THE DEVIL MADE ME BUY THAT DRESS I.M.T. Octavia St. Laurent

In honor of the fabulous movie Saturday Church and renewed curiosity for ball culture I'm bringing back this post from a few years ago.  I distinctly remember seeing voguing to this madness at The Sound Factory back in 1993.

The Devil

I ordinarily don't honor house music on my blog. But I am going to break my rule for a few reasons. One being that Paris is Burning Jennie Livington's amazing documentary about the New York ball culture is among my favorite films of all time. Another reason is the passing of trans beauty Octavia St. Laurent of A.I.D.S. on May 17, 2009.



Some of her lines are simply the most delightful, repeatable and throw-shade-readable in the film. In fact one line was so particularly legendary that an entire house record was based around the sample.
"$559.00 dollars how's that for a simple dress?"
I.M.T.'s The Devil Made me Buy that Dress was an important moment in Junior Vasquez's Sound Factory legacy. 1993 also happened to be a peak year in the evolution of one of just a couple unforgettable moments in New York City Underground dance scene. The Sound Factory was just about the only club that really mattered for years. So what sounded fierce on that dance floor is just about what sounded fierce period. Junior Vasquez has had rabid fans ever since. Though most would say his moment of supremacy has long since passed.





In 2003 another documentary was released with a similar theme. It was called How Do I Look. By this time Octavia was calling herself Heavenly Angel Octavia St. Laurent Manolo Blahnik, try saying that ten time fast!