At some point in the '80s, a friend took me to see a drag show at the Polar Bear.  Hot women were afoot, although they were men, and the city was alive, albeit in that scary sort of way.
Fast forward to last night’s fashion show between Rocky and Coco’s and Dame Lola, when downtown went uptown.

Beauty prevailed, flustering a usually suave Volcano lounge rat Brad Allen into admitting, “I had to leave early, there were too many beautiful people and I was getting flustered.”  But, Brad, You ARE beautiful people!

Even still, I kind of felt his pain, looking around me at the scorching hot people assembled before me. Fortunately, champers on tap alleviated the ache somewhat, with some crazy-cool tracks laid by DJ Josh Comer making the space oh-so-tangibly-cool.

Foremost, the shop owners themselves, Rebecca Dashow and Katy Jayne, dressed to kill in Miguelina and Prada pumps, respectively, drove the beauty of the evening, with adoring partners in tow. While Dashow put her man to work serving champagne, Jayne’s guy sat back and chilled in the still of the night.  Crowds milled, loved, and bought clothes, while sipping the bubbly.

At Rocky and Coco’s the models, coiffed by Salon Auberge Du Soleil out of Federal Way, meandered through the crowds, while at Dame Lola, the models perched on sometimes precarious podiums and let us stare adoringly at lovely clothes on beautiful, real people.

We contributed $5 to get champagne, goodie-bags, and hors d’oevres, all of which went to a great cause â€" Tacoma’s Fund for Women and Girls.  Janet Stanley, enjoying the fun with her daughter Mackenzie, says for the organization, “We promote generosity among women.” Cheers to that!

Dashow’s models were a collection of her friends and clients; among my favorites were Chelsea, whose birthday wish was to go to a fashion show with her mom.  Dashow trumped her wish and put her in one.  Also a fave, Jennifer Robbins, of J Robbins Florist fame, sporting a fabulous vintage (Grandma Sally) mink mini-stole clasped with a fabulous broach â€" courtesy of Dashow’s own collection â€" and Rebecca Taylor dress, with the shoes to die for â€" turquoise peep-toe pumps with red soles.  On the podium next to Robbins, Trina Jones, photographer extraordinaire, sporting a look she classifies as “I’m sort of Bohemian a little bit” with velvet faux shearling coat, a fabulously bright skirt, layers that included my favorite “Baked Pop Tarts” tee (go in and see it, and buy it!) and the Piece de Resistance, to me, the (Arrrrg!) pirate boots I bought for myself early in the fall.

Jayne’s models flashed flesh, twirled, and sported Diane von Furstenburg, among them were the owner of Salon Auberge Du Soleil, Donna.

After the shows, I met up with some of the beautiful crowd from Rocky and Coco’s, which included a famous artist, a fabulously smart groundwater engineer who also happened to be a fabulously smart dresser, and a fabulously gorgeously radiantly amazing survivor of a woman at the Pacific Grill for Chill!, which was, thanks to DJ Lulu Spice, oh-so-tangibly-cool.  She played a mean "Blue Monday" and old Cure and as I suckled smoky-sweet meat candy for the first time, I sighed, “ahhhh, I’m ho-o-me…”

The Pacific Grill swelled with beautiful people as DJ Josh and a retinue of cool DJ folk including DJ Broam (who also has a glass-blowing day job), and who were later joined by a radiantly fabulous and fur-bedecked Laura Malone.

At which point, I knew well and truly, I was outclassed and out way too late, since I, too, have a day job.

Good times, good threads, good tunes, good city.

Good night! â€" Jessica Corey-Butler