“After the accident I simply refused to give up my hard earned career in moderately priced sportswear modeling. The Strawberry Fall 2 in-store signage campaign led directly to modeling sunglasses for Dress Barn, certain floppy hats for Fashion Bug and my only cover shoot ever…ID magazine. I simply couldn’t see how losing an eye to a bizarre mascara mishap should stop me from working. I did have trouble judging distance though, so my runway career ended pretty abruptly after my now famous fall into the press pit at the Macy’s “New Visions” Show in San Francisco.”
Would you say that’s draped or simply tied on? No zipper, no buttons, hmmm just tied at the belly button, huh? I wonder what that looks like on a hanger? – not much I bet. It’s sort of a full plunging ultra high-cut disco diaper with a center-front dangly bit, really. What if she had to pee during intermission? Does it just fling itself off with a “boing” like a rubber band? I think we all would agree on one thing about this garment so let’s face it – it takes a Full Brazilian. What’s that thing made of anyway?…must be Quiana or some type of Quiana related stretch fabric brought to us from 3M. It could even be a viscose knit, right? Can I just ask one thing about this costume of Donna’s? – Is it tape?
Well, no matter what you call it or how you put it on or take it off, it sure looks amazing with matching bracelets. Good call, mystery disco stylist of yesteryear.
She’s Lithuanian. She’s beautiful. She’s my old friend. She’s a full time muse. She’s the Model With A Pearl Earring and wow, what she can do with a scarf!
I realize my fashion styling aesthetic owes almost everything to Ray. The pictures Ray styled is where I learned a little thing called “how to.” His looks seem very relevant today. But what do I know about fashion these days? I’m old school…and I love it (eyebrow raise) I think of Ray’s Buffalo Style when I put a suit jacket over a hooded sweatshirt. That’s a good look. Ray made it right to try my souvenir African beaded necklace with my new Prada masterpiece that I found for under 5 on 14th street.
All these years later the end of Ray’s too short reign as a style vanguard remains a rotten and sad thing. I think – “I hate AIDS.”
I wish he was still alive because if he was, whatever he would be doing today would be correct, inspired, inspiring and one hundred percent real (a quality you rarely see in fashion.) Truth be told, I would most likely be doing the same as Ray stylistically because when there is a genius you follow him. That’s called devotion. I honor Ray Petri with every pushed up sleeve, every good hat tilted to the back and every attempt at some new conceptual look that fails miserably and I do so with the grateful knowledge of where the impetus to try for greatness comes from. Ray left us a very high mark to aim at.
Now, stop crying over dead stylists, get out your Doc Martins and LEARN.
Buffalo is one of the most influential styles in fashion; the founders were essentially Ray Petri, photographers Jamie Morgan, Cameron McVey and Mark Lebon, and Mitzi Lorens. And later on includes Nick Kamen (of Levi ad fame) and his brother Barry, as well as Neneh Cherry and Naomi Campbell and Ray Petri was the vision leader of the gang. Petri brought street fashion into the mainstream when before it was just all about power dressing. Ray turned his back on designer clothes. He pioneered the DIY post-punk styling. Ray believed that you can re-create all of these looks from thrift shop clothes and stuff that you’ve borrowed from your grandparents. Petri’s look took bits and pieces of Britain’s post-punk ’80s: East Indians, blacks, punk whites, rude boys, mods, ragamuffin Jamaicans, New Romantics and boxers, and tossed them into an exotic whole. His revolutionary ideas spawned a generation of designers.
The Buffalo phenomena infiltrated pretty much everything, from ad campaigns to style magazines, all the way from the street to high fashion.
Photographer Jamie Morgan in one of his interviews on Showstudio said “What Buffalo did was to try to create its own agenda outside the fashion system. We were interested in the images and the attitude. Yes, we loved the style and the fashion but that was just part of it. We would use an Armani jacket because we liked the cut, not because of the label. What Buffalo helped to create was a force outside the establishment.”
Who would forget the image of Nick Kamen in a leather skirt, boys in Doc Martens and their underpants, ring-scarred black boxers in nursery-pink bobble hats, Armani suit jackets, boxing gear, and flags wrapped as sarongs, headlines ripped out and pinned to lapels. It was fashion with an attitude.
Ray Petri pioneered an aesthetic that brought the natural style of men of African descent to the forefront of fashion, adding sensuous androgyny with hardcore urban survival edgy-ness. Petri brought black models into the limelight, discovering Naomi Campbell at 14 and Neneh Cherry before her first recording. In fact using black models and models of other races was something pioneered by Ray, “no one had done it before.” “It was about the face, as they would say, ‘Start with the face and the rest falls into place” said Mitzi Lorenz one of the founder of Buffalo.
Unfortunately Ray Petri died from AIDS in 1989. Fashion may come and go, but style, as Buffalo will show you, lives forever.
Photos by Jamie Morgan
Photos by Viramontes
Photos by Eamon McCabe, Styling by Stephan Linard
“the harder they come – the better”
Ray Petri, The Face, March 1985
Here are some of the current photographers that have been greatly influence by Petri’s Buffalo style:
Alasdair Macllelan
Photos by Carter Smith
Photos by WillyVanderperre
So to end this post I will leave you with 2 videos that I think sums up the Buffalo Style- Nenneh Cherry’s Buffalo Stance and Nick Kamen’s “Each Time You Break My Heart”.
By now you should be very familiar with the “strictly business” style of American Sportswear Modeling at home. You should be scrubbing all your jackets, discretely showing your linings and utilizing pockets at all times. You should be giving perfect poses to the invisible row of photographers crammed in behind your sofa. If you feel unsure of any technical elements of the technique described in Lesson One, please continue practicing and master the style before moving on to Lesson Two.
At some point in every Stay At Home Model’s career, the thought of appearing on a European runway is entertained. Thanks to the “no travel” aspect of our type of modeling, those thoughts are never realized and in the end can save a young model thousands of dollars in air fares, not to mention the added expense of pocket phrase books. Still, a fully realized S.A.H.M. should have the technical expertise to model at any show level. Believe it or not, in a month or two, if you stick to this course exactly, some of you will be mastering the very highest form of private fantasy runway modeling – The Bath Towel Haute Couture. But before you start draping your Canon bath sheets, you must triumph over your personal Europe right in your own humble little living room.
As a general rule of thumb, keep in mind this: London shows are exciting with fashion forward garments and sometimes challenging musical selections. Paris shows provide the best quality garments with quite simply the worst music in the business. Milan shows are sometimes good, but since Gianni died, it makes for a long week of trying to care about anything other than getting paid. You may want to skip Milan this year and accept a few imaginary editorial shoots in the bath tub or on the stairs.
In general The London/Paris/Milan Style ( L.P.M.S.) is more sophisticated and leaves more room for interpretation by the model. If you dare, you can show off. You are the essence of attitude. You are allowed to be African American. The elements of the style include doubles, split doubles, triples, split triples and ( if you are working for Sonya ) “all the girls out.” Don’t be afraid of those group passes, the runways are bigger there, hence moving the furniture for practice at these imagined shows (at home) is required.
There is talent in Europe as far as hair and make-up are concerned. When you arrive in the other room before your home show, imagine talking to Orlando and Pat about how tired you are. Pretend to be mildly annoyed and half asleep. Experiment with hair pieces and odd make-ups. Make it new but keep it far away from Halloween. Your main concern during hair and make-up should be to have Orlando do you himself. Don’t settle for an assistant. (Since it is very unlikely that Orlando himself will be in your bedroom, use your super powered imagination to see him over your shoulder in the mirror.) Good hair gives a model the security he/she/herm needs to exude confidence and to put over an ice cold air of superiority.
Here is your practice track.
There is no predicting what you may hear at a show over there, so concentrate on the beat and keep in step. Do not acknowledge other girls, except during the finale. Give enough to get yourself a cute shot in The Times. Attitude. Precision. Elegance above all.
Becoming a Stay At Home Model is within the grasp of literally anyone who is willing to commit the time and energy that it takes to complete my simple course. Stay At Home Models are unique in that they are the only type of fashion model whose physical appearance is not of any concern. Literally anyone can train and become a Stay At Home Model. The experience is entirely private and need never be seen by anyone. In reality some Stay At Home Models model entirely in secret. They sell imaginary garments exclusively to their own shadows and walk endless split doubles with all of the biggest invisible girls. Some course graduates may reveal their skills to a roommate or group of friends after a few drinks. In any case, Stay At Home Models follow a simple rule : Don’t leave the house when modeling. It’s that easy.
Lesson One
American Sportswear Runway Modeling.
Factoid: Runway Modeling is also known as “Show” modeling.
1. Choose a comfortable ensemble of coordinated separates to begin your session. Movement is what to look for in the garments you choose to combine. Wide pants and a jacket with a defined shoulder over a blouse would be perfect. Do not wear hats or carry bags. You will be learning about those later in the International Style Runway lesson. Your shoe should be a medium or low heel excluding all mules. Your training is beginning with sportswear and your first objective should be to show the garments properly and professionally. A serious attitude toward training and mastering this “strictly business” style of modeling will improve your performance in your private living room shows that you will be walking in later. A good Stay At Home Model practices modeling, even during a pretend performance he/she is always honing his/her skills by walking with a focused concentration and entirely serious approach. The journey to becoming a successful Stay At Home Model is a constant attempt to improve your skills through mimicry and refinement. Train hard, train often and never settle for anything less that a perfect pass and you will reap the imaginary rewards of this stylish and very gay but delusional endeavor.
This is your training music:
Get familiar with the sound. Feel how smooth and boring it is. You may smile and in fact you should appear content when modeling American Sportswear.
The voice in your head is saying :
“I’m getting paid to do this because this is my job.”
“I’m moving slowly to let the buyers see the details.”
” I see no one else…at all…in this entire tent.”
“I just showed you the lining and you didn’t even realize that it was intentional.”
“I’m doing seven other shows today.”
RULES –
If there is a pocket, use it.
Capes, coats and jackets are to be scrubbed off the back. No exceptions.
No touching other models (even in a triple) and, as always, show all the garments.
Your American Sportswear Runway Model To Mimic is Dianne Dewitt.
The pre-presentation hub-bub was great. An introductory video included a nod to Fibonacci and The Golden Ratio (but wasn’t it Pythagoras or Euclid?) No matter, I love a bit of Barnum bravura. It worked.
Michael introduced his collaborator, Francis Bitoni. The soundtrack to the action of the event (which was Dita turning around) was Barbra Streisand’s version of Life On Mars. BIG THUMBS UP FROM BEYOND (That’s from the only album she says she wished she never made – imagine?)
A flash frenzy ensued. Twitter blew up and reportedly, apps around the world froze for a minute as Dita smiled. Thank you and good night.
“Ladies and Gentlemen, The World’s First Fully Articulated 3-D Gown has left the basement,” and thus history was made.
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