Saturday night (December 17) at the Pic Pub was a medieval melee of dance, music, and clothes-a sort of cabaret with belly dancing, burlesque, and a fashion show featuring designs by Sanne Lambert of Venus & Mars modelled by the Living Mannequins, while the Sanne Lambert Trio provided a soundtrack of garage-y rock 'n' roll.

The band was all wearing Venus & Mars silver lamé-the guys in zip-front windbreaker jackets and designer/frontwoman Lambert in a T-shirt dress with a cutout back, topped off with a tiara. On the space gun-wielding Mannequins were such other classics as a silver-lamé, strapless, space-vixen gown that would surely stop space traffic; a go-go-ish two-piece mini and halter that brought to mind a '60s Star Trek babe; and these neat loose-fit men's trousers that totally look like liquid mercury. Some might think this is a departure from the usual gothic-romance-novel-cover style of Venus & Mars. But according to Lambert, "the future is the past", and this is more of a revisit back to when she opened the first shop in Gastown in '92 (now moved to 315 Cambie Street). Inspired by the stars and planets, silver shone out as the colour scheme for her this New Year.

Then there were the more familiar Venus & Mars wares. The hooded velvet capes for when you're riding swiftly through the dark night on your steed, racing against the moon; the criss-cross-laced bodices and bustiers to contain your passion-ravaged, heaving bosom; romantic pirate shirts with plunging necklines and billowy sleeves for when you have to defend your beloved's honour by challenging an evil villain to a duel; princess gowns cut high at the nape with flowy bell sleeves for when you're locked in the highest castle tower. This line is all handmade and limited-run, with custom fittings and alterations included. Besides, it goes seamlessly from day in the enchanted forest to night out at the fetish party.

A particularly interesting piece was a sort of fucked-up-Romeo kind of deal-a plush velvet top with marabou trim and puffy shoulders, long narrow sleeves, and a kind of epaulette-capelet business that might have been a detachable second piece.

The lighting in the Pic is absolutely wrong for a fashion show, however, and with a lot of the fabrics being dark, as today's gothic youth are wont to wear, the lack of illumination really made it difficult to see the details and differentiate between the textures and the deep blues, purples, burgundy, and black.

The evening's festivities were in celebration of the launch of Venus & Mars's new Web site (www.venusandmars.biz/ /). There, you can get info on the next show, a masquerade ball on February 11, 2006, in honour of Valentine's Day, at the second Venus & Mars shop (708 Columbia Street, New Westminster). With any luck, the lights will be a little brighter.

Showstoppers

At Gothic Christmas, space-age silver lamé met enchanted-forest gowns in a rock 'n' roll melee that proved Vancouver's Venus & Mars line likes to time-travel.

The Designer: Sanne Lambert for Venus & Mars
The Look: A white-satin medieval-style dress with separate mesh sleeves.

The Designer: Sanne Lambert for Venus & Mars
The Look: A black-and-pink tapestry corset with wings and a floor-length, see-through skirt

The Designer: Sanne Lambert for Venus & Mars
The Look: A silver-lamé jersey with separate mesh sleeves, worn with silver-lamé jeans