Beautiful People 2007: Eric Vidmar

Standing over six feet tall, wearing customized splatter-painted suits, a face of rhinestones and a wig made of tassels, Eric Vidmar looks more like a collage than a human.

The 38-year-old is essentially an aesthetic construction worker: During weekday work hours, Vidmar is part of the Bloomingdale's visual department, designing displays; in his spare time, he is the go-to guy to bring sparkle to various events, windows and runways. His monthly windows for the legendary store Screaming Mimi's alone are worth a trip downtown, and his runway for Heatherette's Fall 2007 show was a pinball version of the yellow brick road. "I work for the underdog and charge what they can afford," he says. "I enjoy being able to do crazy things that would have been impossible anywhere else." Vidmar also brings his eccentric taste home, changing his surroundings seasonally from a "Budweiser, the king of Christmas" theme with sugared Bud garlands to, say, an 1860s hunting lodge.

When it comes to going out, there is a four-hour ritual: "I'll start with haircuts and masks, long showers; then a drink, a cigarette; then I'll get the mirror and grease paint and get into it. I usually don't have a plan, but if I have the time, I just keep going." Each look Vidmar produces is different, ranging from blacked-out eyes replaced with rhinestones to a more tribal war-paint style. The dressing up started in high school, and then after a hiatus (due to lack of inspiration), he relocated in 1998 from his hometown in Arizona to New York City and felt revitalized. "The first year I met Richie Rich, I instantly was on board for Heatherette and never looked back. How can you not start gluing rhinestones to yourself in that environment?" Vidmar is like a porcelain teddy bear, pristine on the outside and cuddly on the inside.
Drew Elliott

Eric wears an outfit by Heatherette.

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