Written by Dia VanGunten
Art by Reigner Clothing
Jarrod Rebecchi’s International Jaw Convention (Reigner)
Electric Cat Fishin’ (Reigner)
Electric Nights Following The Coyote (Reigner)
When I interviewed The Makers for Punk Planet, they were late coming into Austin from Dallas and hungry, so I showed up with Sam’s BBQ. They arrived like a pack of wolves in iridescent suits and brand new cowboy boots. I suggested nudie suits were next, and they liked the sound of that. “Not to be confused with birthday suits,” I quipped, quickly segueing into my theory about their song, which asks, “Are you on the inside or the outside of your pants?”
I interpret this to mean, “How contained are you? Do you bust at the seams energetically? Does your aura emanate beyond the perimeter of your skin? Do you extend beyond your pants?” The Makers looked at me like I was nuts. “It just sounds cool,” they insisted. I’ve met enough poets in my life to know that we’re always saying things to sound cool, while we’re siphoning the collective subconscious and tapping into the noosphere.
The Toad Licker (Reigner)
A nudie suit isn’t so nude, crusted with rhinestones, layered in elaborate designs, but they reveal the inner essence of a person. The wearer is laid bare as the illustrated man. In a nudie suit, one is not contained by their pants. This isn’t why we call it a nudie suit. The style is named after the original rhinestone cowboy, Nudie Cohn, who got his start selling glittery G-strings to burlesque performers. Nudie used to make the suits in his legendary location, Nudie’s Rodeo Tailors. The suits got popular with country and western stars of the ’50s and ’60s, yet Elvis comes up when you Google “Who wore the world’s first nudie suit?”
Kookaburra Cowboy (Reigner)
Nudie suits are having a resurgence, and they’re better than ever. In their modern incarnation, there’s the nerdy “Computer Lover” by Reigner. I love this one for its grungy thrift store colors. It makes me wanna dance to DEVO or binge-watch Halt And Catch Fire.
The Computer Lover (Reigner)
There’s something about a nudie suit that says you’ve really arrived—at the pinnacle of success, at the apex of a maximalist, at the crux of a psychedelic trip, or straight down to clown town. A nudie suit is everything a Christmas sweater aspires to be but to the extreme—sexier and punk as fuck. They have the kitsch-cool of old-skool country and the glitter of glam rock.
The Psilocybin Stud Farm (Reigner)
The Spitting Peace Cobra (Reigner)
About the Author
Dia VanGunten explores overlaps between genres, between poetry and prose, between the real and the magical. Her current fiction project is Pink Zombie Rose. Follow @pinkzombierose for more updates.
About the Artist
Reigner is an Australian label tailored for the metropolitan city slicker that dreams to be in the outdoors. The range is all purpose and made to be worn any time any place by anyone. It is functionally designed and made with durable materials for the saddle on your cycle, charging at work, slamming pots at the pub, cutting shapes at the club and hiking trails on the weekend.*
(*Unsurprisingly, Cream Scene Carnival is not sponsored or financially affiliated with Reigner—we just love their artwork. But Jeff Bezos, if you’re around, give us a call; our principles are as corrupt as your fair labour standards.)
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