Burlesque Baubles Bangles and Beads! HOTBOX bares it all at the Bare Accessories Gig

To the taunt beats and turgid loops of DJ Mike Louw in the cool night air, September 21st saw the opening of Hot Box Accessories Inc.. at 2560 Main St. The opening was also an 'R' Rated-for-Nudity fashion show aptly named "Bare Accessories Fall Fashion Show". Co-Owners Kameyo Melina and Brenda Mcguire (you may have seen her at the 'Riot' store on Commercial) rocked the Block with a Bevy of Burlesque-Punk model/Dancers that paraded with nothing much on, except - yes, you guessed it -- Accessories. While the controversial zones on their bodies were covered only with body paint -- the Hot Box folks definitely know how to raise the temperature to a "Sssss..." for Sizzling.

When I inquired about the tone and vibe of the shop, the Hot Box crew answered with gusto: "Sexy!" "Friendly, Uninhabited and all-inclusive for Boys, Girls and In-Betweens", and Brenda chimed in with the ubiquitous sound-bites: "It's Hot Box - It's HOT!" Brenda further explains, "[o]ur concept is 'Everything--BUT Denim." Indeed, Hot Box aspires to be what I would deem to be the 'Little Accessories Mecca on Main' that could. It is festooned with hat fetishes: scaling up the high-ceiling wall is a wide selection of noodle baskets by Goorin Bros. Be it knits, or felt fedoras to beanies and toques the fall colors have finally arrived, and at affordable prices. Click for more...

But that is not all -- oodles of goodies await those with a knack for prospecting for knick-knacks. Purses and Bags from Mat & Nat, to racks of Shades to keep your peepers from squinting at the Chunky, Chains, Blings, Rings 'n' Things. Stockings and Jm Bambou undies for boys and Girls for those intimately naughty moments, or try the new T-BOX tees, tanks and undies in vacuumed little lumps and shaped into cute little geometrical shapes--all ready to wear at a snap and a shake.

A closer inspection also revealed another kind of 'Friendly'--Eco-Friendly, that is. A lot of the items in the shop are earth-friendly: from the Good Wood (they don't seem to have a site ;() line of accessories ingeniously recycled from the used and retired 8-ply maple-wood skateboard decks. There are also cow-friendly faux leather bags and accessories on hand. Of special note is a line of mildly pious jewelery smithed by Todd Lebunny. In the collection are gold-hued angel-wings on chains to a holy host of tiny Technicolor saints and the Virgin Madonna in Mexicana bezel-cameos -- perfect for the outfit that is quietly naughty, like, when a nun goes to midnight mass in a designer halter-top instead of a habit and, oh yeah, stiletto-heels that make any choir boy weak at the knees. Devilishly hot.

So, if you already have the pieces for your Fall season, but you need just that little bit of OOPH for your outfit, sashay down Main, boys and girls, you might just find that piece that puts the exc!amation mark to punctuate the end of your fashion statement! And tell Kameyo and Brenda that: "Kit & JarkTheSaint, from LUGZ, says 'Hi!'".

TEXT CREDIT: Kit Essential (aka. Kit Wong).
EDITS, LINKS: JarkTheSaint
PHOTO CREDIT: Alyography's photostream