After a 29-year hiatus, Pine Fashion will return to Fire Island on August 20.
Around 200 people are expected at A Day in the Pines at the Whyte Hall and Albert Lepage Pavilion event which will feature a salute to the past with a present-day twist. While many well-known designers have ties to the island, the show will highlight up-and-coming queer minority founders, designers and artists.
The show is a production being orchestrated in collaboration with the Fire Island Pines Arts Project, an organization that has been organizing events and performances on the island for the past 35 years. JD Winston, a board member, a producer and former multidisciplinary performer, and Ryan Espinosa, another FIPAP board member and owner of the Denizen store on the island, are overseeing the revival of the event.
The runway will feature items from the store and from other stores, as well as some donated pieces. “We are not selling a particular brand. Basically, it’s a celebration of where we are as an island at this truly expressive moment of individuality. The island is very DIY. People will put on a headband, maybe a pair of designer shorts, and the rest will be made up as they go along,” Espinosa said. “If you’ve spent a lot of time here, you know what can happen in a very free and safe space. The rules remain [behind] when you get off the ferry.”
Dating back to the 70’s, Pine Fashion was an annual celebration of local style. The late Fire Island developer and former model John Whyte was instrumental in creating the show and held the festivities at The Botel pool.
The “Day in the Pines” theme was first used in the late 80’s by Russell Graham. Andy Baker and Ward Auerbach helped plant the seed for the revival of the event, which is being advertised through Denizen. Winston said he and Espinosa started talking about the pinecone fashion events that were held from the 80s to the early 90s and the prospect of holding one again. The event started in the 70s, but the emergence of AIDS caused it to be suspended.
The pair broached the idea from some of the people who experienced the original shows, such as Bob Howard and Scott Bromley, and gathered some ideas. Several people from the Fire Island community have signed up to act as models. They will be sporting Pines-related fashions including some styles from previous Fashion of the Pines events.
A DJed open bar and silent auction will be held during the first hour of this month’s first hour. Guests will also find nostalgic ephemera from Fashion of the Pines events from years past. After the crowd moves inside, Luis Villabon will perform “My Strongest Suit” from the musical “Aida” in drag, and Hal Rubenstein and Espinosa will emcee the event.
Noting how Fire Island first became a popular getaway for many gay artists, designers and celebrities in the ’70s, Winston said it was known as a haven to escape, feel safe and to be yourself, “when that wasn’t the easiest thing to do” at the time.
