Source from: http://taosnews.com/articles/2011/07/04/news/doc4e0cb8e78a929540853195.txt
When Shawna Yambire opened ReNeux Consignment Boutique, just off the Taos Plaza, she decided to participate in the annual Lighting of Ledoux by having a fashion show featuring clothing from her store.
The show was a success, and the following year, Yambire did it again, but this time, she invited several women to join in and create their own pieces. She also organized the show around a theme.
"It was kind of a Baroque, over-the-top, ball kind of feel — Cinderella with a little bit of mysticism," says Michael Simone Regnier, one of the participants. "We did the big hair, and the whole silhouette of the Baroque costume."
From there, the whole thing snowballed. The women were invited to reshow their pieces at the Love Apple for its New Year's Eve celebration. Then, the Harwood Museum approached Yambire about a Valentine's Day showing of the film, "Valentino: The Last Emperor."
So the ladies got together again and came up with a list of what Valentino meant to them, ultimately deciding on a "red" theme and long gowns.
"But then there were different variations because it's about being artistic and changing it up and doing whatever you want," says Regnier. "So you end up with all these fabulous different takes on the red dress. There was a gorgeous piece by Wendy Willis Price that was amazing, totally couture- sewn. Yummy fabric, some kind of raw silk."
Regnier says that some of the women in the group are professionally trained in fashion design. Others, such as Regnier, have experience more in the range of hemming pants and sewing buttons.
Regnier says she gets to benefit from the knowledge and skill of group members like Nina Silfverberg and Tatyana de Parloff, both of whom are professional working costume designers.
"They're just great because any time you don't know how to do something, they're right there," says Regnier, "They've got amazing skills, all the things you'd go and learn at fashion design school, but it's right there at your fingertips." Regnier says it all works well because everyone's just in it to have fun.
"It's a really open, cool group," she says. "I appreciate it just for the camaraderie of that amazing group of women, who have all these different skill sets and who I wouldn't necessarily get to hang out with, at least not at this productive artistic level."
The women are now in the habit of meeting regularly between shows, usually at ReNeux.
"There's something about that girl time that we don't always make time for in our lives, and it's so fun. After we do it, we're like, 'I needed that so bad,'" says Regnier. "We'll pass around ideas, bring design books, look at things online that inspire us, just kind of sharing that idea of fashion. It's fun to be connected to that, to play with it and talk about it."
When they're planning a show, things get a little more intense. "It's about collaboration and discussing ideas and coming up with a look to fit a theme," Regnier says. But the most intense part of the process is the shows themselves.
"There's a lot of juggling — the dynamic of getting the piece together, getting the makeup and the hair together," Regnier explains. "It's definitely a production; it's a back room full of women and clothes and makeup and hair and trying to get everything ready. Laughing about whose boobs won't fit in their dress."
Regnier says that each show they do becomes more streamlined.
"For all of these, we're increasing our professionalism — the runway, the music, the lights." They've even recently chosen a name for the group: Runway Vigilantes.
"We were coming up with all different ones, like 'Cloth,'" Regnier says laughing. Although the group makes no money from the shows, entry fees are charged in order to pay for venues, and also for publicity and music.
One of the Runway Vigilantes, Elizabeth Haidle, produces most of their promotional material, and DJ Oliver comes up with unique mixes to play at the shows.
"We make sure they get compensated for their time, because those are their full-time jobs," says Regnier. "Those of us who are designing are just doing it for the fun of it."
Runway Vigilantes will hold their next show Saturday (July 2), at the Bavarian Restaurant in Taos Ski Valley.
It will be loosely themed around "A Midsummer Night's Dream." Regnier says that they've also been talking with KTAOS about doing an around the world-themed show. "
We enjoy doing this," says Regnier. "It's so organic; it just comes together."
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