Nightlife promoter Jen Deveroux isn't afraid to admit she's been a little stressed lately, particularly about making sure her latest project, this weekend's Medusa's Revenge, goes off without a hitch.
She's had to overcome a couple of hurdles while organizing the darkly themed runway show extravaganza, which takes place on Saturday night and will feature quirky couture from 18 local alternative fashion designers and labels.
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For instance, the event was originally supposed to take place a couple weeks before Halloween at The Monarch Theatre but was moved to November at the Gypsy Bar to avoid a scheduling conflict with a local fetish ball. Then, a few high-profile local designers, such as Tiffe Fermaint and Suzy Homewrecker, dropped out of the lineup for various reasons.
While the setbacks have certainly taxing, Deveroux says she's managed to overcome the problems and is looking forward to finally being able to stage the event that she's planning for months. Especially since it will feature the works of designers that the 39-year-old has never featured before at any of the previous fashion shows she's promoted via her group, The Alternative Fashion Society.
"It's been cool working with new people this time," Deveroux says. "That's the whole idea behind the Alternative Fashion Society, rotating different designers in and out of the mix and showcasing as many of the designers as possible."
The list of newbies include such names as Bri Bridge, El Vaquero Muerto, the Zombie Mafia, and Phantom Peralta.
According to Deveroux, all the designs that will be shown off at Medusa's Revenge will feature darker elements, owing to the fact that the show was originally supposed to take place during the Halloween season.
"It's definitely more of a moodier show than I've organized before," she says. "The music, the makeup, and the fashion will be a lot darker."
The event will also feature a spin session by DJ Tricky T, as well as performances by violinist Heidi Gadd, local burlesque troupe VaVaVOOM, and aerial antics by local trapeze artist Nyla the High Pimpstress.
The name of the event itself, which references the mythically horrific figure of Greek legend, is also a remnant from its original date. Deveroux says she chose to use Medusa, who (according to lore) would turn those who looked at her into stone, because she it was fitting for the scary season and because she wanted to invoke images of mythical and powerful figures.
"I just liked the name when I was conceptualizing the event," she says. "It just worked for me. I wanted to evoke the images of these mythical images of gods and nymphs and fairies and have that kind of vibe to the show.
So will those who attend Medusa's Revenge be transformed into a statue when they gaze upon the models parading around the Gypsy Bar?
"Oh no," Deveroux says, laughing. "Nothing like that. The models and fashion will grab your attention, but no one's gonna turn into stone."
The Medusa's Revenge Runway Show takes place at 9:30 p.m. on Saturday at Gypsy Bar. Admission is $10. See the event's Facebook page for more details.
