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Hallowed Halls: A Night ofDark Elegant F<strong>as</strong>hionBy Kelly Ashkettlekelly<strong>as</strong>hkettle@yahoo.comL<strong>as</strong>t fall, f<strong>as</strong>hion designer HeatherMathiesen and filmmaker StephenSimmons collaborated to produce AnOctober Evening, an arts event designed toshowc<strong>as</strong>e their creative endeavors <strong>as</strong> well <strong>as</strong>those of like-minded peers. “Stephen and Iare both very inspired by the October se<strong>as</strong>onand wanted to capture what we felt w<strong>as</strong> sointriguing about it,” says Mathiesen, “I firstdecided I wanted to make an event afterbeing on many f<strong>as</strong>hion show committeesand in many f<strong>as</strong>hion shows. I w<strong>as</strong> tired ofbeing a participant and wanted to see what itw<strong>as</strong> like in the ‘big chair.’”The ‘big chair’ seemed to agree with her; thefirst An October Evening w<strong>as</strong> so successfulthat it completely sold out the RegencyTheater. This year, Mathiesen and Simmonsare hosting their second annual An OctoberEvening on a grander scale. It will be held atthe 1,000 capacity M<strong>as</strong>onic Temple, and aportion of each ticket price will be donatedto charities that benefit children with healthconditions.“An October Evening is more of a formal artevent than a festival,” says Mathiesen, “Thisis not necessarily a Halloween event, but adark elegant evening that we hope will havea similar feeling to an old 1920s film.”Attendees of An October Evening 2007are encouraged to wear costumes for achance to win the “Autume b<strong>as</strong>ket.” Afterthey p<strong>as</strong>s between the two sphinxes thatguard the M<strong>as</strong>onic Temple’s doors, a stiltwalker will greet them and usher them intothe main auditorium. There, the evening willbe introduced by an elaborate multi-mediaperformance that makes use of fancifulcostumes on an ornate set in front of a greenscreen.“I want to create a story around the clothes,”Mathiesen says. “I don’t just want to createclothes for people to wear; I want to createa whole entire fant<strong>as</strong>y world. When you seethese clothes in the show and you wear themlater, I want you to feel like ‘Oh yeah, I’m partof that fant<strong>as</strong>y.’”The introduction will be followed by a f<strong>as</strong>tpacedf<strong>as</strong>hion show, in which 11 localdesigners will showc<strong>as</strong>e models walkingacross a red carpet. The f<strong>as</strong>hion showswill be interspersed with four original shortfilms, including the work of Simmons’ SKSProductions.An October Evening will also feature a showby hypnotist Brian Swan, and a musicalperformance by an alchemic and ritualisticband from Portland called The Red King,whose performance offers a multi-sensoryexperience in itself. (Read an interview withThe Red King at www.slugmag.com.)An intermission will provide an opportunityto visit the banquet hall to partake offree refreshments and view the works oflocal artists, including photographer JeffCarlisle.Mathiesen’s own Blue Medusa F<strong>as</strong>hion willheadline the f<strong>as</strong>hion performances. Hercurrent line is titled “I Am So Hallow,” whichshe h<strong>as</strong> described <strong>as</strong> “electric-pink MarieAntoinette on acid, a juxtaposition of queenand punk.”She explains: “My f<strong>as</strong>hion shows alwaysincorporate a story. As a part of a show I wantto create more than clothes; I want to createan entire artistic concept. I love theatricsand feel like a show should leave peopleentertained.”Other f<strong>as</strong>hion designers include theproprietresses of two local clothing stores,Arsenic F<strong>as</strong>hions and Obscura Clothing.Arsenic’s Donna Rhodes will display hertrademark Victorian-inspired attire, whileObscura’s Mia Espinosa will presentthe debut of her first original line, a men’scollection which she describes <strong>as</strong> “Mozartmeets punk.” Some of the other designersare students at Salt Lake Community College,who were recommended by their teachers.One, Krista Nielson, w<strong>as</strong> the national finalistfor a Steve Madden shoe contest.Mathiesen notes that Utah can be a greatplace for f<strong>as</strong>hion designers. “They’re actuallyable to create something from the groundup instead of getting involved in somethingthat’s already established,” she observes. “Ifyou’re going to get into the f<strong>as</strong>hion world inNew York, it’s going to be very hard to startwith something that you want to do and makeit huge. Here, you have a lot of independentpeople who are working together to createsomething.”Simmons feels the same way about film.“Everyone’s always moving out to New Yorkor L.A. to go do something, when they couldactually just create and do something here inUtah,” he says.Mathiesen is quick to point out that manydesigners who do choose to stay in Utah dohave what it takes to make it elsewhere if theychose. “A lot of the people who are involvedin this show have gotten national attention,”she says.“I look forward to Utah’s growth and want tobe a part of it,” she adds. “I see that there aremore and more things going on every daythat get me excited [about] where our cityand state are headed.”An October Evening will take place onOctober 19 at 7p.m. Tickets are nine dollarsin advance and can be bought at Obscuraand Arsenic F<strong>as</strong>hions.(39) <strong>SLUG</strong>