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Last Friday evening the Seattle Art Museum flung open it’s doors, only to discover a line of people stretching around the block with eager dance fiends, art freaks, and wigged-out fashionistas itching to get in, get down, and grab a drink. Of course, aside from the customary great beats and art exhibit treats, SAM had a few other aces up its sleeves for this beguiling edition of Remix.  As if an exhibit featuring selected works by Andy Warhol and an exhibit with art inspired by late, great, Seattle-native Kurt Cobain wasn’t enough, live performances and a first ever fashion show were thrown in to up the ante. With fashion designers, musicians, writers and performance artists of all walks of life converging on Remix, the Seattle art community came together to celebrate these two iconic, pop culture deities. Another first that night; SAM Remix tickets were available through advance ticket purchase and to no one's surprise, had sold out the day before.

Breonie Baylov in tailored Cotton Jersey/Stretch Wool dress with hand beaded skull applique by Tristan Uhl.

The first ever SAM Remix Fashion Show was presented by Seattle’s own New York Fashion Academy. Fifteen students and alumni, including me, were asked to create two to four original designs inspired by the two simultaneous pop culture exhibits expressing their design aesthetic. These creations were exhibited down the marble staircase adding the finishing touches to the night’s festivities. A brief introduction was made by NYFA Provost Dr Robert Whaley, and the models began their descent into the vast audience crowded around the sectioned-off runway space below to what has now become a classic Seattle sound, Nirvana.

Gwen Stubbs’ Campbell’s Soup, paper shift-dress cleverly addressed two pop culture phenomena of the 1960’s at once, and was well received, as models with impeccably coiffed bouffant hair and eye shadow so ”sex-pot” they put Sophia Loren to shame. Cameron Levin’s, Edie Sedgwick looked more like Edie than Edie herself in a black plastic leotard, opaque black tights and earrings you’d swear she plucked right out of one of Andy’s portraits. Tatiana Noel went mod-rocker with definite nods to Kurt Cobain and to Andy’s superstars, The Velvet Underground, in a drop-dead sexy, crimson, silk satin, off-the-shoulder, mutton-sleeve cocktail dress with an attached microphone that wrapped down the other arm giving it a hint of bondage. Proof positive, once again, that when it comes to a battle of needle and thread, NYFA’s students can be counted on to be creative with good technical execution, a trait for which it's students have achieved acclaim in competitions across the city and the U.S.

After the runway show, I headed to the SAM Members Lounge with my models—Subterfuge’s very own Breonie Baylov, and local burlesque celebrity of The Atomic Bombshells, Babette La Fave, where we shared a quick chat with the always stunning, Providence Bellwether, Rachel Ragland, who was enjoying the nostalgia of listening to her longtime favorite DJ Riz, and promoter for Hard Times, Dustin Curtis. I took a moment before saying my goodbyes,  to run upstairs and peruse through the exhibit. I found myself mesmerized by the silent screen tests of Edie Sedgwick. I was immobilized by the sophistication, playfulness and vulnerability in her eyes... The aloof, icy stare of Lou Reed , got me to remember why that the English refer to him as “The Black Prince.” If only for the screen tests, the Warhol exhibit is not to be missed by those curious or enamoured by the superstars he cultivated, or for a peak at the the infamous Factory warehouse. I also attempted—albeit unsuccessfully—to seek out and sneak into a guided tour I heard was being given by my favorite local celebrity DJ Colby B. but alas, it had already ended. Far be it from me to rub it in for those who regrettably couldn’t snag one of those tickets before they sold out, but his SAM Remix will certainly go down in history as the best to-date. Of course, preparations are already being made for the next installment, coming in August; an event you will not want to miss.   

Babette La Fave in tailored Cotton Jersey dress with hand beaded Andy Warhol signature applique by Tristan Uhl.