 "Photo: Andrew Lamberson")
The first model for The Black Market walked out in a blue shirt, green tights, big sunglasses and carried a Corona with flair.
She followed the blue light rope past the band equipment, speaker and serpentine wires, down the steps onto the runway, stopping at the very end to take a drink before turning around and strutting away.
She didn't need the assistance of the security guard posted by the steps because they didn't wobble like they had during the brief run-through. She didn't fall up the steps as Ben Churley, bar manager for the State Theatre and one of the fashion show and concert organizers, had done only five hours before the walk-out.
The Black Market, 1033 O St., was one of the three downtown Lincoln boutiques the participated in the first State Theatre fashion show and the only one which featured male models, one who braved the runway in a pair of tiny shorts.
Saturday night's show marked the venue's first synthesis of music and local fashion. The idea for a fashion show and a local music concert came up during a brainstorming session about a month ago, said Churley.
"We talked to Colombia vs. Challenger and a few other indie rock types: Black Hundreds, Darren Keen (The Show is the Rainbow) that pair well with fashion," he said.
The original idea for the show was to have the models walk while the bands played, but Churley said that proved to be too complicated on such short notice. Much of the show's planning took place in 10 days.
The State Theatre staff was in charge of booking Domestica, Strawberry Burns, Black Hundreds, Colombia vs. Challenger and The Show is the Rainbow to play as well as asking local boutiques such as Tsuru, Stella and The Black Market to participate.
Churley said he wanted to create an event where people could "show off and express themselves."
The show also presented an opportunity for University of Nebraska-Lincoln textile students to feature their own unique designs.
Junior Kacey Stepanek, a textile, clothing and design major, said she heard about the chance to include some dresses she had made for class through word-of-mouth.
"It's good for experience," Stepanek said. "I'm trying something new - I've never been to the theater until today."
Her line featured two dresses: a royal blue dress with an empire waist and rose appliqué and a 1930s Hollywood satin green floor-length gown with a low back, which she said was her favorite design.
Freshman French major, Cathy Sypal walked The Black Market and for Andrew Boettger, another UNL textile student.
Sypal was a vision in a white blouse and high-waist floor length gray blue skirt.
"(The show) looked like it was going to be sketchy because of the run-through, but it went really well," she said. "It was kind of stressful when the guy was climbing up the stairs, tripped and fell on his face."
Sypal's dress for Boettger was audience member Elaine Arrington's favorite.
"A lot of my friends were going and it seemed like a fun thing to do on a Saturday night," said Arrington, a sophomore math major.
Two of Arrington's friends were models in the show, and she also saw the event on Facebook.
"Some of the bands weren't very good. If they could condense the show and only have good bands, not mediocre bands, it would go better," she said. "They were running pretty far behind schedule."
She said she liked comparing the student designs to the boutique ones and described Boettger's gown as "really pretty."
But the best part of the night, she said, was being with friends and watching Black Hundreds.
Black Hundreds' guitarist and tambourine player Mark Green said the fashion show was a great experience for the band.
"It was awesome to do something that made Lincoln feel unique for a night," he said. "I guess fashion has never really played a huge role in our sound and image, but there's a parallel between it, I guess."
He said it was a nice challenge to get dressed up for the evening and be fashionable. He defended his own attire, a denim button up with white fabric floral cut-outs.
"I personally think it might be a shirt that was made for pregnant women because the bottom fans out and instead of buttons, there are these (oval-shaped) things and they fucking suck because they always come unbuttoned.
"It appealed to me because it had a psychedelic thing going on and I like blue. It's fashionable in my mind and that's what fashion is all about: doing what makes sense for you," he said.
Green said the State Theatre is on the right track to changing the face of the Lincoln entertainment scene.
"I think it was one of the coolest nights I've had in Lincoln for awhile," he said. "(The State) has unlimited potential if they do it the right way. They can create events with a place that big, and I think they did a good job of creating something new to do."
kiahhaslett@dailynebraskan.com
