Playing dress-up with Etty Farrell: Venus Zine behind the scenes at Lollapalooza 2009

By Selena Fragassi
Published: August 11th, 2009 | 10:30am

On the final night of Lollapalooza 2009, Venus Zine received a special invitation from Etty Farrell to join her in the Jane’s Addiction trailer for a behind-the-scenes look at the top-secret wardrobe for that night’s anticipated finale.

After being transported across the park by a golf cart, we waited as Etty wrapped up dance rehearsals before welcoming us all into the tight, closed-door quarters. Jane’s Addiction members Dave Navarro and Stephen Perkins milled about and said hello to Lou Reed, who was just about to take the Budweiser Stage.

Upon entering the air-conditioned trailer, we were greeted by Etty — who looked stunning in her Versus By Versace bodysuit, Dolce & Gabbana skirt, and Yves Saint Laurent heels. “I would love to live in the YSL closet,” she said. Etty also wore a custom-made silver necklace emblazoned with the logo from Perry’s Stage: a reminder of just how successful the Lollapalooza festival has become, and how important that night’s Jane’s reunion was for the band, who made history with the first incarnation of the fest.

“Lollapalooza ’91 was created for the Jane’s Addiction farewell show, and now this is the first time in 18 years where everybody has come back to perform together,” said Etty, as she described all the planning that went into the aesthetics of the night’s show.

It was a return to the stage for Etty herself, who first met her husband, Jane’s Addiction vocalist Perry Farrell, as a dancer during the band’s ‘97 Relapse Tour. For the elaborate set, Etty said she found a dancer who is nearly her twin to join her onstage for several numbers — during one of which the duo would attempt to recreate the cover art from the Jane’s Addiction’s album, Nothing’s Shocking (Warner Bros., 1998). Pointing to a piece of wicker furniture behind her, Etty said, “This is the original chair, we found it in one of the many storage units we own.”

The idea, according to Etty, was “to make the album cover come alive for this special event,” but she cautioned, “This time it’s a bit different, because the cover art used papier-mâché heads we could light on fire, and the girls were nude.”

Pointing to sheer, flesh-colored bodysuits with sparse, geometric black lines, it looked like the dancers wouldn’t be far from the original look, although Etty smiled and said they’d “be wearing pasties.” The costumes were designed by the Brazilian-based designer Ligia Morris. For the shoes, Etty chose pointy-toed slippers, a throwback to her training days as a classical ballerina. The final pieces were gray Marie Antoinette–style hairpieces with shocks of neon pink and yellow. “Because the costumes were nude, we thought we could add a pop of color with the wigs,” Etty rationalized, proving the fashion prowess that previously landed her in the Victorian-inspired Venus Zine Spring 2009 fashion spread.

After modeling her own outfit for a series of snapshots, Etty delighted us with news that she and Perry will soon be getting to work on more collaborative material, having just recorded a song with another Lolla artist, Kaskade, called “Machine Girl.” From recording artist to fashion designer to dancer (not to mention doting wife and mother), Etty proves that she’s taken creative multi-tasking to admirable heights.

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