for being the only girl in the world to own this one of a kind medical mini snagged from the Lip Service Attic E-bay store.

From Original Cult celebration to electronic dance extravaganza! A variety of DJs entertained the partygoers after the fashion show. DJ Leah spun industrial and EBM favorites, Darago chilled out with minimal techno, Oracle sped it back up with psytrance and LA’s Dirwood close the night off with a house set.

I sincerely thank all of you that came out from the bottom of my plastic, shallow fashion crazed heart!
Might your fashion posts be frequent and your Holy Grails cheap and plentiful!

Credits:
Photography: Clark Dever and Aaron Kondziela
Models: Kym, Richard, Kayte Dies, Lynn McNew, Ellis Seven, Jen Lee, Machine Sex, Dori Bot , Sarah Jane
Makeup: Jessica Jean
Hair: Erin Moser
Special thanks to Jennifer Link @ Auxiliary Magazine, Mich Fisher and Mickey Finn @ Lip Service.

Be sure to check out the fashion show coverage on Auxiliary Magazine’s blog here:
Auxilliary Magazine blog
Stay tuned for full web and print coverage of the event in the August issue of Auxiliary Magazine.
<3
Vanity Kills

** If you are near LA and dying to see a Lip Service Fashion Show up-close and personal, mark your calendars and come out and play with us at BarSinister on July 4th for the Lip Service Fashion Show with a kick ass set by GlamPunk legends, Jetboy! Details are here in the Events section ~love, the WebMistress **

“Halloween is the one night a year when girls can dress like a total slut and no other girls can say anything about it.”- The ever so socially enlightened Lindsay Lohan as Cady Heron in 2004’s cinematic masterpiece Mean Girls(No, really it was a good movie. I own it).

Thanks to those pre-packaged mass produced Halloween costume abominations with names such as “Midnight Coffin Bride” (granny’s parlor curtains revamped for the ho stroll) “Lady of Darkness” (made from the finest garbage bag- esque gut hugging stretch metallic fabric the low low price of $79.99) and “Love Bite Vampire” (for that Old West budget brothel feel) drunken frat boys flock to alternative dance clubs in droves searching for those “crazy ass Elvira looking bitches”. Cause that one time in college Brandy and Alicia dressed up like gothic fairies at the annual “Shitfaced on Samhain” kegger which led to a black lipstick, saliva and STD swap fueled by a Natty Ice haze. Following the “November 1st Walk of Shame” and the leaked Facebook photo fiasco the sorostitutes weren’t down with the idea of repeat performance, which lead to many a disappointed dudebro.

And so the Alpha Delta d-bags enlisted their three collective remaining brain cells to work. They put on their thinking caps, popped their collars and huffed and puffed until they produced a thought. The general consensus amongst the group was that they must venture to the mythical Goth club where Halloween was celebrated 52 times a year on a reoccurring weekend basis. A magical wonderland where all the men wear eyeliner which leads one to conclude that they must not exhibit interest in pursuing the fairer se x. This leaves the women who are all lesbian vampires by nature ripe for the plucking. Goth broads enjoy random sexual encounters with anything on two legs and a pulse. Why else would they wear stripper heels, corsets and latex? Pick a girl, any girl. Since all the boys in the joint are clearly gay, the babes will be floored by the swagger of a smooth talkin’ ladies man like you without exception. Just say “Nice fangs” while clearly looking at her cleavage, ask her if she likes Rob Zombie and she’s as good as yours. Then it’s off to your pad for a private afterhours party. A little bit of blindfolds, a smidgen of light spanking and some candlewax. While you’re at it ask her to bring a friend. It won’t offend her. A cheap compliment and a bottle of Miller High Life was all it took to turn your life into a “Bondage Lite” 2:00 AM Skinemax movie.

Who knew that we existed solely for the purpose of fulfilling the fantasies of some hair gel abusing, pink polo wearing, Steve Stifler quoting Neanderthal dickhead?

To be completely fair, frat assholes suck, but are by no means the only parties out there guilty of invading our territory and assuming we’re easy like Sunday morning. Here at Lethal Love we believe that diversity is important and want to spotlight tools from20all walks of life such as but not limited to:

-Poor man’s Kanye West “rap producers” who (according to themselves) are on the verge of releasing the next drug-dealer-turned-champagne-popping-zillionaire’s multi platinum record. They actually expect you to overlook the fact that just last week you saw them camped out in front of the local Exxon trying to sell some homemade CD-Rs for 3 bucks a pop out of a duffel bag much to the annoyance of suburban soccer Moms. But at this moment he’s trying to convince you that he’s straight up ballin’. Conveniently, his rapper protégé is shooting a video somewhere in No Man’s Land, Queens and they could really use a booty like yours. Baby, he’s gonna make you a star!

- Aging swingers with George Hamilton-esque tans trying to recruit you for a threesome. Don’t you know that all alternative chicks are bi by default? And look at that hot bitch wife of his. You’re still not sure what’s hotter, the polyester French Maid outfit leftover from Halloween or the Tijuana boob job.

- Wealthy sexually repressed Orthodox Jews from Brooklyn. They would invade NYC fetish parties in droves and solicit the female attendees. We’ve got the money honey and you’re clearl y a walking Alt.com personal ad. Talk about taking the term “commodity fetish” literally. Cause that’s all you are, don’t you know?

I can’t speak for you, but being trapped in business casual hell on a Monday through Friday basis, I fantasize about freeing my purple Bio Threat Nuclear Fallout mini from the confines of my closet on Saturday nights. I look forward to trading in my sensible white three quarter sleeve button up shirt for a corset that will turn my cleavage into a shelf on which I rest my beer. Neither of the aforementioned club outfits posses the magical ability of suddenly transforming me from office lady to The Great Fornicatrix. And hey, just because a girl opts to rock select pieces from a line called 4-Way Gang Bang it doesn’t mean that she wants her night to end in one!

Alas even Stevie Wonder can see that attiring oneself in stripper sized apparel which resembles something dug up in The Pussycat Dolls garage sale tends to set up certain expectations in the opposite sex. Low cut, tight, shiny and see through ensembles generally project an aura of sexual availability. Whether you like it or not. So for every hot non creepy guy you chat up at a party over a bowl of spiked punch, expect five or six slime balls who will attempt to bed you with every single tired one liner in the book.

After all, nobody said that being constantly hit on was all harmless flirting and complimentary cocktails. Sometimes you hear shit so sleazy it’s hard not to feel like there isn’t enough soap in the world to wash all the ick out. And your next free drink might just be called the Rohypnol Sunset.

So are we to blame for the caveman behavior?

Partially. Provocative clothing PROVOKES a reaction alright. Men perceive your prominently displayed goods as an invitation to a party in your pants they’re dying to RSVP to. Until portable mind control rays that allow you to choose the specimens which you’d love to inspire lust in while being left alone by the general population of pervs are invented, there’s little you can do about it. Or is there?

There’s no law that says you can’t fuck with them.
Frankly, a little bit of shock therapy is just what the doctor ordered for these textbook case scumbags. You think you can mock us “crazy freaks” in the street when your douche posse/girlfriend is around AND then try to fuck us when you think no one’s watching?

Hold onto your Burning Angel videos, pal, cause you’ve got another thing coming.

The madness begins next week.

<3

Vanity Kills

When Auxilliary planned their Buffalo fashion show, lots of you asked, “When can we have a Lip Service fashion show here in L.A.?” The answer is:

Saturday, July 4th!

That’s right! We’re hosting a live Lippy Fashion Show right here in LA at Bar Sinister (at Boardner’s) with an extra bonus of a live performance by GlamPunk legends, JETBOY! Come out and play in your hottest Lip Service gear, because there will be prizes for the best Lip Service look of the night.

We can’t wait to see you there!

Not sure where Bar Sinister is? Click below for map/direction and look for the candle-lit alley @ 1652 N. Cherokee Ave.

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If you want to pick up some new Lippy styles at killer prices, stop by the Bargain Basement at Lippy HQ (130 S. Anderson St) Click below for map/directions:

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