In the orangey atmosphere of the Tip Top Caf in White River Junction, Caitlin McNally '03 takes the runway to an explosion of hoots and applause. Modeling an assemblage of rough-cut blues and greens, eyes flashing forth from a band of blue face makeup, she is one psychedelic orchid in this spring's first burst of color, the biannual Tip Top Couture fashion show hosted by Revolution Vintage and Urban Used Clothing and its owner, Kim Souza.
Having arrived five minutes late, I have to settle for a perch on a chair in the back of the caf. The latecomers' view encompasses a 30-foot ocean of bald heads, earrings, lipstick-stained wine glasses, Dartmouth hats, microscopic handbags, reams of leather and every minute or so, a glimpse of a model from the waist up. I try to take pictures, but at every hip-swinging entrance a more intrepid photographer closer to the runway raises a toaster-sized camera above his head and snaps three shots right in the center of my frame.
The up-beat, personal nature of the evening reflects Souza's zeal for local color. McNally finishes her turns at the end of the runway just as DJ Bram starts his, setting up a soundtrack for the next model, one of 25 people of all shapes, sizes, ages and origins who assembled five hours prior the to show's 10 p.m. start time for hair, makeup and fitting. The show features designs of the '60s, '70s and '80s culled from Revolution's stockpile of vintage clothing, located two blocks from the Tip Top in the center of downtown White River, home to an arts community that has been growing steadily with the new millennium.
Souza's dedication to the local scene infuses the show with an energy that fuels the crowd as she MC's the event. With each model, a facet of local artist life gets its own turn for the flashbulbs. Souza describes each ensemble, a combination of garish colors and an anti-fashion sense of style, then offers a local art scenario for which the outfit would be perfect, from "La Traviata" at the Lebanon Opera House to the late-night grind at Club Electra.
It was this local connection that sent McNally off-campus Saturday night to join the ranks at the Tip Top. A regular at Revolution, she was asked by Souza to model in the fall show. Though she was unable to oblige then, she promised to make time for it in the spring, and the results pleased the crowd. For McNally, it was a chance to tap into a vibrant arts scene not often accessed by Dartmouth students.
"It was really fun, especially being a Dartmouth undergrad, to get a sense of people in this community," said McNally, still in make-up after the show. The galvanization of area art and the people connected to it is an agenda that Souza has spearheaded since the opening of Revolution two years ago.
"[It's] not just a clothing store," McNally says. "She is really proactive at trying to reinvigorate this town and then, indirectly, this area."
A brief 30 minutes after the show began, the last model, in a flowing dress from Revolution's handmade Exquisite Faeree collection, steps off the runway. Souza tries to begin the evening's thank-yous, but the crowd is having none of it. We holler and clap until she happily consents to a final parade of models, fashions and attitude.
Spectators who couldn't fit in the caf stand outside under the stars of early spring, pressing against the glass to see the star turns within. The models ham it up for the crowd through a final ovation and then shed their characters, if not their costumes, and disperse into the wine-warmed caf, trading secrets of the runway with neighbors, family and friends.
