On Friday, July 9, a team of innovative designers changed the face of fashion forever in Santa Cruz, in a powerful, dynamic, creative, inspired, gorgeous way. With the incarnation of The Thistle in the Kiss fashion show at Stripe, a popular clothing, jewelry, and house wares boutique in Downtown Santa Cruz, we saw fierce fashion hit the runway in a show like nothing we’ve seen here prior. It felt like you were a privileged invitee at a top-notch runway show at Bryant Park. And there at the center of everything was apparel designer Alexis Meschi of Lex Designs and accessories designer Terry McInerney of Nuala. Together, the pair joined creative forces with the staff of Stripe, who created an original line of jewelry for the show, and the team threw an unforgettable fashion show that will be gushed about for a long time.

After 30 years of serving UCSC sexual assault victims, the program for Rape Prevention Education has been disbanded due to budget cuts. The news that Rape Prevention Education Coordinator Gillian Greensite would have a different job next year, educating about STIs, pregnancy and alcohol—all of which she has no experience teaching—came on Thursday, June 3, during a meeting with UCSC administrators. Since the program’s dissolution, Greensite has retired and a Facebook Coalition to Save UCSC Rape Prevention Education has formed in protest with 1,185 members as of press time. Nina Milliken, the group’s leader, posted the following statement to the coalition’s Facebook page: “UCSC’s Rape Prevention Education Center is a vitally important resource for the hundreds of women (and men) at UCSC who have experienced a (or many) sexual assault(s). Rape survivors, partners of rape survivors, friends of rape survivors, and family members of rape survivors will have no where to turn for good advice. We need to fight this!”

We have been on the road for almost 7 weeks now and have finally made it through the desert after enduring temperatures of well over 100 degrees for weeks.  The desert with all of it’s beauty, takes a toll on both the vehicle and the individual.  Surprisingly, more people live in the desert year round than I would have ever suspected and they have figured out how to incorporate the heat into their lives.

As an acne sufferer for the last 20 years, I’ve been plagued by bumpy skin, cysts, white heads, peeling skin, the gamut of acne problems. I’ve tried prescription medications, topical products, and even antibiotics. Never in all that time has my skin looked clear and beautiful—until seven months ago. I always had some sort of a blemish at all times. At the beginning of 2010, I decided to switch up my entire skin care routine. Sick of using pricey products with minimal results, I did extensive research on what else was out there. In my search, I found a line, Mario Badescu, whose testimonials from real customers outshone those of Proactive and the other anti-acne lines. In the seven months that I’ve been using the line, I’ve had very few zits. The reason this line works on my skin (I think) is that it balances out the usage of harsh products like salicylic acid with healing properties like Balsam Peru.

Over the last year the momentum for locally grown skateboard charity Grind Out Hunger has been accelerated considerably. What has started out as an opportunity to get local school children involved in raising awareness of childhood hunger has began to take on a life of its own. Grind Out Hunger was founded in 2003 with the guidance of Second Harvest Food Bank and the goal was to simply improve the Holiday Food Drive and its relationship with the kids at their schools. Grind Out Hunger exists on a platform of live speaking engagements in the schools spreading altruism, whichever elementary, middle or high school that raises the most pounds of food per student will win gift certificates to Santa Cruz Skate Shop (Skateworks is now on board for the 2010-2011 season!!) and a Grind Out Hunger skateboard trophy designed by legendary artist Jimbo Phillips.

Waking up on a recent morning in Santa Cruz that was so foggy the streets had puddles, I thought about what to pack for my upcoming expedition to the driest, windiest, coldest, and most extreme continent in the world, Antarctica. What will I need? How will I survive? What’s it going to be like? Soon I’ll find out and so will you. And we’ll learn so much more. We’ll have the opportunity to observe research under the ice of Antarctica as it’s being done and to follow along as scientists try to measure and understand changes in seafloor communities. We’ll watch them SCUBA dive and use underwater robots to take pictures and videos, collect specimens, and get data. We’ll learn about the logistics of getting to remote spots on the most remote continent in the world. We’ll get the inside scoop of what it actually means to do research and what scientists are doing to understand climate change, ecology, and extreme environments.

For whatever reason, my love of Project Runway faded out once the show made the leap from Bravo to Lifetime. It wasn’t like it was moved to a different night and time slot or anything and remembering what channel to look for every Wednesday was only mildly confusing. I think the main problem was that I’d spent all of that long, torturous time that passed between seasons getting over the whole “reality” competition formula (not totally true, I still watch Top Chef). Which is too bad because those first seasons of PR held me in a vice like grip from beginning to end (Danny V was robbed!). Still, I miss Tim Gunn enough that I was pretty excited when I came across an article featuring his review of Wonder Woman’s new costume. That’s right, as of issue #600 Diana Prince receives yet another in a long line of makeovers. In a medium where change is generally met with nerd screams from every corner of the globe, I have to admit that I don’t really mind this and neither does Mr. Gunn:

“Capes and cloaks can be easily removed if they get caught on something. Gowns and dresses, not so much. The more form-fitting, the better. So tight pants or skinny jeans, sure. I think Wonder Woman could work a pant.”

I love that guy. You can check out the rest of his comments at this link (it’s a fun read) and here’s what you can find on the shelves this week.

Auf wiedersehen!

Comic confronts showbiz highs and lows in candid ‘Joan Rivers’ doc
It’s like watching them build the Pyramids, or Stonehenge. The construction of Joan Rivers’ face is a little flash-documentary unto itself, a fascinating vignette that leads off the candid backstage documentary feature, Joan Rivers: A Piece Of Work. An army of staffpersons wielding an army of tools—brushes, tubes, paint, pencils, eyelash applicators—daub, pat, draw and shape the familiar mask that is Rivers’ surgically tautened face into being. It’s all done in extreme close-up—an eyebrow, a lip, an eyelash—until the whole is complete. And of course, there is no “before” image. Not surprising for a woman whose very first stop out of bed every morning is the make-up chair, before she can catch an unwary glimpse of what lies beneath the mask.

For a girl with a Kim Kardashian-sized rear end, finding a flattering pair of pants can be a struggle. But no longer. Recently, I took a jaunt down the street to my neighborhood store, Stripe (Stripedesigngroup.com), where I do a fair amount of shopping. The staff knows me quite well by now, to the point that I can walk in the door and they’ll hit the racks, pulling out things they know I’ll like. And every time, they’re right. It’s so impressive, that I swear they know my measurements—they know exactly what styles I’m drawn to, and precisely how something will fit my body. They also know that I have a lot of junk in my trunk, so to speak. (My words, not theirs.) So when I stopped by Stripe recently, the staff confidently pulled a pair of black pants off the rack and insisted that I try them on “just for fun.” There was that knowing smile they had. And once I put on the Level 99 Wren Trousers ($88), I knew why they were smiling. Until that day, I had never found a pair of pants that fit my curves so carefully and attractively. Soft, with a linen feel, the pants are wide-leg to streamline curvy hips, and they have been exquisitely constructed to boost up the rear end. Perfect pants? Absolutely. I ended up buying two pairs—one in black, and one in khaki/brown. Sure, I spent a ton of money, but as any woman with curves knows, once you find a dreamy  pair of pants, you always buy two pairs.

The Level 99 Wren Trouser sells at Stripe, 107 Walnut Ave., Santa Cruz, Stripedesigngroup.com.

Tips on how to book a show at the Blue Lagoon
In a world where e-mails go unanswered and phone calls never get returned, local bands can find a kindred spirit in Blue Lagoon booker Cory Atkinson. Coming up through the ranks with his own band, Atkinson is all too familiar with the trials of booking a tour and the heartbreak of playing an empty room. He works hard to respect bands, and let’s face it; you can’t say that about everyone.

Recently celebrating their thirtieth anniversary, the Blue Lagoon is a Santa Cruz institution. Booking live shows for the past five years, local bands can represent on Monday, Wednesday and Friday nights. A cavernous space, the entire bar can hold upwards of 400, but the band room is considered sold out at 250. On a typical Wednesday night, everybody is happy with 50 people in the room. Local bands can hone their craft midweek and work their way up to a weekend slot.

A practitioner of the ancient art of “show trading,” Atkinson often plays matchmaker, pairing a local Santa Cruz band with a decent following, with an up and coming San Francisco band. The idea is that the out of town band gets some local exposure, and if all goes well will return the favor by bringing the hometown band up to the city where they have the larger draw. When balanced correctly, this scenario encourages a win/win with the bands and the club.