Dramazine Welcomes Glamour
Melissa Martinez, a designer at Quiksilver who lives in Laguna Beach, has launched a ‘zine that targets the wobbly topic of what is glamorous. To celebrate Dramazine’s second edition, Martinez and her crew recently put on a party for 200 supporters at Habana in Costa Mesa.
The invitation defined it plainly: “Dress Very Glamorous.” And just about every interpretation of the G-word was evident.
“All the eras were covered,” says Martinez, 29. “We had a woman in ‘20s-style flapper dress and men in very ‘90s suits.”
Women showed off in James Bond babe slick, classic black dresses or eye-catching leopard prints, sequins, black gloves, feathered boas and stacked heels.
Guys were dressed as full-glam rockers in velvet, suede and shirts unbuttoned down to the belly. And “Latino glam,” says Martinez, was represented with guys in tuxedo shirts and other ‘70s stick-to-the-skin stylings. One guy arrived shirtless.
Bottom line: Glamour has no hard rules.
“It’s whatever you think it is,” she concludes. “It’s projecting a vibe.”
Martinez says her publication--a combination magazine and mail-order catalog with a 25,000 circulation--is for people who like what they see in fashion magazines like Vogue but who don’t have the means to get the look, either because of money or geography.
“It’s a service for women who live in Okie-Muskogee and who can’t get to or afford the higher end you see in the high fashion mags,” she explains. “I grew up in Jersey, and you didn’t have funky stores. Styles were generic, so you tried to make what you could out of thrift-shop finds.”
The ‘zine features work from Mantrap, Flygirls and Roxy, as well as Martinez’s originals.
She says that as girls get older, they never outgrow the fun of dressing up as they did in their mother’s heels and costume jewelry.
“The whole glamour aspects never leaves you, so Dramazine shows you ways to wear accessories so you can still play that dress-up game,” she says. “We also have fun with wigs. With the hair thing, I’ve dyed my hair so many times, my hair started falling out. It’s been fuchsia, blue, yellow, every color and now I’m into the wig thing because it can change your look and not fry your hair.”
The new wigs and hairpieces displayed in the ‘zine are indeed wild.
“Many models are into wigs and hairpieces,” says Martinez. “Things like white vamp wigs, bang pieces, streaks and beehive enhancers that lift and add fullness will get you addicted.”
Proceeds from one of the T-shirts in the ‘zine will go to domestic violence support groups. For more information, call (714) 376-8065.
