Above: Jessica 6 performs as models display the Prince Peter ‘Virgin Spirit’ Line, which was inspired by the NYC music scene of the 1980s.
The most music-inspired event of New York Fashion Week was surely the one we attended last week featuring the work of DJ-turned-designer Prince Peter. The night was both a look back, musically, to early Madonna and her New York music scene, and also forward, to exciting up-and-coming acts like Jessica 6 and Dan Black, both of whom performed and covered Madonna (videos below).
Upon entering the brand-new venue Good Units in the basement of the Hudson Hotel, the exhibit of stunning 1983 photos of Madonna by photographer Richard Corman that hung in the main space set the tone.
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Jessica 6 kicked off the live show with an engaging cover of Madonna’s 1990 hit “Justify My Love,” to which about 20 young models, both male and female, took their turns down the runway showcasing Prince Peter’s “Virgin Spirit” line — also the name of the overall event.
The line, according to a Prince Peter Collection release, was “inspired by the immensely popular and wildly successful 80’s New York City venues and after-hours clubs such as Danceteria, The Pyramid Club, The Mudd Club and The Palladuim. At the time, notable and emerging celebrities such as Madonna, Sade, Billy Idol, Duran Duran, artists Keith Haring and Jean-Michel Basquiat all frequented these venues.” It was “inspired by the style and music of the musicians and downtown artists of the era. Where punk and new wave denizens came together.”
Much of the line consists of print tees, some of which feature photos by legendary rock photographer Mick Rock, who was in attendance at the event. Also present: Kelly Osborne, Jared Followill of Kings of Leon, Ethan Hawke, Ken Burns, and lots of fashion folks we’re not so familiar with.
A bit more on Jessica 6, a spin-off of the band Hercules and Love Affair. Former Hercules collaborators — vocalist Nomi Ruiz, bassist Andrew Raposo, and keyboardist Morgan Wiley — formed the new band last year as core Hercules members Andy Butler and Kim Ann Foxman planned to continue on with “a whole handful of new artists” for their second album. A debut album from Jessica 6 is due out this spring. But you can catch them at Nublu in New York tomorrow night. Below, their only single thus far, which earned them a reputation for epitomizing a “dark disco” style.
fun-girl.mp3
Jessica 6 – Fun Girl [MP3] | [Music Video]
After the runway show, the band went on to perform an infectious new disco-style track that we’d never heard before, as all the models came back out and “partied” on the stage and runway, throughout:
Dan Black and his band then hit the stage, albeit to a less-packed room (due to the absence of models, of course). Black’s set included an impressive, pared-down, mostly-acoustic cover of Madonna’s 1985 hit “Get Into The Groove.” It was quite the departure from his usual highly-produced, eclectic pop tracks.
We already knew Black was quite familiar with the song after he included a version of it on his recent mixtape Weird Science, which offered several inventive covers. Each cover also used a sample from an unrelated track. You could call them cover-mashups.
Dan Black (Weird Science Mixtape) - 5. GIMME INTO THE CLOUDBUSTING.mp3
“Gimme Into The Cloudbusting” (Madonna “Get Into The Groove” cover + Kate Bush sample) [MP3]
Kudos to GOODSOULDIERS and Prince Peter for putting together this excellent event.
More photos from Good Units, where posters from opening night’s Interview Magazine anniversary party were still on the walls:
The Stoli concoctions were quite good – especially the aptly named Borderline.
