A cursory glance at Tucson native Feng-Feng Yeh, returning from her day job in sales at YSL finely dressed in a tailored jacket and high heels, one wouldn’t assume that her former work attire consisted of everything from sequined bandage tops and vinyl garter belts. However, the petite 27-year-old, a former member of NYC’s Six Six Sick nightlife collective, first gained attention not only for the popular Tuesday night party at Chinatown’s Happy Ending, but for the outrageous high fashion and pop-culture-inspired ensembles she designed for the trio to wear at each weekly event. “I already had the initial interest in fashion, then I was part of this youth culture we created which was so exciting,” Yeh explains of her inspiration to transition from party hosting to designing her first independent label, Savant.

While it no doubt helped that Yeh’s events drew in some of downtown’s best-dressed characters, as well as a collection of industry contacts, the FIT grad also gained a wealth of experience interning at esteemed fashion houses-– including Narciso Rodriguez and under Francisco Costa at Calvin Klein, as well as her biggest influence, friend and mentor, designer Benjamin Cho.

Having debuted her first collection for S/S 09 at New York Fashion Week, Yeh’s thoughtful, refreshing approach to design emphasizes shapely silhouettes and cage-like pants and skirts–- earning the collection’s apt name and loosely explaining the concept as: “a reflection of ourselves skeletally, making note of the structures of everyday life and comparing it to our structure.”

Joining the former party girl and hard-at-work designer at her Greenpoint studio, psychoPEDIA spoke with Yeh about her formative Southwestern hometown experiences:

What’s the first thing you would say to describe Tucson?
Tucson is such a beautiful place to go, because when the sun sets, the sky gets tie-dyed in purple and pink, and the different layers melt into each other. The mountains turn purple, too. There’s something really crisp about the air. And when you’re in the desert, it’s really quiet except for little noises from animals.

What were your first fashion inspirations there?
I used to hang out at these places in downtown Tucson when I was growing up. That’s what really pushed me to go to New York to pursue fashion. One of my first jobs was interning at a vintage clothing store called Mr. Lulu’s when I was 14 or 15. It had vintage Yves Saint Laurent, Chanel, and the Kim Gordon label X-Girl. The owner had a little chihuahua called Mr. Lulu who would run around the store. And there were a few other vintage stores down the block where I came to know the owners— like Kanella's, which is similar to [New York’s] Trash and Vaudeville.

Any cultural influences?
Tucson had Downtown Saturday Night—where people would come from all parts of the city and appreciate the downtown historic district. All the stores would stay open really late. On those nights, I window modeled vintage clothes—wearing an electric blue bob with space-age vintage stuff from the ‘70s and just sit in the window and read Italian Vogue.

What were your favorite hangouts?
I would go to Hotel Congress, which has so much history. It’s famous for John Dillinger, the outlaw. They burned down one of the floors in the hotel trying to smoke him out. It has that old school feeling, and I think some of the rooms are haunted.

Were you active in Tucson nightlife and youth culture back then?
Tucson has a huge music and arts scene. My friends and I would go to Scooter Ally at Hotel Congress and try to talk to 25-year-olds. The uniform in Tucson is flip-flop, shorts, and a t-shirt. Nobody dresses up there, because it’s hot all the time. It’s not a fashion place. But to see people there, dressed in three-button, skinny suits before Hedi Slimane even started doing the super skinny suits was amazing.

Best bars?
The Mint Cocktails-– they have an old-school grabbing machine where you crank it and an arm pushes toys into a hole. All the stuff in it is disgusting, like gold-casted dogs. And right next to it they have crock pots with chili. There’s another place called The Shelter, in an old bomb shelter. It’s stone outside and really beautiful. But there’s a crazy place called The Meat Rack. This guy who owns the bar legally changed his name to “God.” All the photos inside are of his famous friends. He has a room to the side that’s a sex room with weird chairs and devices, and there’s another room with a bed. It’s gross, but so interesting. And if you want to get discounted drinks for life, you can get branded with the logo.

Most unique aspect of Tucson?
The mixture of people that are there—a lot of conservatives, but also a rich Mexican culture, since it’s so close to Mexico. You can never find better Mexican food anywhere else. There’s Casa Molina, Mi Nidito (which is probably the best), and then really nasty places exclusive to Tucson that you go to at 1 am after all the bars close, called Los Betos. It’s disgusting, yet so amazing because you’ll never get this disgusting-ness anywhere else.

Quirkiest spots?
There’s an amazing wig store, Wig-O-Rama, that’s survived all these years, on the corner of Congress Street. They have every kind of wig you could imagine, and it still looks like it’s from 1951.

Most picturesque places?
You can just drive to the end of Skyline Road to a spot that’s part of the foothills, but on a higher level so you can overlook the city. I’ve driven so many guys there to make-out, so it’s a memorable spot for me. Mount Lemmon is this peak of a mountain and has a diverse ecosystem, where there are pine trees, mountains, and desert. You feel like you’re in a national park. There’s a church called the San Xavier Mission that’s a great destination, and not too far away from Tucson is Tombstone.

Is there something you appreciate more about Tucson now?
I appreciate the energy, because it’s so laid back. You take your time to do things there. Even going to Walmart is something I miss.

~Leann Peterson


The Savant collection will be available at Henri Bendel, Woodly and Bunny, LA’s Ooga Booga, and online at I Don't Like Mondays.