Renee takes style risks—like sporting a bondage harness with a kimono and pink eyebrows. She also takes real-life risks, suspended over the stage, tumbling mid-air with the Bird’s Eye View Circus. There is little distinction between her performance costume wardrobe and her everyday wardrobe, which makes Renee a celebrated fixture of the downtown scene.
That collar—is it vintage? A DIY?
Vintage! It was a Christmas gift from my boyfriend and it came from an online shop called Good Grief Vintage. I gasped audibly the first time I saw the photos of it. I don’t typically wear accessories, but when I do, it’s usually something like a huge, gold-sequined collar.
What is your most favorite recent fashion discovery?
Not too long ago, I bought a plaid, pleated skirt from the girls’ section of Goodwill, likely from a Catholic school uniform. Given my all-girls high school background, I thought I’d never put one of these on again, but I have . . . with T-shirts I bought from the boys’ section.
Who are your style icons?
This changes for me all the time, and I think it’s because I’m all over the place in terms of what I like to see. All in all, I’m really a fan of anyone who’s willing to take risks and let their style truly be individual. I would rather look back at my photos in 20 years and say, “What was I thinking?,” but always remembering that I was just being myself.
What is your favorite era for fashion?
I’m a huge sucker for the full skirts of the 50s, but I must say, I’m really into this 90s thing coming back. I love a good pair of high-waisted denim shorts, dark eyebrows with a matte lip, my Jane Lane haircut . . . I’ll attribute it to growing up through the decade, but never being able to wear this stuff until now.
