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Tickets are going fast for the seventh annual Red Dress Party.
1,200 Red Dresses Can't Be Wrong
"Velvet Rope" evokes the glamour of 1940s Hollywood
by Tony LeTigre • Photos by Marty Davis
f red is the boldest color, then the boldest
party of the year is coming to a Southeast
Portland warehouse April 14-
Seven years ago, it started out as a modest
house party at a basement in North Portland.
About 75 people came—a successful party, yet
hardly a glimmer of what would come. The next
year 150 people attended, 325 the year after that
and so on and up. Last year’s party, ‘‘Red Planet,”
held in a warehouse on Northeast 10th Avenue and
Flanders Street, was attended by 1,600 people.
After expenses, the event raised approximately
$23,000 for Our House of Portland, Camp Starlight
and Q Center. It’s the biggest, reddest, dressiest
party of the year and an inspiring example of the
sort of magic that can happen, here in our fabulous
little city, when an idea that starts small takes flight
and grows into something exceeding all
expectations.
This year’s party, “Velvet Rope,” will touch
down at AudioCinema, a self-described “factory for
art, music and dreams” located in a converted ware
house in the industrial waterfront area of Southeast
Portland.
Event chairman Reid Decker says the party
would have stayed put in last year’s warehouse, but
it was already rented to another company. “That
caused a bit of a panic, so we looked all over the
city for a suitable alternative.”
He says the party planning board eyed venues in
the Rose Quarter and the Northwest industrial dis
trict, the new Disjecta on East Bumside Street and
elsewhere and initially balked at AudioCinema,
thinking it a little too small. “We’ve had 250 to 400
additional people attend the party each year since
its inception, so we could potentially be having
a 2,000-person event this year.”
But after hearing that the Portland Institute for
Contemporary Art used the venue for a successful
1,200-person event in summer of 2006, they cast
aside their objections and settled on the spot.
“Velvet Rope” is intended to evoke the glamour
of 1940s Hollywood—lots of glitz and glam—and
on the big night a plush red carpet will be unfurled
on the steps of the loading dock to enhance the
mood. Vintage attire and accessories are encour
aged, though the only requirement, as always, is
that all attendees, male and female alike, must wear
a red dress. (Kilts don’t count.) The $35 ticket
earns attendees all-night access to an open bar
serving up beer and (red) vodka cocktails, plus
munchables and a bilevel dance floor. DJs
Discover Paradise!
Harmonix, Paula B, Brian Gorr and Gregarious will
keep the dance floor vital throughout the venue
and deep into the night, and there will be a covered
outdoor party area on Madison Street with an addi
tional bar, giving it something of the feel of a block
party. The front area, including the coat check, will
be administered by the ever-fabulous Sisters of
Perpetual Indulgence, 17 members of whom will fly
their nun’s-habit-sporting selves in from Seattle,
Los Angeles and San Francisco for the occasion.
“After everyone has a drink or two, the party
really changes," says Brent Echols, vice president of
the Red Dress board.
A limited number of VIP tickets are also avail
able for $75 a pop, treating socialites to a special
pre-party and their own private upper-level perch
overlooking the festivities. Pre-party attendees get
high-end alcohol and gourmet snacks catered by
Chameleon Restaurant, as well as jugglers, fire
dancers and performers from celebrated Portland
dance troupe Body Vox.
Hopefully you’ve already bought your tickets,
because by the time you read this, there won’t be
many left. Only 1,200 are available this year
because of the new venue’s capacity constraints,
and at the time of this writing, according to Decker,
503.255.9414
T ony LE T igre is an artist, writer, student, fledgling
publisher and brazen male hussy. E-mail him at
anth(mylockwood@gmail. com.
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Directed by the fabulous
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Upscale Adult Video Store
The seventh annual R ed D ress P arty starts 9 p.m.
April 14 at AudioCinema, 226 S.E. Madison St.
Tickets are $35 from www.reddresspdx.com. Several
pre-party fundraisers are planned, including a dinner
party at Bernie’s Southern Bistro, a cocktail party at
Boxxes and red dress swaps at Crush and Muddy
Waters Coffeehouse. Visit the Web site for details.
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all the VIP tickets and half the regular tickets are
sold. “We’ve never had advance tickets sell this fast
before,” he says.
Decker and the other members of the party
board won’t need to go rummaging through the
racks of vintage clothing stores: Their frocks are
being designed by students of The Art Institute of
Portland. An on-stage contest on party night will
showcase the winning designs, with gift checks
doled out for the winning students.
In keeping with the tradition of supporting
worthy charities, the proceeds from “Velvet Rope”
will be donated to Swan House, Q Center and the
Friends of People with AIDS Foundation. €>
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