GOSSIP SHOULD HAVE NO FRIENDS

[September 14th, 2005] HEART OF GLASS: "A soft eyelash on a tear drenched cheek makes me feel neat. By Ryan." No, we haven't digressed to filling this column with bathroom-stall poetics (thank god); that's just one of many messages written to human window-dressing Ricki Mason (above, left), one of the individuals scheduled to hang out in the WW office's front window (822 SW 10th Ave.) as part of PINKK/Laura Curry's Portland Stories project for PICA's Time-Based Art Festival . Last Friday, Mason silently responded via wax-pencil to passersby, kindly waving off "show me your tits!" requests and verbal chides. In exchange for Ryan's poem, Mason performed a sedated "Flight of the Bumblebee" shimmy before crumpling forward into a pile of newspapers. It's like our own little G-rated Red Light District. Look for another PINKK performance in WW's front window today.

FLASH FASHION: Last week's fashion extravaganza, Portland Collections , wasn't totally without scandal. Tongues were wagging after local fashion newcomers T-Rex rocked the runway at Yes on East Burnside Street last Saturday night. One model felt the best way to showcase her go-go inspired jersey duds accented with fluorescent floral cutouts was to shake it stripper-girl style-errant nipples be damned . Of course, this isn't the first time an areola made an appearance at a fashion show. But we're willing to bet it's the first time a g-string was whipped off and hung on the face of a blushing runway reveler . After totally embarrassing the poor man, the model marched over to her platform, raised her skirt and showed off a second pair of panties, which proclaimed "T-Rex Rocks." Sex sells, right?