Lady Fag, photo courtesy of Kevin Tachman/BackstageAT.com.
“Sewing the seed of Solidarity” was the catch phrase of Life Ball 2010, the World’s most prominent Aids Charity event. The idiom is rhythmically stated by one of 2010’s Life Ball performers, Ms. Patti Labelle, in her 1986 song Oh People.
This year’s Life Ball was held on July 17th, a day before the 18th international AIDs conference also held in Vienna. Don’t let the grave under current of the AIDS Conference fool you into thinking that life Ball is a black tie soiree for some of the World’s most prolific scientific minds. They would be difficult to identify in crowd of 40,000 attendees who collectively, could drop the jaw of any seasoned gay pride parade patron - charm a smile off of the face of the world’s most stoic politicians – and force Gaga to seriously question her sense of originality. Life Ball is studded in every sense of the word: stars, gentleman, and rhinestones. The team of celebrities, extraordinary performing freaks from around the world, media sponsors, and volunteers abandon any egos for a family reunion to share one another’s unique talents and fly a flag for tolerance on solidarity. A few standouts from the RSVP list included:, Boris Becker, Former President Bill Clinton, Kenneth Cole, Francesco Costa, Diane Von Furstenberg, Lydia Hearst, Kai Kuhne, Patti Labelle, Leigh Lezark, Angela Merkel (Chancellor of Germany), Jerry O’Connell, Richie Rich, Rebecca Romijn, Dita Von Teese, and the Rockets.
Patti Labelle, photo courtesy of Kevin Tachman/BackstageAT.com.
Kenneth Cole, photo courtesy of Kevin Tachman/BackstageAT.com.
The opening ceremony takes place in the square in front of Vienna’s City Hall, the first civic building to ever hold an AIDS charity event back in 1993. After the red carpet entrance procession where the Kings and Queens of decadence flaunted their ensembles, the ceremony began with Whoppi Goldberg emerging from a macramé canvas earth – she brought down the house as well as a torrential downpour that that diluted the festivities to follow. Francisco Costa for Calvin Klein and Kenneth Cole, both of whom were in attendance, had their models dressed and in line up backstage. Diana Von Frustenberg came with the Rockets, who were ready to do some high kicks in signature DVF pattern wraps skirts and red lip shaped berets. Most of the pretty faced top models and high kicking New York ladies did not make it to the main stage to strut, as lightening struck minutes before their cues only to cancel the remainder of the show.
This year the runway intended to showcase the work of three mega fashion brands, replacing the “couture” designers of years past to the likes of Vivienne Westwood, Paco Robanne, John Galliano, Theirry Mugler, and the tongue and cheek glam squads of The Blondes, and Heatherette (Richie Rich still comes to support). Still, the trip to Vienna was definitely not a waste for Costa, Cole, and Von Furstenberg, the three designers embellished MINIS with their outré’ patterns and sense of style only to have them auctioned off for the cause by former President Bill Clinton at the AMFAR Gala, the exclusive black tie event held before the main festivities.
Though most of the top models did not make it on stage, they were escorted to the Grey Salon, a nook deep in the cavern of City Hall, where they and other guest were eternalized by the Swiss fashion photographer Michel Comte for a Life Ball documentary book, One Night in Vienna, produced by Alex Wiederin of Buero New York. There are 80,000 requests for tickets to the after party and only 3,780 spaces available. A life Ball Style ticket is half of the price of a formal attire ticket, and being the favorable option, guests with the style ticket assume the obligation to, in the words of Madonna, “ ‘Don’t go for second best baby’ and ‘Express yourself’”. The kink, imagination, and fantasy in costume conception are understood by the organizers of Life Ball as a “signal against small mindedness and conservatism.” The production team for One night in Vienna made it their goal to document the rainbow of freaky to chi-chi. Check out the Style Bible www.stylebible.org, which essentially encourages guest to take of their clothes, paint their bodies and consider a little fetish influence while conceiving an outfit.
While the get-ups of the guest are enough to satisfy any intrigue in novelty, the numerous talent acts by performers such as Le Gateau Chocolate, a double XL African American cabaret drag morph who sang Prince’s “Nothing Compares 2 U” in a glittering purple second skin cat suit, are the chocolate icing on the Opera Ball Sachertorte. It seems that the Ball had everything – alas, there was one integral piece of the puzzle missing – rubbers. There were plenty of rain slickers, but not one vessel brimming with condoms (or even dispensers in the bathroom). In fact, after searching the Ball like Cindy for a glass slipper, the only condoms that I found were “coutured” into a dress of a guest, 2010 of them to be exact. While it is commendable to fight AIDs with charity, automobile sponsors, boas and glitter – condoms certainly do help. And at Life Ball, they should be like peanuts and a Baseball game.
Cheer’s erupted at the International Aids Conference after the announcement of the results a vaginal gel tested in South Africa. It reduced the risk of the HIV virus by 39% overall and by 59% for those women who used it regularly.
Dita Von Teese, photo courtesy of Kevin Tachman/BackstageAT.com.
Diane Von Furstenberg, photo courtesy of Kevin Tachman/BackstageAT.com.
Photo courtesy of Kevin Tachman/BackstageAT.com.
