Sure, maybe the tree is trimmed, the Christmas cards are sent, and you have your holiday shopping done, but are you prepared for Santas Psycho Sexy Playground? Curated by
Top Design 2 winner Nathan Thomas, this benefit for Housing Works features models from
EastVillageBoys.com dressed as Santas naughty elves; a performance by crazed downtown doyenne Angela Di Carlo and pianist Todd Almond; bondage gear, kink, and fetish-wear everywhere; and an online auction featuring items from an impressive roster of designers including DKNY, Wyeth, Brian Reyes, and more.
We caught up with Nathan Thomas to talk about what hell be wearing, what the East Village Boys are willing to do for very little cash, and how all this holiday filth will be helping out a worth cause.
Exactly how raunchy is the party going to get?
Well, the name of the party is Santas Psycho Sexy Playground. The whole idea came about because I wanted to make the holiday as dirty and nasty as possible; you know, with a nasty, bitched-out Santa. I got Nasty Pig involved and theyre a huge donor -- they specialize mainly in fetish-gear, a lot of rubber-wear, but they have day wear and play wear. Their aesthetic is macho and fetishistic, very masculine and edgy. And Ive teamed Nasty Pig up with EastVillageBoys.com, so we have a bunch of young guys dressed up in Nasty Pig underwear with dirty speakers rallying up the crowd to try and get people to drop a dollar or two towards a really good cause. I think it should be a really over the top and unexpected holiday party. I dont think Housing Works has done anything like this before, so I wanted to just have fun with it. Im curating the whole deal. Initially they asked if Id just do the windows, and I said, If you give me
carte blanche, yes.
What are you going to be wearing?
Hmm. Well just have to see. I guess I should probably put on some Nasty Pig underwear, right? At least I know that.
Now, I read something about elves. Theres going to be super-sexy elves, right?
Yes, see, those are the naughty elves from EastVilageBoys.com. Theyre going to be go-go dancing, wandering through the crowd, getting money out of people, and maybe raffling themselves off for a date. And the window treatments will be something like Tim Burton meets bondage meets the Red Light District.
Right, and theres going to be a window display of Santa as weve never seen him before. Does that mean, like, hell be trussed up like a Christmas goose?
I think Santas coming in on a low-rider bicycle, wearing Nasty Pig fireman pants and perhaps a beach ball on his head.
A beach ball? Youre going to upset the children.
I know, I know, I had to tell one of my clients that this party wouldnt be appropriate for their kids. Its not exactly Macys Christmas floor.
Theres a lot going on here: go-go boy elves, Santa, performances, an online auction. Whats being auctioned off?
Theres a lot of fashion items from Ferragamo, DKNY, up-and-coming designers like Becca McCharen, who does fantastic fetish-cage halter pieces. Shes an architect-turned-fashion designer so her work has a lot of structural elements. Jewelry designer Martine Ali donated these cool leather armbands that are all gothed-up, loaded with spikes and metal flower chains; theyve got a really tough edge but are still very feminine. They lace up, with fascinating arms! We got some cool mens shoes from J Shoes, Agent Provocateur, which does womens lingerie; you know, latex stockings that have to be lubed up before they can be put on, that sort of thing. Theres high-end, up-and-coming, edgy stuff, shoes from Giuseppe Zanotti Design. Every piece has been donated new and unworn, which is different for Housing Works because most of their stuff is gently used or slightly worn, so I wanted to make sure I was able to procure brand new items.
For those who dont know, tell me what Housing Works does, exactly.
Housing Works is the nations largest donor and charity for men, women, and children living with HIV and AIDS. They really reach out to the community, and through their stories and their retail outlets they raise an incredible amount of money. Whats so great is they allow their fans and friends get involved, curate windows, and dream up events. As for my party, I feel like this is a way to give back to Housing Works and the community. Overall, Im thrilled theres exposure on this and people are becoming more and more aware of Housing Works and their cause. I hope to see all you queens.
Santas Psycho Sexy Playground is at the Chelsea Thrift Shop (143 West 17th St., New York City) on December 16th, 6-9 P.M.
For more info head here. To bid on auction items now through December 23rd, click here.
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