OREGON S LESBIAN/GAY/BI/TRANS/QUEER NEWSMAGAZINE
APRIL 2. 2010 _
C O M M U N IT Y E V E N T S
Cascade A ID S Project’s Kids’ Connection
and its offshoot program Camp Starlight, and
according to C A P executive director Michael
Kaplan, this year’s focus on the Men’s Well­
ness Center is a perfect fit with the “campy,
fun” aspect o f the party. “As much as all o f our
programs need support,” Kaplan adds, Red
Dress’ patronage o f the two-year-old center
is, in particular, an important example o f “the
community supporting itself.”
Q_ Center Executive Director Kendall
Clawson agrees. “It’s one o f those things
that I think is not heralded enough,” she
says. “When ybu really think about [the Red
Dress] story, this is a group o f people that
work every day and have their lives and they
threw a little party and it grew into a -bigger
party.... And they put their energy toward
organizations that really matter, especially
toward the LGBTQjrommunity.”
A d e c a d e of R ed
D re s s h isto ry,
b y t h e n u m b e rs
Keep these fashion tips in mind
when the Sisters of Perpetual
Indulgence host their THIRD
ANNUAL RED DRESS BINGO
AND DRESS EXCHANGE at 4 p.m.
Sunday. April II at Embers. 110 NW
Broadway. Test drive your red frock
at this official Red Dress Party Pre­
event. or find a last-minute option
for the big night. (Bingo packs are
$15. bonus packs run $5 each.)
2001
75 guests
2002
I50 guests
2 0 0 3 325 guests
$3.200 raised for
Kids' Connection Program at
Cascade AIDS Project
2004
tion— the fit-and-flare shape has experienced a
red carpet renaissance.
Q GRECIAN GARB: Not ruffly? Get your
goddess on another way; think drapey layers.
B ALEXANDER McQUEEN: Stephen King-
may have written the inspirational book, but
the late style superstar’s designs are just as
iconic. Take a page from fashion royalty: go
theatrical, go gothic, go gawk-and-awe. In
short, go Gaga.
“It will take a long,
long time for the
fashion world to find
anyone to replace the
genius that was M c­
Queen, which is why
right now is the time
to honor his legacy,”
Lennox reflects. “To
properly do McQueen,
remember two things:
everything began with spot-on tailoring and
ended with a big, bold dramatic statement.”
Q VINTAGE ACCESSORIES: Sharpen the
ensemble’s effect with an antique broach— or
an old axe to grind. “Here’s Johnny!” \ I K
"Style concierge * Lennox offers image consul­
tation, personal shopping, special event prepara­
tion and more through his Studio @ Indigo. Find
him at thestudiopdx.com.
Clawson has a special place in her heart
for Red Dress; funds donated from a previ­
ous year’s party helped bring her to Q C enter
in summer 2007. “I certainly have personal
gratitude around that,” she shares. “To just
know that there’s a group o f people that says
‘We really care about what you do and want
to help,’ it’s life altering.”
Decker and his fellow board members,
led by current President Brian Wilson, view
those contributions as a shining achieve­
ment. Now a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corpora­
tion backed by an “army o f volunteers and
donors,” Red Dress has become one o f the
community’s most rewarding, and most an­
ticipated, fundraisers— one that’s spawned
the charitable spirit throughout the country.
And though Red Dress has suffered criti­
cism for what Decker admits appears, as at­
tendance has peaked, to be a considerable
ROBERT G. CROW p.*.
*
Ten trends for this year's tenth anniversary event
D RUFFLES: There’s no room for “no frills” at
this inn. The chips are way up for gathered trim
and fabric.
Q ASYMMETRICAL: Give balance the cold
shoulder. Single straps and sleeves slay. “Subtle
is the new sexy right now with minimalism be­
ing the new direction for this new decade,
which is why an asymmetrical top is totally
hot," advises Kevin Lennox, Portland-based
photographer, stylist and former fashion and
beauty editor at Glamour magazine.
Q SHIMMER: As O ’Halloran told young
Danny Torrance, “Some places are like people:
some shine and some don’t."Take a fashion cue
from The Shirtings kindly cook—and an awards
circuit’s worth o f starlets; indulge in heavy
metal, or at least some soft sheen.
Q FULL SKIRTS: A-listers from J.L o to J.
Hud went A-line this season. Plus that flounce
is fabulous for hiding the flab— or a body.
H PLUNGING NECKLINES: Backlines, too.
Don’t fear. Slice deeply and deftly for maximum
result. “Skin is so in this season, but it’s all in
how you reveal it,” adds Lennox, who’s lent his
fashion know-howto the TODAY Show, E xtra!
and Inside Edition. “Whether it’s a plunging
neckline or carefully placed panel o f flesh, if you
want to be current, you need to be revealing.”
Q JEWEL TONES: The required hue limits
your options here, but there’s an opulent shade
somewhere in between ruby and garnet for
everyone.
B MERMAID SILHOUETTES: Always good
for cutting a rug— and the sartorial competi-
J *
RED
COUNT
RED HOT Style
You got the memo: Red dress not optional,
kilts and culottes won’t do. But given that sole
fashion mandate, what’s to set your L R D (Lit­
tle, or Large, Red Dress) apart from the dated
masses— or at least your (gasp!) evil twin in
the corridor? Below, a few ripped-from-the-
red-carpet trends sure to make your look all
the rage (but you know, not enraged).
2 L
‘ Red Square'
575 guests
$10.000 raised for Kids'
Connection Program. Sexual
Minority Youth Resource Center
2005
‘ Red Light District"
1.118 guests
$20.000 raised for Our House
of Portland. SMYRC
2006
"Red Planet"
1,598 guests
$23.000 raised for Our House.
Camp Starlight. Q Center
2007
‘Velvet Rope"
1.025 guests
$26.000 raised for Q Center.
Swan House. Friends of
People with AIDS Foundation
“Dedicated Criminal Defense"
or
(AKA
PRACTICE] »
• Domestic Violence • DUll •
• A ssault/Harassment •
• Traffic Crimes/Violations *
• Expungements •
* FAPA Restraininq/Stallunq Orders *
[MEMBERS OF] Oregon State Bar,
MBA (Multnomah Bar Association),
OCDLA, OTLA, Washington DC Bar
Broadway Plaza
2121 SW Broadway, Suite 130
Portland, OR 97201
p: 503.319.9111 f: 503.227.4702
robertcrow1aw.com
robert@Tobertcrowlaw.com
2008
‘ Red Sea"
1.950 guests
$35.000 raised for Esther's
Pantry. Senior Housing and
Retirement Enterprises.
Outside In
2009
'Red Eye’
2.002 guests
$30.000 raised for Esther's
Pantry. SHARE. Outside In
2010
'Redrum"
Proceeds to benefit Q
Center. Men's Wellness
Program at CAP. SafeChoice
Domestic Violence Program of
the YWCA of Clark County
influx o f female and straight attendees, it’s
the event’s ability to “grow its own culture
with other events and other cities” o f which
he’s most proud.
Still, as Jack Nicholson’s Torrance fam­
ily patriarch obsessed, “All work and no play
make Johnny a dull boy.” Red Dress’ philan­
thropic successes are icing on the cake for
what began as a house party for likeminded
friends to take advantage o f pre-Valentine’s
Day dress sales.
“In the gay world, there’s the circuit par­
ties. You can go any time, any month, Palm
Springs, New York.. Decker observes. “To
have us kind o f developing our own version
o f that, it’s sexy and it’s more about leveling
the playing field, everyone feeling equal and
not intimidated.”
Try telling that to this year’s Redrum­
mers about to enter the hedge maze. v I K
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