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 Nary a review of the no-frills garage-rock band the Yeah Yeah
Yeahs appears without gushing mention of lead singer Karen O's
louche wardrobe. These getups are neither the flamboyant
showstoppers of Madonna nor the fetishistic confections of
Britney. The O oeuvre consists of punk livery that would make
Siouxsie Sioux proud: slashed prom dresses, hole-riddled T
shirts, laddered fishnets, fingerless leather gloves, studded
cuffs and Converse sneakers etched with a marker. It's the work
of designer Christian Joy, and it's influencing fashion the way
only a rock star's wardrobe can.
Joy first met Karen O (the O is for Orzolek) two years ago, when
Joy, nee Hultquist, was installed at the now defunct Daryl K
store. "Wild, crazy Karen used to come in all the time," says
Joy, 29, a willowy brunet wearing heels that have been
spray-painted green. Joy, who is now a part-time sales associate
at another New York store, Martin, had been making T shirts in
her spare time, but the outfit that clinched the Yeah Yeah Yeahs
deal was the "car-crash dress."
"It was sleazy, vulgar and like nothing I'd ever seen before,"
says Orzolek, 24. Onstage she flashes her underwear, twirls
around like a demented cheerleader and eviscerates plush toys.
Since that first frock, there has been a series of arty, zany
creations, including the "shrimp dress," a gaudy taffeta and
tulle ball gown that Karen O turned into shrimp salad on stage in
London this year. "That's the best thing that can happen," says
Joy. "It's beyond fashion."
All this rampant style experimentation, paralleled by the
rollicking sounds of the band's debut album, Fever to Tell, has
given rise to a claque of Karen O wannabes. But Orzolek will
never defer to the pushy stylists waiting to dress her in the
latest designer offerings. "Ready-to-wear doesn't make sense to
me at all," sighs Orzolek, who exclusively wears Christian Joy
for performances and shoots.
What of Orzolek's and Joy's new It girl status? Says Joy: "I ring
up my mum and say, 'They're calling Karen a fashion icon, and
she's got a fake mink hanging around her neck with button eyes!'
It's stupid stuff." —By George Epaminondas
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