Dances of Vice Neptune Ball

Taking another trip under the sea! The latest extravagant soiree by Dances of Vice celebrated all things nautical.

The party was hosted at the historic India House Foundation near the South Street Seaport Saturday night. 

The crowd arrived at the Neptune Ball in all manner of mermaids and sailors. There were plenty of elegant ship captains. Many of the costumes were accented by twinkling LED lights and El wire to add some glow. My Husband and another Captain Nemo both evoked Steampunk style with their electric charged fashion accessories. Formal wear was paired with clever, deceptively simple sea creatures like this sparkly anglerfish.

The historic India House was the perfect venue for the theme. Ancient maps and iconic ship models decorated the interiors. Harps and opera singers provided romantic cruising music on the second floor while the third floor hosted scantily clad burlesque dancers, sword swallowers, and mermaids. (These can be found on msfabulousnyc Instagram stories)

This is the same sexy crowd that made the Venetian Valentine Masquerade Ball such a treat to attend. I love that all of the guests know to bring creativity and elegance to their attire.

I love that this type of themed event attracts guests of all demographics. I saw guests of all ages, shapes, identities and cultures having a swimming time. Everyone feels included, united by their love of dress-up. A lavish soiree like this allows all of us to escape the ugliness of the real world. It's a small reminder that yes, creative nightlife still does exist in New York City.

Who would you be in the undersea world? Captain? Pirate? Fish or Mermaid at the Neptune Ball? Dances of Vice will host their next event in June. 

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Coney Island Mermaid Parade 2017 Boardwalk Style

Summer is here in Brooklyn when the Coney Island Mermaid Parade hits the boardwalk. The creative mermaid costumes, sexy sea outfits, and marine creatures parade in this grass roots 35-year tradition. It originated within the artist and circus folk community.

The costumes range from simple bikinis, seashells, and netting to elaborately constructed wearable floats. There is a lot of skin, but the parade is family friendly. While colors and sparkle are the norms, there are a few Gothic fashion lovers in the mix. Mystical creatures of all sorts are mixed in, like unicorns and satyrs. There are a lot of pop culture hybrids, like "Clamilton The Musical", Wizard of Oz and Alice in Wonderland mermaid group costumes.

This year, I saw a lot more protest outfits. There were the "Handmermaids of Gilead" in tribute to The Handmaid's Tale to raise awareness of feminist issues. There were several environmental protest looks, ranging from saving the oceans, the EPA and other organizations. A Trump impersonator getting caught in a net was a visual punchline. Performance groups sang and danced protest messages along the parade that were supportive of the Women's March.

My look incorporated a Diane Von Furstenberg blue wave wrap dress mixed with tentacles and paired with a mermaid crown I made. I walked and photographed the parade. What I love most about walking along the Surf Avenue route and boardwalk is the ecstatic expressions on everyone's face. Everyone is so happy to dress up as a fantasy creature or see others dressed as one. The crowd is incredibly diverse. People of all genders, ethnic, shape, orientation, and physical abilities are well represented and supported. I was pleasantly surprised to see minimal corporate sponsorship, so the parade really felt it was put on by creatives for creatives.

The Coney Island Mermaid Parade is an event you need to experience at least once in your lifetime. I highly recommend you dress the part to fully experience the fun. If you do, get ready for me to catch you in my lens!
Photos by Mariana Leung

Also on Ms. Fabulous:

Steampunk Style at the World Faire

Cosplay Trends of NY Comic-Con

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#LFW: Faustine Steinmetz Denim Mermaids

Faustine Steinmetz is a relatively new fashion label. The designer studied both in Paris and London, then worked with Jeremy Scott and Henrik Vibskov before launching on her own. Her Spring 2017 presentation was a study in different ways you can create crafted denim masterpieces.

When you know a designer is going to do a presentation as opposed to a runway show; it usually isn't that eventful. London Fashion Week has proven me wrong. Steinmetz had her models reclined in giant cubbyholes in the walls, lit with blue light. The effect was like seeing an exhibit of living mermaids in their aquarium. The models' faces were made up in various shades of unearthly blue with body glitter over all different body parts.

The clothing itself had tailored dark indigo denim separates, printed jackets, hand woven, dyed ombre piece. There were embroidered pieces or fringed. The entire collection served to make you think of denim differently.

To add to the captured mermaid theme, some models wore jewelry and shoes that looked like they were embedded into rock with quartz crystals jutting out of it. These were clearly more for styling and artistic expression than for practical wearing, but they were striking nonetheless.

This presentation was at the Old Spitalfields Market, a historical market dating back to the 1880s. It now houses designer boutiques, vintage flea market, indie designer pop-ups and gourmet food stalls in East London. This venue was also home to the up-and-coming fashion designers of London Fashion Week. It seemed to be the British equivalent of the Milk Studios space at NYFW.

Congratulations Faustine Steinmetz on your innovative exhibit. You managed to make me rethink both the fashion presentation format AND denim as a fashion category at the same time. Good luck!

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Stephan Caras Spring 2015

It was another runway for fans of mermaids or ice queens. The Stephan Caras fashion show at World Mastercard Fashion Week in Toronto was all about the shimmer. The dominant colors were clearly metallic silver, gold and cool white.

The Caras family, with Kyriako Caras now also designing, loves texture and opulent shine in their fabrics. The men also love to show a lot of leg, shoulders and cleavage (though rarely at the same time). Many of the silhouettes had a retro sexiness to them, like the flared leg jumpsuit, plunging neck disco dresses, portrait back collars or short short suits.

photos by David TW Leung

Stephan Caras Luminous Collection Spring 2015

Luminous is the right name for this runway. The models looked like they were ready to soar to the moon in some of the space-agey looks. Some looked like femme-bots ready to tell Austin Powers to behave. Maybe this is because Stephan Caras has lived around the world, from being born in Greece then making his way to fashion success via Australia. Now this family dresses the most stylish muses in Canada. Maybe when you conquer this planet you’re ready to head to the next…

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MIAMI FASHION WEEK: L*Space by Monica Wise

It was the mermaid parade at last night’s L*Space by Monica Wise show.  The show was styled with wet wavy hair to look like they were walking out of the sea on a runway printed with water patterns.

  There were sexy fisherman’s net dresses and tunics that acted as cover-ups for the swimwear.  The swimsuits were a mix color blocked details, art deco prints and solids.  Feminine touches included ruffled bikini tops or wrapped details.   Colors included soft black, coral, foam green, shades of ocean and lapis blue.

The models were styled to have wet, wavy hair. Giant pearls were woven into their tresses or a part of long, hanging necklaces to enhance the mermaid royalty look.  Metallic tattoos from Flash Tattoos gave a fish scale effect to the skin. 

I have to say, the models strutted their stuff as if they were wearing stilettos, even though many were in bare feet.  With swagger like that, I would love to see what they could do with a tail…

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