Bring out the gimp! The Basement is throwing its grand opening gala this Friday and is inviting Goth girls and guys, the rockabilly set and anyone who's into the outrageous and outlandish. Your favorite pleather chaps losing their slick propylene shine? Giddy for a new gag ball? Maybe you're in the market for psychedelic screen-print stockings and a genuine corset to cinch a few (or more) inches. Whatever your alternative aesthetic, the Basement has everything you need to get your glamour, grunge or ghoul on.
Stocked with choice pieces from obscure outfitters, limited-edition accessories and fetish gear for the fearless, the Basement is no bland band-T boutique. Angela, the Basement's femme influence, promises a sizable selection of Music Legs hosiery, including body stockings, gloves, tube dresses, tights and thigh-highs in silk-screen graphics, spider-webbed and any imaginable width and color stripe. Her women's collection covers the gamut from Heavy Red's patent leather corsets to Lip Service candy-apple-red pleated pleather minis and hard-to-find fantasy wings for every occasion.
Owner-operator Dave and his right hand man, Rob, put together a cross-section of men's alternative apparel from indie labels like Vend Or Die, Shrine,and Wicked Jester, spiked with short runs of Threadless tees, AKDMKS jeans and Dragonfly silk-screened button-ups.
Accessories abound with ample offerings in nickel and pewter from Alchemy, Liquid Metal chokers and crosses and the Basement's own creations, including rhinestone creepy crawlies in a cuff-and-ring chain combo, with black metal accents.
If bondage is your bag, visit the Dungeon, Basement's in-store showcase of fetish goods for grownups. Sorry kids, to get past those silver mesh curtains, you must show ID, 18 and over only.
Dave promises more than the standard fare, with fashions and face masks to suit the knowledgeable and novice Bettie Page enthusiasts. But if you're weary of whips, they've got plenty of fantasy footwear from Demonia that will look wicked and won't hurt anyone (unless they ask you to).
At the cosmetics counter, supersaturated colors from Manic Panic's Ultra Violet line are always available, and Dnash, famed custom fang fashioner, is scheduled to stop in for a few far-out dentistry sessions later this season. Come by Friday after 6 p.m. for a fetish and fantasy fashion show, finger food and fiendish fun.
The Basement, 4225 S. Eastern Ave., Suite 1. 737-GOTH
www.thebasementclothes.com
Jennifer Henry's got the goods on what to get & where. E-mail her at
[email protected].