Archive for May, 2010

FAKE BLOOD..SCARE ME LIKE THE REAL THING!

STEVE JOHNSON HAS MADE YOUR LIFE AMAZING AND FUN!!!! He has been inside your imagination and cinematic dreams (or nightmares) for a long time…. And you probably don’t even know who he is. Well that’s about to change rockers and slaves to fashion.

While I should have been doing my homework as a youngster, I found a much better after-school activity instead … No, stop thinkin’ dirty thoughts, freaks … Special F/X!!! You know, an extra leg on the dog, eyeballs that squirt jell-o, a severed finger that won’t stop moving, exploding skulls … etc.

Finding Social Studies and Home-Economics bland, I was too busy trying to learn how the hell to make these horrible creatures from movies that scare the shit out of everyone. I wanted a real education …in BLOOD!!! Ok, fake blood… Where the hell can I find fake blood when it’s nowhere near Halloween? Then I discovered a man who could give me that answer and the education that I needed in life … The school of STEVE JOHNSON!!! He taught me how to make all the blood I needed! And all the ingredients could be found from the shelves of my mom’s kitchen (I didn’t have to try to drain it from the neighbor kids anymore). It was a complete freak-show mess in my house after that! Blood everything!

Award winning F/X designer Steve Johnson was introduced to the Hollywood F/X scene after meeting with make-up artist Rick Baker in Steve’s home state of Texas. (If you don’t know Rick B. read my older ‘Devil Inside’ interviews dang it!) By the time he was 18 Steve moved to Cali and cut his teeth on such productions as ‘Tanya’s Island,’ ‘The Fog’ and ‘The Howling’.

Later, as Baker was assembling his select team in London for the production of ‘An American Werewolf in London,’ he again invited Johnson to join him. This position lead to key supervisory roles on ‘Videodrome’ (Debbie Harry from Blondie yum yum!) and ‘Greystoke’ on which he supervised the animatronic ape shoot in Africa. Robot Apes … Saweet!

By the mid-80s Steve was appointed head of Richard Edlund’s Boss Film Corporation creature shop for productions including ‘Ghostbusters’, ‘Fright Night’, ‘Poltergeist II’ and ‘Big Trouble in Little China’. ( F#@K – YA!) This position not only presented him with the challenge of realizing cutting edge F/X for major studio goodies, it also allowed him to bring larger than life concepts to an F/X work force of up to 80 full time freaks. This led to the formation of his own company XFX, Inc.

Originally based in Sun Valley, CA, Steve’s XFX, Inc. made a huge name for itself with its originality of design, attention to detail and innovative use of materials. Like the demise of Freddy Kreuger in R. Harlin’s ‘A Nightmare on Elm Street IV’ which lead to massive budget projects, like, oh say James Cameron’s ‘The Abyss’.

Steve is the man! He has brought XFX, Inc. to the forefront of the industry and continues to be actively involved with the conceptual development, hands on design and on set application for all his shows. A true leader in his field for sure.

He was awarded his first Emmy for Stephen King’s 8 hour mini-series ‘The Stand’ and continues to produce ass kicking, ground breaking make-up imagery for commercials, TV, theme parks, and film. Oh, and get this…. Emmy number 2 for S.King’s ‘The Shining’ series!

XFX, Inc. has kept very busy creating top-notch make-up and wicked creature F/X for ‘The Outer Limits,’ Stargate SG-1 and Steven Spielberg’s ‘Taken’.

Here is what Steve Johnson has done for you………………

War of the Worlds, The Cat in the Hat, Blade II, Charmed, Wrongfully Accused, Host, The Shining (mini-series), Night Watch, Eraser, Here Come the Munsters, Lord of Illusions, Species I and II, Exquisite Tenderness, Night Of the Demons I and II, The Stand, Brainscan, Oldest Living Confederate Widow Tells All, Return of the Living Dead III, The Temp, Innocent Blood, Pet Sematary II, Highway to Hell, To Save a Child, A Grande Arte, Monsters (t.v), Howling IV: Original Nightmare, A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: Dream Master, Dead Heat, Solarbabies, Big Trouble in Little China, The Clan of the Cave Bear, Howling II: Stirba: Werewolf Bitch, Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes, Tanya’s Island, Humandoids from the Deep, The Fog, Spiderman 2, Daai Zek lou, The Rundown, Arachnid, Necronomicon, Red Planet, The Dentist, Bad Moon, The General’s Daughter, The Rapture, Suburban Commando, Howing VI : The Freaks, Night Angel, The Abyss, Leviathan, Predator, Virus, The Warlord, Evolver, Amistad, Freaked, Poltergeist II: The Other Side, Fright Night, Ghostbusters, Rose Red, Where the Wild Things Are, Bicentennial Man….. I can keep going!!!!!!!!!!!!!

BOW DOWN CREEPS!!!!

Plus self-produced ‘behind the scenes’ making of kick-ass-ery-ness! All done by himself!

I SAY DOWN DOGS!!!!

Steve and I have been chatting over the months so I thought this would be a great opportunity to let you rock-n-roll freak-a-zoids in on what’s cool.. That’s what I do …

Talking with this master of the Special F/X (and my hero) during his busy schedule via Skype went a li’l something like this …

This interview was really hard for me to do with all the outrageous laughter that was going on the whole time….. So just put it this way… Steve and I are looney tunes and we were both drinking.

Chad Cherry: Steve I know you’ve done a ton of movies and have worked w/ some amazing people. Can you tell me which film you’ve had the most fun working on?

Steve Johnson: The most fun? That’s really easy, and I despise questions like this which I’m sure you do too, but I’ll spin off and answer it anyway cuz I like the sound of my own voice … Clearly … Easily … ‘Ghostbusters’. I mean look, ‘Ghostbusters’ was a comedy and people like me don’t often get the chance to work on a comedy so by virtue of the fact that you’re working on a comedy on set everyone is trying to make ya laugh and have a good time.

It really was a fantastic time and you know that the movie has become an icon, it’s a major, major film and when you look back this year is the 25th anniversary for it comin’ out and the world wide enthusiasm for it is rabid. I’m like fuck, that was an incredible once in a life time experience. So ‘Ghostbusters’… My most fun.

C.C. Well since you hated that question, I’m gonna stick to the program. Which one is the bloodiest? Most sick?

S.J. You are the worst interviewer.

C.C. I’m amazing.

S.J. But yer still gonna go for it. Well that’s a tough one, cuz a lot of those films were independently produced … Let’s see … Which one would the people recognize? … Ya know I really didn’t do a ton of bloody stuff. I tried to veer away from that actually. Maybe ‘Night of the Demons II’. On the first one the producers, director and writer wanted it to be a psychological horror for a low budget movie but on the 2nd one they tried to step it up a lil’ bit. “Just pour more blood on it! I don’t care if it takes 100 gallons, just pour more blood on it”! Spew it from fire extinguishers and we’ll get a reaction from the audience. So ‘Night of the Demons II’ … I just made that up … It’s not really true.

C.C. That’s o.k. … It’s all bullshit anyway. I’m not even gonna put this interview out. The questions that I’ve asked you so far have gone down hill … let’s keep rollin’ like that.

S.J. Ya, these are suckie questions.

C.C. Speakin’ of blood! Now that we are off the subject. Fake blood! Let’s talk about it. A very crucial part of horror or any movie for that matter. You taught me how to make it years ago. Steve can you tell the rest of the creeps of the world your infamous recipe for it? Let’s hear it.

S.J. Go online. Type in fake blood. Then order a gallon of it. That’s the way to go.

C.C. No, no, no, that’s too easy man! We want the kids to get creative here at Lip Service.

S.J. O.K. … Fake blood. Here’s easily how it goes. Caro (clear) syrup (pancake syrup) and food coloring. You used to be able to get it at the store, at least when I was a kid. Put red in it, if it’s too red, use yellow. If you want fresh blood make it brighter and if you want older blood make it darker. And then the way to really have it kick is to make it a tiny bit opaque and the way to do that is to actually use zinc oxide. And you can get that anywhere cuz it’s basically suntan lotion. If you’ve ever seen surfers w/ that white strip on their nose … that’s zinc oxide. So if you want it to be incredibly cool, that’s how ya do it.

C.C. And it’s tasty. I used to put it on my pancakes.

S.J. You made blood pancakes?

C.C. Ya, now I’m hungry so I gotta go … See ya … So what’s up with the story of a very young Steve Johnson in grade school making himself up to look like a bum, beard and all, so he could buy adult beverages for the kiddies. True or false?

S.J. It’s not only true, but I did it on more then one occasion and got away with it.

C.C. You kick ass for that! Hands down one of the most r-n-r stories ever.

S.J. For a 14 year old livin’ in Texas, I was like in 7th grade. Ya, I was the hero of all my friends. It worked. That is a r-n-r story, now we’re cookin’!

C.C. Alright, alright! You have 2, count em’ 2 Emmys. To me this next question sounds like something I would do givin’ the chance. You lost one! Steve, how the fuck did you lose one of yer Emmys?

S.J. It’s true, I did lose one of them. Here’s what happened. I Got fired from ‘Where the Wild things Are’ and from ‘Spiderman III’ from within an 8 hour period. 18 million $ down the drain in 8 hours and what are ya gonna do at this point? So what I decided to do was become a fugitive from the law cuz I saw the digital world comin’, I saw it for years and all the smart people have gone back to M.I.T., they’ve gone back to Pennsylvania to Fine Art. They’re not gonna sit back and make 12$ an hour like a fuckin’ plummer and I run their company. What am I gonna do? And so I thought, o.k. this is just a phase, this digital thing will go away. So I was completely delusional ya know and I’m thinking this is my career for the last 30 years, it will get fixed, it’s fantasy film it will go back to practical F/X.

And then Spike Jones calls me up from ‘Where the Wild Things Are’ and wants to do everything practical and I’m thinkin’ great! Finally! And on top of that … a 15 million $ paycheck. This is gonna be great! Well, he has one of his minions call me up after I had worked on the show for 8 months right, and then he goes, “Not only are we not gonna give you 15 mill but yer fired … and we are gonna do it all digitally and we’re gonna give the grunt work to the Henson corporation.”

So I’m like well o.k., at least I still have ‘Spiderman III’. I did the first and second so at least I still have the third. Then I get called into a meeting for 20th Century Fox that night and they say “Steve, sorry we are gonna do this all digitally … Yer fired” … So I went home. I just lost 18 million dollars and it will never ever, ever come back again. So literally … I can’t believe I’m giving you the scoop on this Chad, cuz nobody has heard this shit yet! But we are drinkin’ and this is fun so what the hell … So I went into my studio the next day and I talk to all my higher ups, had a big meeting and asked … What are we gonna do?

We just lost 18 mill, we have 15,000 $ monthly bills to run the company and we don’t have a job. We’re out, it’s over. And so my coolest guy, cool as ice all the time says to me, “I’ll tell you what you should do. There’s only one answer. You should rob your own company, take everything you’ve got and become a fugitive in some South American country and live as long as you can.” And as insane as I was, Chad, at that point it sounded reasonable. I was like, he’s right! I’m gonna rob my own company and go south of the border like fuckin’ Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. And I did!

Within a month I had left like one cig burnin’ on the table top and I ended up in Costa Rica for a year on an observation platform with no electricity and monkeys hoppin’ in and out of my house.

Ya, so I guess yer getting this breaking story … I knew this would get good. So that’s what happened … Wait I forgot the question…

C.C. It doesn’t matter anymore Steve.

S.J. Wait, here is the saddest part about what I just told you. That as it turned out, no one cared. I was the worlds shittiest fugitive. No one cared. So I came back to L.A. and was just waiting for the F.B.I. but they just looked at my passport and said “O.k. poor bastard, just clean it up” and they let me back in. I was a shitty, shitty fugitive.

C.C. Let me just say that that’s completely fucking insane … But what a great story!

S.J. I’ve looked at it in a bunch of ways and now that I’m back in L.A. People can contact me now, like you. Cuz when I was workin’ with monkeys in Costa Rica no one could get a hold of me. But now that I’m back, who would expect anything less.

C.C. Is there any way I can rent out yer old place with the monkeys? Cuz that sounds pretty good for me right now.

S.J. Absolutely. I’ll point you in the right direction.

C.C. Thank you Steve.

S.J. We should be snorting sea monkeys right now …

C.C. We need to do this high on sea monkeys. This is how we roll Steve.

C.C. Seriously.

S.J. Seriously.

S.J. Back to yer interview.

C.C. Let’s talk about your youtube channel. This is amazing!

S.J. Type in rubberrules or stevejohnsonfx . The intro episode is the real reason why the channel was born, cuz I’ve got 100,000 still photos from my entire 30 year career of every step of every movie I’ve ever done. I’ve got 10,000 hours of behind the scenes video and 20,000 pieces of original art work. I looked at this big piece of stuff when I got back from Costa Rica and said ‘what am I gonna do with all this?’ What does one do with the spoils of movies? I mean I just turned 50, what am I gonna do, come down here to my basement every 5 years and pull out old photos and jerk off, it’s ridiculous. I realized that this stuff needs to be shared. Not a lot of people have done that, documented their careers so specific and complete.

I had to look at it and thought, this is a really serious thing and there are a lot of people really interested in this so what better way to share it then to put it out on youtube for free. And that’s how that came about.

C.C. There is so much hard work that goes into it, the detail, the design, the wicked shit that ends up hitting the cutting room floor. I think this is important. I think people need to see this.

S.J. We have about a year’s worth of episodes so, in about a month or so, the show will be up with fury.

C.C. Do you see younger folks getting into the craft and the art of F/X? Kids wanting to work hands on with foam latex, sculpting creatures, making fake blood. Is this old school now? Is it going toward C.G.I.?

S.J. You know Chad that’s a really good question. You would think that it would, but it’s not the case. In the film industry producers aren’t paying people like me to create characters anymore. They pay digital guys to hit their buttons and that’s where it’s been for a while.

As a result of that, what I’ve found incredibly fascinating within the past years or so, is that there seems to be an innate desire in a huge percentage of our population to want to create physical things of the fantastic. Not the mental things, but physical things.

I just went to a huge convention in L.A. called Monsterpalooza. Oh my god!!! I couldn’t believe it. Since my type of art has kinda been nudged to the side for digital technology, I’ve been so amazed to see not only is the art still there but it’s blossomed in a way it never has before. Since there’s no one paying money for it anymore and it’s just turned into a game and a business, which I know you know what it’s like being in the music biz. What’s happened since the biz aspect has been dissected for monster-makers, the art has risen. It’s bloomed in a way that I couldn’t have imagined.

1st there was 5 times as many people there, 2nd it was mostly people creating for art’s sake. Full body Lon Chaney from the 1931 Wolfman. Lon Chaney! And then a series for his transformation into the Wolf! And it truly was like a M. Angelo sculpture. Ultra-realistic and this guy did it for no reason other then the sake of art. And that was just one example. It seems to me since the film industry has squashed the need for making monsters that the kids in the basement have risen to fight it.

There is a desire to make things and it’s blooming more than I have ever seen.

C.C. So good to hear! When we lose our passion and soul for art, things turn to shit. People can see through it. Some anyway.

S.J. Art creates itself like the sweat through pores. There’s a reason people want to create these thing and remember them. I don’t know, I’m really just happy to see it.

C.C. It’s call being completely nutz!…. Well this is just amazing and a real treat for the fans that love movie magic. Before I wrap this up. I got to do it Steve.

S.J. I knew it….

C.C. Top 5 favorite Rock bands, man?

S.J. I was waiting for this. How can you as a musician, as a writer, ask me this? It’s like asking yer top 5 favorite words in the English language! haha! Come on!!! Ridiculous! I mean, Chad, you know that music is a language! Here is the thing, not only is it a language, it’s a drug. And God knows I like every drug.

C.C. Me too.

S.J. It sounds cavalier and very Hunter S. Thompson but music is a drug. Music comes into yer mind and what it does is it unlocks a certain valve to derail chemicals that make you feel a certain way. I mean it really does. It’s not like you’re putting something foreign into yer body, these chemicals exist and it’s key. It’s a pharmacist that says I want to listen to Chad Cherry’s band and drive really fast down the highway and have a car crash! Or listen to Genesis and want to slow down … Maybe gay out for the night.

C.C. I listen to Depeche Mode when I want to gay out for the evening. I really do. I don’t give a shit.

S.J. I’m being esoteric

C.C. We can be whatever we want.

S.J. I stopped listening to rock music in high school in ’78. Of course Aerosmith, the Nug, Frampton … If ya wanna call him rock. I was listening to all those things but, as time has gone by, I find I try to listen to things that calm me cuz music can tame the savage soul and after 30 years in the film industry … I listen to TLV and I want to drive off a cliff!!! I’m not ready to die … I’m quite certain that I haven’t answered yer question, but that’s all yer gonna get.

C.C. Perfect!

S.J. Come back to L.A. I love yer music! I post it on my wall, you guys rip but I need to see it live, Cherry. It’s the best live!

C.C. We are going to party when I get back.

S.J. This will be a bit dangerous.

C.C. That is how it goes. I can’t wait.

S.J. Awesome. Well maybe you can make sense out of this interview.

C.C. I highly doubt it, but who needs to makes sense anymore anyway. Let’s confuse them with beautiful madness. See you when I rock L.A. again.

S.J. I think we have too much fun! That’s why we are potentially dangerous friends. Skipping hand and hand through the gates of hell.

C.C. Of course. We’re fucked. I can’t wait for you to read this and say “That motherfucker made me sound like a punk!”

S.J. I don’t care if you tell people that I went to Thailand and got a sex change operation … I really don’t care.

C.C. Done.

S.J. There’s yer story …

So check out Mr. Johnson’s youtube channel he has set up to share with all you maniacs. It’s at – stevejohnsonfx’s- This will blow your mind! If you still have one … Take a look at all the madness from its origins and see the craft of a man and his team who actually create the movie monsters and inhuman beasts we love and fear. If you are not into Special F/X, you will be after taking a glimpse at the experience Steve will let you in on.

Oh hell! It looks like I got some blood all over my Lip Service stretch fuck’n jeans … And it’s not Steve’s recipe either … It’s the real McCoy! MMMMmmm that’s good human! Damn, I liked the color of those jeans too, but the red is more suiting for this article, anyway, I guess.

So I’m looking forward to influencing and possibly seducing you into my darkside of rock-n-roll by giving you all ‘On the Road with Stretch Fuck’n Jeans’ blogs Chad Cherry style while I’m prowling around the world with The Last Vegas … Coming soon to a victim like you … Are ya ready?

CHAD CHERRY -crazy rock guy-. XXX www.thelastvegas.com

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Greetings from the road with The Dollyrots and their rad jeans, both progressively getting dirtier and traveling throughout North America with Buzzcocks! We left you last week at the very start of our French Canadian adventure. The past seven days were amazing and included the first leg of Canadian dates on the tour in both Montreal and Toronto. Got across the border and had the van searched but the only thing found of note was a creepy bunny head mask and some whisky. The whisky wasn’t a problem and was consumed that night in Montreal. Montreal’s a cool city with lots of French-speakers and after-show late night restaurants serving Poutine, which everyone should try at least once in their life and consists of french fries covered in whatever goodness you can imagine. After a moxie filled show, during which Kelly attempted to speak to the crowd in French, we drank some “rocket fuel” (what Buzzcocks call champagne) and headed out in search of a place that offered vegan poutine. We were so excited we forgot to take a photo so here’s someone else’s poutine. Artery clogging but absolutely delicious. Here’s the place to go!
Montreal Rock!

Followed by poutine!

After Montreal we hit Toronto, which felt like a pretty normal big city, maybe a little NYC style. The show was HUGE and we got to meet some long-time Dollyrots fans in person finally! After rocking Toronto we got up early in the morning, hit Tim Hortons (kind of like Canada’s version of Dunkin Donuts), and drove to Niagara Falls before the U.S. Border Crossing! It was huge, damp, beautiful and full of lots of international tourists. It’s common knowledge that the Canadian side of the Falls is more impressive, and from what we saw that totally seems like the case. Basically, the Canadian side gets an incredible view of misty, enormous cascades of water while the U.S. side gets a sideways view of the Falls and direct view of an eyesore-inducing Vegas-style Marriot. Our jeans absorbed some sweet Niagara mist and we continued on into the U.S., where Cleveland met us with open arms. Cleveland rocks, period. Although there’s a heat wave tearing through the Midwest right now and that definitely had it’s effects on things. I swear the Cleveland, Detroit, and Chicago shows ranked in Top 5 in terms of sweatiest Dollyrots shows ever.

Luis and Fuzzy our merch girl at Niagara Falls!

We’ve never played Detroit before and St. Andrew’s Hall is an amazing old venue that used to be a giant cathedral and retains a creepily awesome energy. We probably lost 10 pounds of water weight because St Andrew’s doesn’t have A/C. It was a warm one and so far, sorry Boston, it was the BEST crowd yet! Kelly filmed a lot of the Buzzcocks set from the pit which was a damp and happy mass of humanity. We had to load out across a busy street at the end of the night, and a cool older guy named Papa Smurf appeared out of nowhere, gave us magic beads, and stopped traffic to let us across with our amps. He mentioned some bands we knew and we’ve since confirmed they all have magic beads from him too.

Chris and Papa Smurf

Chicago was super intense, with a sold-out room at the Double Door resulting in stage temperatures that made us soak through our jeans. Literally felt like I had jumped into a lake (actually, jumping into a lake afterwards would’ve been pretty awesome, but I digress). Rocked the white pants only reserved for special shows and moved on to Minneapolis, the only city we name-drop on the new album and a place we love dearly. The city is home to the coolest, crusty, courier-style stinky punks and we really dig it. We were met with open arms by good friends and given leftover bottles of wine at the end of the night by Buzzcocks after they decided they were sticking with champagne. After a week like this I’m not sure how but we did it again. It was an amazing rock show. Sometimes I think I’m just going to be too tired to do it but one it’s time it always happens. That’s what makes rock n roll so addictive. I don’t think we can live without it.

On our way to Canada for the second leg now! Far enough north in North Dakota that at 10pm so sun still isn’t down. We have tonight off and will miss the rock but our bodies can really use a break. Until next week…. signing off with freshly washed jeans!

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
kelly ogden
singing bass dollyrot

www.dollyrots.com
twitter.com/kellydollyrot
myspace.com/thedollyrots

or if you’re old fashioned or want to send me a postcard or treats…
The Dollyrots
636 Broadway, Ste. 1210
NY, NY 10012
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Lip Service’s Hottest Models!

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Scar in Patent Vinyl

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Mosh in the upcoming Fall Lip Service Lingerie group, In Control

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Brittany Bao in Lip Service Stretch Fuck’n Jeans

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Metal Sanaz in Looks That Kill

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Summer 2010 Styles!

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Erotomechanics (featuring Scar!)

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Batz N Bones

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25 Years

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Thanks to Metal Sanaz for wrangling this pic of Megadeth’s Dave Ellefson on stage wearing Lip Service Stretch Fuck’n Jeans!

Megadeth's Dave Ellefson - photo credit Gregg Maston

– How does the design process work in general, from concept and sketch to finished garment? (Thanks to Cynthia, NM, Phoenix, and Chris!)

Thanks to everyone for all your questions!!! We are going to answer the above question and just walk you guys through our process, with a few photos to show the different areas of our design room..

THE PROCESS…..

1. DESIGN BOARD

Design Board- This begins the process. We pull potential fabrics and trims and sketch options.

CONCEPTS!!! We come up with all types of concepts, whether it starts with fabrics or inspiration photos. If the sales team, as well as our team, thinks we have a customer out there who will wear this garment and we all like the idea, then we proceed in doing pencil sketches based on the concept.

2. The STYLE SHEET

Style Sheet- This communicates the design needs a style number, which goes into our computer system. This also communicates to the patternmaker the target measurements and fabric that will be used. This is important because stretch and shrinkage needs to be “built in” to patterns.

After our pencil sketches are reviewed and all the details are worked out, we put them onto a style form … This way the style can be issued a style # and all the fabric and trim information, as well as sketches, can be given to our patternmaker.

3. CUTTING

Cutting- We fill out a form communicating to the cutter this style is ready to be cut.

We, then, talk to our patternmaker about the style and she proceeds in making the pattern. After the pattern is made, we put it up to cut in our cutting room … After it’s cut, it then gets in line for sewing!!

4. SEWING

Sewing- It gets put in line to be sewn. Once it gets it’s turn the design explains how to sew the garment.(for example: If it’s 1/2” baby cover stitch or merrow edge finish)

When it is “on the machines,” it’s our job to watch our samples being made and answer any questions the seamstress might have about constructing the garment.

5. SPEC

Spec- A technical designer fills out a spec sheet including all the POM or Points Of Measure.

After the sample is made, we then fit it on our size Med. model, who comes three days a week. In the fitting, we talk about any changes we want to make with the patternmaker and the sales team.

6. SAMPLE

Now we have a first sample ready for fitting.

After all is approved, the next step is doing the illustration flat and putting all of the information into the system for the record.

7. SHOOT

After all the samples are complete for each group, it’s then time to hunt down the right models and do a photo shoot.

8. SHOW

When we have completed the entire season, we take all the groups to trade shows, show them to the buyers, and hopefully take orders for the new style.

AGAIN
Then we start the process all over again !!!!

Make sure you send your questions to the Webzine. The Design team will be back to answer your burning Lip Service questions June 16!

It’s usually fun and exciting to be a princess; it’s something pseudo-magical that people (usually girls) aspire to be. You get to live in a large castle, eat fancy food, wear overly-expensive garish clothing, and generally do whatever you want. However, this all ended for me when I was 17. That was when my mother, an important queen, died and her throne was usurped. The old and terrible Madame Frontenac, who took over the monarchy, cast me, being the only living bloodline to the rightful queen, down to live in the depths of the rotting, abyssal basement.

The disused shithole had always been off-limits to me during youth, and it was readily apparent why. Firstly, the stench of the entire place was face-melting (and not in the yummy MDMA laced baked goods way, either). Secondly, the place was dimly lit and covered with dust & cobwebs. Thirdly, there simply wasn’t anything to do down here. So, not only was I bored and trapped indefinitely in this dismal catacomb, but all my fancy clothes, save for one party dress, were revoked and given to the Madame’s obese, repugnant daughter.Not like she even fit them FML.

I lost track of time nearly immediately, since there was no way to tell the fluctuation of light from the outside world. Every so often, a maid would bring me some food and, occasionally, some cleaning materials, since my title had apparently been downgraded from princess to basement janitor. “Princess Bea” was now, and seemingly forever, “Janitor Bea.” Cleaning this ill-used compound was degrading and, as time passed, I harbored a growing resentment towards the evil Madame Frontenac, wishing only to escape so I could see the look on her face while I relieved her of her head.

For months there was no hope of retribution; that is, until I discovered the ancient wooden door, hidden behind a decomposing dresser. The door led to an unlit hallway, which appeared to spiral down into the infinite black nothingness of the earth and smelled like a sewer. At first the door was of little significance, until the C.H.U.D came. The door was, in fact, the gateway to the kingdom of the cannibalistic humanoid underground dwellers! The C.H.U.D were very frightening in appearance, looking like mutant humans with glowing yellow eyes. They seemed unable to talk and, instead, made strange and terrifying grunting sounds. However, despite being utterly ghastly, they did not try to harm me. Instead, it was quite the opposite. The C.H.U.D would come out of hiding and gather around me like happy forest creatures while I did my chores in the basement. Eventually, the C.H.U.D adopted me as their own Princess, and my title was upgraded from “Janitor Bea” to “Princess Bea, Queen of the CHUD”.

The C.H.U.D were also angry at the Madame, who I assumed had something to do with the creation and subsequent imprisonment of the C.H.U.D, and they were willing to help me exact my revenge; for the C.H.U.D had tired of eating rats and rancid scraps of the underground, and they desired to dine on human flesh. When the time was right, we smashed our way out of our stygian tomb and set about reclaiming the fallen palatial abode. While the hired help were paralyzed by fear of the hideous mutants, the C.H.U.D dismembered and consumed them in vile and non-PC ways. These fiends from the dungeon depths quickly overran the castle and made short work of its inhabitants, all except for the Madame and her corpulent crotch fruit, who they trapped in the throne room.

At last I was set to have my revenge. I commanded the C.H.U.D to do away with the daughter and they set their ravenous teeth to her, ripping her limb from limb until not but a bloody pulp remained. For my own satisfaction and as payment for my banishing, I tore the Madame’s head off her very shoulders with uncanny C.H.U.D-inspired strength. The pleasant howls of the sated C.H.U.D. filled the blood-soaked room. I held the severed head above me at length and declared myself the proud and mighty Bea, Queen of the C.H.U.D.

For Mine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

The Abbatoir Aristocrat

Tattered cloth juxtaposed with pearls and restrictive corsetry make for fashions worthy of a present-day princess with a taste for both the refined and the macabre. The girl who’ll rip out you digestive system, have it bronzed and use it as a tiara rack.

Constructed from sexy sheer layers of ravaged fabric, the SlasHer Girl’s Long Sleeved Shirt gives a raw edge to even the most frilly sugarcoated layer cake of a skirt. As if it were tailor made for a true queen of the underworld whose ultimate storybook happy ending is laden with severed heads.

Shred your shirts, not your dignity. A black PVC underbust corset works double duty by providing curvage and coverage simultaneously.

*Insert pearl necklace joke here*

Har har har…now that we got that out of the way…

A strategically placed accessory typically associated with all the trappings of the upper class softens up the slashed n’trashed top and lends an echo of cultivated beauty to your reign of glamour and terror. Stick to a single strand of pearls or an off-centered jeweled brooch for an air of lady-like elegance. I said ELEGANCE. Did you catch that? This means don’t pile on all the bling you stashed in your accessory drawer at once.

If you find traditional royal headwear to be too MySpace-scene-kid-tacky for your discerning tastes, pin an oversized purple leopard print lily into your lush locks instead. Look the part of a princess, not a royal mess.

A black petticoat trimmed with purple ribbons and ruffles worn in place of a skirt is truly befitting for nightclub royalty who love to flaunt their flair for the dramatic. And so, the next time you’re faced with the daunting dilemma of figuring out exactly what a girl should wear to a formal garden party, thrown in her honor by grotesquely deformed sewer dwelling creatures, go with the crinoline. Skip the overskirt. Some garments technically classified as underwear are just too pretty to remain hidden.

What’s this? Floor-sweeping skirts aren’t exactly your flavor? Try one of these short, but still decidedly sweet alternatives currently in stock on Lippy’s website right now:

Style #73-300-001 Ghoul School Voile Mini Skirt in the Black/Purple colorway.

Style #83-3-02 Victorian Mourning Side Zip Layered Mini Skirt in the Dark Purple colorway.

Glass slippers might’ve worked in Walt Disney’s adaptation of Cinderella, but you’re just not that kind of princess. Fetish meets fairytale in the form of black PVC knee-high boots laced with alternating black and purple satin ribbon. Guaranteed to stay put on your feet before, during, and after the ball.

Bone printed stockings showcase the pride you hold in your majestic and dignified man-devouring C.H.U.D heritage. For the C.H.U.D are a proud and noble race.

The updo is DEAD! Long live anything but…

Unless you favor the PedoBear-approved kiddie beauty pageant contestant look, I’d say that it’s time to give those overly crispy curls shellacked on top of your head a rest. In the kingdom of Lethal Style, loose waves hold court. The creation of which I’ve previously discussed in further detail here.

Alternatively, you can try this no fuss quick n’ painless straightener method:

Or pay some nice people in Hong Kong to send you a wig :)

Royal Blush

De-prissify dainty pinks and pastel purples once and for all with a punch of charcoal. Y’know, in case you were secretly worried about looking like an Easter Egg.

General Prep Work

You will need:

Moisturizer, Primer, Concealer, Matte liquid Foundation, Foundation Brush, Translucent Powder, Powder brush, Eyeshadow primer

1. Wash your face with a cleanser formulated especially for your skin type. Rinse thoroughly and pat dry with a soft cloth. Prep your skin with moisturizer before applying concealer in order to ensure a smoother, flake-free application.
2. Before proceeding any further, allow your skin to properly absorb the moisturizer. This should take about 10 minutes.
3. Since foundation worn alone often has a nasty habit of settling in the fine lines around your mouth, near your eyes, and on your forehead, I highly recommend using a primer after you’ve moisturized your face. Utilizing a small amount of primer helps to fill in unflattering expression lines, pores, and scars, thus allowing foundation to actually do its job!
4. Nix blemishes and skin discoloration by gently patting concealer over the trouble area. Follow by blending with your ring finger.
5. Apply a matte liquid foundation that best matches your skin tone to your face and neck with a foundation brush (A full dome shaped brush works beautifully). Start by applying small dots in the center of your face and then moving outward.
6. Set everything in place by finishing off with a thin coat of translucent powder. Use a full, round shaped powder brush for optimal results.
7. Prep your lids with eyeshadow primer to neutralize the colour of your lids, which in turn makes for brighter more vibrant shadow. It also prevents said shadow from creasing.

Eyes

You will need:

Eyeshadow Primer, Eyeliner that matches your hair color if you draw your eyebrows in, Makeup sealer (optional), Black eyeliner, Violet pigment, Charcoal pigment, Light pink eyshadow, Frosty off white eyeshadow, Eyeshadow brush with a round/tapered edge, Blending brush, Fluffy eyeshadow brush, Eyelash curler, Black Mascara

1. Prep your brows by filling them in with a pencil and softening the lines with a small brush or drawing them in if you don’t have them. Eyebrowless ladies like myself should make sure to use a pencil that matches their hair color. After you’re satisfied with the shape of your brows, feel free to seal them with a single coat of a makeup sealer. Last but not least, lightly coat your entire eyelid area with an eyeshadow primer, to build a smooth base for your shadows, pigments and liners.
2. Apply clear adhesive tape starting at the outer corner of your eye and extend to the end of your eyebrow. Press down gently with your finger to smooth it out. This little trick gives your eyeshadow an extremely pronounced hard edge, which creates a clean and defined shape.
3. Take an eyeshadow brush with a round/tapered edge and wet it a little. Dip your dampened brush into the violet pigment and gently tap — DO NOT SWIPE — the pigment across your entire eyelid from lashline to crease. Don’t worry if you get excess pigment on the tape. Once you’re done with your eye makeup and peel the sticky stuff off, I assure you that any messes you might have made will magically disappear.
4. Using a blending brush, add some charcoal pigment to the outer crease of your eye and bring it down to your lashline on the outer corner of your eyelid. This is also known as the “outer V”. Blend into the violet pigment from Step #3. If you shave and draw your brows on, you can extend the pigment past your crease and onto the lower part of your browbone, since you obviously have more room to work with. Once again, ignore any fallout that might have ended up on the area you previously taped off.
5. Starting at the inner corner of your eye, using a small fluffy eyeshadow brush tap some light pink eyeshadow outward toward the “V” of charcoal you applied in Step 4. Blend into the violet pigment you added in Step #3. Eyebrowless girls and boys have the option to extend the pigment past the crease and onto the lower part of their browbone the same way they did in Step 4.
   At this point, the outer part of your crease (and parts of your browbone if you’re brow-less) should be lovely shade of charcoal, while the inner part should be a light pink. Blend both shades into each other at their meeting point, which should lie somewhere at the halfway point in the crease of your eye.
6. Clean the fluffy eyeshadow brush you used in the previous step. Sweep some frosty off white shadow directly under your eyebrows (doesn’t matter if they’re drawn on or natural). Blend the frosty off white eyeshadow into the two colors that you’ve blended into your crease in Step 5, the charcoal and the light pink.
7. Line your bottom lid starting from the outer corner of your eye, slowly making your way toward the inner corner with your favorite brand of black kohl eyeliner. Most of the color should be concentrated in the outer corner. I find that it’s easiest to put on eyeliner after eyeshadow and before mascara. Curl your eyelashes with an eyelash curler and top off with 2 coats of black mascara.
   Now would be a good time to remove the tape and admire your eyeshadow blending skills!

Cheeks

You will need:

Blush brush, Rose pink blush, Bronzer, Highlighter

1. Swipe some pressed bronzer onto your blush brush.
2. Starting mid-cheek, going towards your ear, apply the bronzer into the hollows of your cheeks using short, up-and-down vertical strokes. Darker shades will give the illusion of the hollows of your cheeks receding.
3. Now, using the same technique, add a rose pink blush to the apples of your cheeks, which will cause them to protrude. Use translucent powder to blend between the two colors in order to avoid obvious lines. This ain’t Ru Paul’s Drag Race, where such things might be more acceptable.
4. For added glow, blend a small amount of highlighter powder into the tops of your cheekbones. This will enhance the definition of your bone structure.

Lips

You will need:

Rose pink liner, frosted fuchsia lipstick

1. Use a rose pink lip liner to fill in your lips, starting at the center of your natural lip line and moving toward the outer corners. Filling in your entire lip area will not only make an excellent base for color, but it will also prevent the bleeding and feathering of your lipstick.
2. For some delicious lips reminiscent of sugary baked goods, grab your frosted fuchsia lipstick and beginning in the center of your upper lip, gently press the tube into the flesh of your lip and then proceed to roll it over the entire top lip area, working toward the edges. Repeat the process on your bottom lip. Being spotted with lipstick on your teeth is considered a major beauty blunder! Prevent potential slippage by placing a finger in your mouth, closing your lips around it and then removing said finger. This will remove any excess lip junk.

Photography:Alas Vera

Model- “Princess Bea: Queen of the C.H.U.D”: Vanity Kills

Location: The terrifying basement of my old apartment in Buffalo, NY

<3

Vanity Kills

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Hello and, yes, I have survived another Hollywood weekend!

An evening of rock n roll debauchery at Bar Sinister turned out great when me and the Cold Blue Rebels invaded to rock out and mess up the stage with blood and guts (literally)!! DJ GingerFish supplied the beats to keep all the dancers grinding, and the Fet-play room was……….well playful. Big thanks to Trisha La Belle, who has been doing a great job providing the best parties in H-wood for all of us Fashion Freaks for many years and for putting up with us wrecking the patio stage on Saturday! The Zombie Rebel dancers were in rare form and Angelic had her guts ripped out live on stage! If you missed this show ya blew it ’cause it was a blast!

In Lippy news, this week marks the official launch of our Fall styles for preorders!! Stand-out groups to order before they sell out are, of course, the much anticipated “Step in Time” for all you Steamers! “Das Bunker” is a must-have for militant fashion fetishists! One of my personal favorites, “Pin me Up” for the doll to die for! Numerous new styles in our “Patent Vinyl and Vegi Leather Classics” category are adorned with custom buckles and spikes; stand-outs are the waist cincher, garter belt and a new guys’ top and trench coat! “Cyber Sniper” in black and neon pink is very next-level cyber wear. The new “Blacklist” styles are as great as always, with “Wicked Winter” wool and fur coats to keep you warm and snug. And then there’s “Brocade Piracy” in black or wine light brocade, with wine/black striped satin or black satin trims and satin shirts for guys and girls. This group has the best ruffle dandy guys’ shirt we have done for a long time!!

I am headed to Arizona next week for a sales trip thru Phoenix, Tucson and Scottsdale, and 3 shows with the Cold Blue Rebels (places and times are posted on our myspace page). I always love hitting Hydra Leather and More. If you’re in the area, check them out at 145 E. Congress, Tucson AZ 85701. It’s the best store for clothing and accessories in Tucson!

Well, that’s all for this week.
Remember … sex, drugs and rock n roll may not make ya live longer but it will keep ya smilin’ while you’re aive!
See ya
Mickey Finn
Fashion+Music=Life

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We, The Dollyrots, and our pants have been on the road for a good long 2 weeks. This is usually a good marker on tour. You realize you might have to wash (GASP!) your precious jeans, didn’t bring enough socks, and have no idea what day of the week it might be or, for that matter, whether it’s 2010 or 2007 or 1994. For our time with you, Luis and I will tag team entries as we remember them. We’re aware a lot of people do it in a kind of diary style but to be honest… we don’t really have days, just chunks. I think it will be more fun if we give a little story here and there because, believe it or not, some days are just like the last.

We’re on a tour of North America with Buzzcocks. Yeah. Crazy. We thought our booking agent was setting up an elaborate April Fool’s joke when she called March 31st to ask if we’d like to do the tour. But then… it actually happened and it rules. They are exactly as I hoped they’d be when I was screaming along to “16 Again” as a 16 year old in a little cow town in Florida. We’ve been lucky enough and done this long enough (10 years) to find ourselves playing in the midst of the people who inspired us to start a band. And it will never get old. (WOW we just pulled into a weird Raytheon lot and had to convince security we just wanted to turn around, what is Raytheon? Military Industrial Complex-Seeming?).

New York was the most eventful night so far. There was a bomb scare and for about 20 minutes of Buzzcocks set we thought we might actually have to play to fill time so no one would leave the building. We didn’t end up playing, but that wasn’t the end of the excitement. After Buzzcocks’ set they let everyone leave the building through the back door. Problem was, we were parked right in front of the venue. I could see Quito’s (our road dog) head in the passenger seat wondering what the commotion was about but we were not allowed out the front door. The “bomb scare” car was only a few yards from us. Here’s the New York Post story… read and enjoy. Not all nights are that exciting but almost.

Here are some random pics… wish we were writing you a book, but next week… Canada! If we get across the border that is…

Pretty girl… Photo by: Rock and Roll and Meandering Nonsense

Nice Pants! Photo by: Kailey Tucker

BUZZCOCKS!

And a new thimble for Kelly’s Collection!

We moved on to Boston afterwards, played a sold out show for some of the most amazing people you can possibly meet, watched an amazing set by Buzzcocks, and tried to get 3 hrs of sleep in advance of crawling across the Canadian border the next day. We’re currently bumping along the road on the way to Montreal, passports in hand, ready to show we’re not completely bats to random folks that may search our van only to find a Bunny suit complete with Creepy Bunny Head.

This bunny head! Photo by: Kailey Tucker

Signing off for today, The Dollyrots and their jeans!
xo!

Hermosa Beach’s “Re:Style,” has been around for 30 years selling cool clothes – and tons of Lip Service! They had a recent shout out article in Socal’s Easy Reader and used Lip Service on all their models! Thanks, guys!

You can read the full article, here.

The Lip Service design team: Autumn, Michelle U., Michelle M., and Lacey!

We’re seriously excited to introduce our newest column to the Lip Service webzine, Design & Daggers. It is the direct line between you and the Lip Service Design team, a chance to ask them any questions you like about design, fashion advice, upcoming Lippy collections, fabrics, technique, as well as give them your opinions and suggestions. So, now you’ll have news and info straight from the source. Pretty f’n cool, huh?

Before we start with the first monthly column next week, we’d like to take a few moments to introduce you to the designers and let you get to know them a bit better. Then we’ve got a few questions we’ve had tucked up our sleeve here at the ‘zine (Didn’t think we wouldn’t take the opportunity to ask stuff first, did ya? *heh*).

First up is our lead designer, Autumn:
My name is Autumn and I grew up in good old Nashville, Tennessee. I was always experimenting with modifying my clothing to look as cool as possible in high school and, by the end, I knew I wanted to be a fashion designer of some sort!! I went to college at Pratt Institute in New York, where they took all my money and tried to tell me to make normal clothes for the mass market … After college, I spent a few years in London working in the markets and at a small wearable art store. After that, I moved to Paris to become a patternmaker/seamstress for one of my friends, who was a designer living there. I ended up in Paris for around 4 years, then decided to move back to the US to work in Los Angeles!!!

I started working at Lip Service around 4 years ago and knew from day one that this was my dream job!! Every genre we make, I totally get and understand as, through the years, I have seen my own personal style change from one genre to the next. At heart, I’m a metalhead/goth, but I have listened to and been through all our styles at some point in my life. My favorite thing to design these days is Step in Time and slutty costumes, but all of it is fun!

I really love Lip Service and hope you guys love it too!!!

Next, we have a member of the design team, Lacey:
I’m Lacey, 25 years old, from New Athens, Ohio. I’ve been making clothes since I was kicked out of high school at 15 and have been a professional designer for 3 years. I’ve been at Lip Service an amazing 1 1/2 years. My design Influences/inspiration are “ALL HAIL McQUEEN!”, Gareth Pugh, and Giles Deacon. The best way I can describe my design aesthetic would be, “Controlled Schizophrenia.”

Next up is Michelle U.
I’m Michelle, also 25, from Perley, MN.

I’ve pretty much been designing since I was born. I had very early influence from my mom and grandmothers. I helped my mother sew from a very early age; we made everything from costumes for school (including Marie Antoinette), matching outfits for my brother and I to wear while taking Christmas pictures, Barbie Doll clothes and a lot of other stuff. When I was 5, I wouldn’t let my parents buy me jeans because I thought they weren’t formal enough. When I was 11, I saw a pair of silver vinyl pants in a store window and begged my parents to buy them for me. In High school, I made a lot of my own clothes. Then, when I graduated, I tried ‘regular’ college and it just didn’t work for me. So, I decided to go to design school and try to make a career out of what I loved doing. I moved to California and went to Woodbury University in Burbank. I started interning for Lip Service about 2 years ago, then was hired and have been designing professionally here for over a year.

My design aesthetic is very eccentric. I like super weird fabrics and really out-there designs. I see a lot of designs in my dreams at night … That are hard to translate into real life.

I’m influenced a lot by music, past Lip Service collections, designers like Jean Paul Gaultier, art, nature and dreams.

And the final member of the team, Michelle M:
I learned to sew in 4-H when I was in elementary school! The first garment I made was super-wide-leg pajama pants! I majored in Art at UC Berkeley and took fashion classes at LA Trade Tech and Santa Monica College.

I had the chance to ask the designers a few questions I thought you all might might like to know, so let’s let ‘er rip!

Autumn: It’s pretty funny, but I’d have to say the classic black and white dagger leggings are my favorite style, ever!! When I wear them, I feel like I have magical legs …

WebMistress: What is the one thing you’ve learned that best prepared you for designing for Lip Service?
Autumn: I have to say it would be to think outside of the box while multi-tasking!

Lacey: I learned to be observant and to figure shit out quickly … and if you don’t know how to do something … figure it out and learn!!

Michelle M: Maintain an open mind.

Michelle U: I guess being a fan of the brand prepared me a lot. I already know the style, past groups and the bodies we use a lot and that helps.

WM: What did you learn in school you’re the most surprised at not needing to use much in practical design? On the converse, what element of your study/practice in school did you not expect to be terribly useful in a real-world design room that you actually use all the time?
Autumn: I graduated from Pratt Institute and they really pushed the idea that you can’t just do whatever you want and you have to serve the general public to succeed. I think our customers are anything but the general public, yet we are succeeding!!

I never thought those long hours in fabric history class would ever add up to anything, but it really helps having a huge library of fabrics and knowledge of how they work because, without the right fabric, we couldn’t make the clothes work!

Lacey: Playing by the rules doesn’t come in very handy. Customer profiles do.

Michelle M: I admire Desensitized for its cohesiveness and attention to detail.

Michelle M: My school instructors stressed the importance of formality in presentation, so initially I was surprised by the casual exchange of ideas at work—it’s typical to develop a group over the course of several conversations.

Michelle U: I wasn’t really surprised that I didn’t need anything, but I don’t really use fashion sketches at all. I generally just use technical sketches. Fashion drawing is pretty much only for selling your product. They don’t teach you how to design in school. They teach you to sketch and to make patterns. They teach you to sew, but they don’t really teach you how to design or what will look good on a body or how fabric will react. That kind of just takes experience and a good mentor.

WM: Where do you get most of your influences and inspiration for your designs? How has your creative process changed in making the transition from student to working professional?
Autumn: I definitely get most of my inspiration from music!! Just to name a few favorites: My Dying Bride, Skinny Puppy, (old) Fear Factory, Sisters of Mercy, Godflesh….
Other inspirations are Luis Royo, Amsterdam and my best friend Celena! Going from student to working professional actually happened over 10 years ago, when I graduated college and started working … I’ve only been working at Lip Service for around 4 years, but everyday I think I’m making progress and learning new things along the way…

Lacey: Visions, dreams, photography, the macabre, blogs, runway, couture … art in all forms.

Michelle U: I really love watching weird movies with a lot of awesome costume designs. I love super fantastical and totally unwearable creations. Also, I get a lot of inspiration from the ‘masters’ of couture; I like Jean Paul Gaultier a lot. Music is also a big influence, especially at Lip Service. It can really help you ‘feel’ the mood of the design or group in a different way creatively than you might think about without music.

WM: It must be asked … What is your favorite Lip Service style of all time and what is your favorite that you’ve designed?
Autumn: It’s pretty funny, but I’d have to say the classic black and white dagger leggings are my favorite style, ever!! When I wear them, I feel like I have magical legs … I also really like Vagabond Goths!!! As for the favorite style I’ve designed, it could be the Victoria Morning jacket, or the new Step in Time newspaper print cami top.

Lacey: Erotomechanics group is my all-time favorite ...

Lacey: Erotomechanics group is my all-time favorite and my favorite that I’ve designed would be To Hell in a Handbag.

Michelle M: Of all time- Tomorrow’s Parties “Hand-me-down dress from who-knows-where” Of my design- Cyber Sniper “Radio Galaxy” waist cincher

Michelle U: I’m not really sure what my one favorite piece of all time would be … I like the Achtung Playtime chick’s poplin shirt a lot. My most favorite of my own designs would have to be the Wicked Winter guy’s tailcoat with fur shoulders.

WM: On that line, which past stylegroups have inspired you the most as a designer?
Autumn: Wow, that’s hard to choose! It also changes constantly because, one day, I’ll really be into the blacklist and, the next day, I’ll be really inspired by the old industrial groups. It’s all pretty inspiring!!

Lacey: Anything Blacklist

Michelle M: I credit Quoth the Raven as the group that turned me into a Lip Service fan during high school … I’ve wanted to work here since then! In recent groups, I admire Desensitized for its cohesiveness and attention to detail.

Michelle U: Love Lies Bleeding, Ghost Highway, Achtung Playtime, MotoCity Windwarp.. Black Metal, the older Institutionalized Bondage groups, Skunk Rock, Vagabond Goths have inspired me. In no particular order.

Michelle U: Love Lies Bleeding, Ghost Highway, Achtung Playtime, MotoCity Windwarp.. Black Metal, the older Institutionalized Bondage groups, Skunk Rock, Vagabond Goths have inspired me. In no particular order.

WM: Lip Service is an established factor in alt fashion, with a 25 year long history. How do you keep the line fresh with your own personal style while still keeping true to the line’s identity?
Autumn: We keep the line current by always trying to please our customers and stay true to the genres that follow the brand. As the customers change, so do we, I hope!!

Lacey: I keep mixing it up.

Michelle U: I guess I’m lucky because Lip Service has been a part of my style since I was in junior high, so it’s a little easier for me to adhere to the brand. However, when it comes to certain things, my style is definitely a little different. You just have to infuse your designs with smaller details of your own style so you don’t overwhelm the design with your personality.

WM: Which stylegroup was the biggest challenge to design and translate as real garments?
Autumn: Nothing, really. When you have a style in mind, you just go for it, then it becomes reality.

Lacey: All that glitters Prom group … keeping it from looking too cheesball/bridesmaid.

Michelle U: Scars and Stripes. It started with a really rad design, but it was way, way too crazy. It’s also not really my style and I’m not even sure why or how I came up with it; it was certainly a challenge, but I’m very happy with the result.

WM: What are some goals you have for Lip Service for the near future?
Autumn: This year is our 25th anniversary and I really want to see us open a retail store in Hollywood again!! We are also focusing on doing more Halloween costumes and lingerie groups, which is really fun and exciting!!!

Lacey: To be more wearable and versatile in your life. You’ll be able to paint your life in Lip Service.

Michelle U: We’re trying to make the garments more wearable and workable. We’re also trying to decrease cost on a lot of the garments. The recession makes you work harder to be creative, because you can’t just make whatever you want. You have to try and make the garments practical, so the customer will get more bang for their buck. I love making extravagant clothing but, really, how often do you wear it? It makes more sense to add extravagant details to a more wearable garment to make it more unique, but also wearable. The challenge is to make it wearable and totally awesome at the same time.

WM: If you could pull out the stops and design absolutely anything in a custom couture vein, damn the mass-marketability or cost, what would that garment/outfit look like?
Autumn: Well, I guess it would be a ball gown that was was made of all the past fabrics and just loaded to the max with all sorts of hardware!! Hell yah!!!

Lacey: It would be made of tattooed human skin.

Michelle U: I designed a group when I was in school in the horror vein, that had a lot of blood-stained lace gowns and half-garments held on either by piercings or with piano wire pulling through the models’ flesh in order to hold the garments on them. Something like that would be pretty rad. I don’t know if it would really be possible to wear, though.

WM: Can you give us a little hint at what we can look forward to in coming Lip Service collections?
Autumn: Some 70’s rusty rock looks are coming down the pipeline, as well as some new sexy lingerie!!! 25 Years will also be in the stores in a couple of months, so don’t forget to pick up a new pair of dagger leggings while you can!!

Thanks so much everyone! We look forward to hearing from all you crazy Lippy Addicts!!

Lacey: More accessories, hats, bedding, socks, luggage…etc. Get Excited!!

Michelle M: Looking over at Michelle U’s desk, I see a pair of leprechaun-green vinyl pants with a full front-to-back zipper…

Michelle U: Lace covered vinyl! Think Love Lies Bleeding but with a new twist and a new color!

Do you have a question you’re dying to ask the Lip Service designers? Want to know more about your favorite stylegroup? Need a piece of fashion advice? Want to ask something about your future plans as a designer? Or maybe you just want to suggest something, a stylegroup you’d love to see reborn or a look you would like to see Lip Service create? The floor and the mic are yours, so ask away!

Just send your questions, comments, and suggestions to the webzine. We’ll take submissions for next week’s column until Friday morning. After that, they’ll go into the questions for the June edition.

Check in next Wednesday, May 19 (and every 3rd Wednesday of the month!), to see the answers to YOUR burning questions from our design team.