Summer Strut
July 4, 2014 by admin
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Nothing says ’Merica like star-spangled hot pants.
Allison Ditson flips through a stack of her handmade garter shorts and swimwear while Prince’s “I Would Die 4 U” fills her warm attic studio. Fabric is draped over every nook and cranny — in stars and stripes, neons and florals, glittering golds and black mesh — making the cozy space look like the shared dressing room of Wonder Woman, Betty Grable and Katy Perry.
It’s the last day of June and Ditson is preparing for “Summer Strut: A Fat Fashion Show” that will hit the runway at Portland’s White Owl Social Club July 13. She will show six two-piece retro-cut swimsuits featuring patterns from pin-up stripes to sparkling mermaid scales. Ditson, who is transitioning out of ownership of downtown’s Kitsch boutique, has made a full-time business of Allihalla, her line of custom swimwear and lingerie that celebrates the human form whatever the size, shape or sex of a client.
“Swimwear is hard to find to fit because it’s all been standardized,” she says. “For store-bought stuff, I think everybody has a hard time finding it, so I may as well offer something specialized.” While Ditson will make swimsuits to order in any size, she has found a niche in curvy clientele.
“It’s made with this idea that you should feel bad about your body and hide it,” Ditson says of plus-size designs. “That’s a pretty lame message to have behind clothing.”
Ditson, who started sewing in high school, says she has always been interested in body-conscious designs, which led her to focus on lingerie and swimwear. Learning how to work with stretch fabric was key — a skill she learned from her father, Les Ditson.
“My dad was a modern dancer in the ’70s and he made all the costumes,” she says. “A lot of people don’t do stretch stuff. Stretch is like a whole different realm of sewing. Because my dad has the background in dance costumes, he has a lot of information regarding stretch, so it was never a different world of sewing for me.”
Ditson says she also never learned to use traditional patterns, which helps her shift between different body types more fluidly.
“If you’ve been taught through a design school how to pattern on a mannequin, then that’s what you’re going to know how to do,” she says. “So when a body isn’t shaped like that you’re going to have to reset your ideas of how to pattern for that.”
In addition to Summer Strut, Ditson is finishing up custom orders for Oregon Country Fair (a full-body batwing jumpsuit) and patriotic pieces for friends for the Fourth of July.
“The American collection was my favorite line of stuff,” Ditson says. The collection (see cover), which debuted at Eugene Fashion Week a few years back, was one of the most memorable shows in EFW history. Ditson styled her models with corn dogs and big gulps while the crowd chanted “USA, USA.”
And what will Ditson be wearing come Independence Day? Those star-spangled hot pants.
To see more Allihalla designs, visit her Etsy page at http://wkly.ws/1s7.
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The Weekend’s Best Concerts (July 3—5): Scarface | Unconscious Collective …
July 4, 2014 by admin
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Before we get started, I should mention that I’m honored to be collaborating with our newest contributor, Vanessa Quilantan, for this weekend’s show preview. You may know her writing from the Dallas Observer, Vice Magazine’s Noisey, and for being named by New York Mag’s The Cut as one of “50 Fashion Social Media Voices to Follow.” That last item is something I’m still jealous about. Welcome, Vanessa. — Christopher Mosley
Thursday
Onyx is one of Dallas’ most popular strip clubs, but every once in awhile, they end up bringing out a performer that most area venue buyers would compete heavily for. Tonight, that performer is Houston rap legend, Scarface– he’ll be the honorable host and judge of the club’s Red, White, and Blue Party. If you’re less a fan of lingerie and strip club vibes, and more interested in seeing an actual Scarface performance, promoter Johnny B hasn’t forsaken you. You can catch him at The Music Factory in Arlington tomorrow night. There’s a $500 giveaway at the Friday show, in addition to a cash prize at Onyx. In theory, Scarface could potentially pay all of your July bills this weekend.
When asked why the Houston rapper is billed as “Mr. Scarface” for the Onyx party (which is the title of the opening track of his 1991 album, Mr. Scarface is Back) Johnny B. gave the following answer: “Respect.” — Vanessa Quilantan
The Crown and Harp will be hosting its “Got Barz” competition, which is presented by Leo J and Too Fresh Productions. Tonight’s battle seems even like an even more ceremonious affair, as 97.9 The Beat’s DJ Menace will be handling the turntables. There are still about six slots left open for would-be contenders at the time of this posting, and you can make it on the list by showing up and signing in before 11 pm.
— Christopher Mosley
Friday
Two Bronze Doors continues to be one of my favorite newer venues, as the small space on Lower Greenville has a tucked-away charm that has never been one of the neighborhood’s strengths, whether or it was in its heyday as a suburban party destination or the cleaned-up see-and-be seen district we know it to be today.
The crowds at Two Bronze Doors shows watch the music with polite and quiet intent, and if not, they merely chat on the patio. Friday’s show will see three acts with considerably more name than what is usually hosted there, but still falling significantly on the fringes. Cerulean Giallo will open up for New Fumes and Unconscious Collective, the last of which will be joined by a group of collaborators including violist Joshua Westerman, vocalist Sarah Ruth, and violinist Leonard Hayward, among others. If you wondering why an already well-armed band would need so much extra help, they’ll be performing one of the last pieces ever composed by the late Ronald Shannon Jackson, a Fort Worth-based, internationally renowned jazz drummer, who Unconscious Collective member, Stefan Gonzalez eulogized here last November. — Christopher Mosley
Saturday
Saturday is when things really start to pop off, no pun intended. East Dallas pool club Salt (Formerly Ku De Ta) will transform into a somewhat freakier destination than for what the venue is usually known. Saturday, from 2-8pm, enjoy some good old fashioned drunk swimming to the sounds of Dallas’ own DJ Sober and his Houston based collaborator, Dayta. The two host a widely popular Houston monthly called “Top Notch,” but they don’t often appear together locally, so don’t miss out.
After you wash all of that salty vodka water out of your hair, get a good dinner in you, cause you’re going to need your energy for the rest of the night.
K104′s Rico Slice is quickly gaining steam, and they have put together what is easily the toughest local hip hop lineup of year so far. Catch The Outfit, TX, Buffalo Black, The Mochicans, Blue, The Misfit, and Kissed Killed at 406 S. Haskell, which is an art space in East Dallas. The night will start with an open mic at 8pm; the first billed opener goes on at 10pm; and festivities go on until … well, the best part is that nobody quite knows when this will end, actually.
Consider finishing out the night by drifting gently into a blackout with longtime Dallas dance music staple, Faded Deejays, at Crown and Harp. —Vanessa Quilantan
Veteran 80s Night specialist, Jonathan Graham, otherwise known as DJ G will be at Windmill Lounge on Saturday, for “Tropic of Sound.” The evening features Gavin Guthrie and Dylan Taylor McGraw as the resident DJs and their mix of everything from disco to rare Brazilian dance tracks is rather unique in the world of semi-regular dance nights.
— Christopher Mosley