On a cold, rainy afternoon in Nashville, Tennessee, supermodel Karen Elson, sequestered in the upstairs quarters of a pink-walled boutique, happily shows off a few favorite pieces. She pulls a long white tulle overdress from a rack laden with velvet bias-cut slip dresses from the 1930s.

We're all familiar with the popular wedding poem, “Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, Something Blue.” A good friend of mine recently became engaged, so as the ritual planning of the impending nuptials commences, I've been thinking a lot about this saying and how powerfully it relates to vintage fashion. “Something Old” refers to our connectivity to and appreciation for the past; “Something New” to optimism and hope; "Something Borrowed" to the sharing of good fortune and another nod to the past; and “Something Blue” is a reference to olden times when women actually wore blue -- as in blue wedding dresses. The other day, after lunch at my favorite West Village haunt, I happened upon a little hidden gem of a store called Geminola. I had read about it a while ago when it opened and made a note to drop in, but since I don’t usually think of the West Village as a hotbed for vintage treasures, I must admit I had forgotten about it until now.

With the economic shitstorm showing no signs of clearing, innovative escapism comes courtesy of The Citizens Band, a politically-charged, cabaret-esque dance troupe led by trapeze artist and filmmaker Sarah Sophie Flicker. The Panic Is On, Citizens Band’s sixth show, will open this Thursday (October 23-25) at New York’s Henry Street Settlement, transcending mere death-and-taxes monologues. The show features an allegorical take on the nation’s social, economic, and political meanderings, reinterpreted through flamboyant showmanship and flush with lace and rubies reminiscent of Victorian and flapper fashion. We caught up with Flicker to converse about the political undertones of her upcoming show, what she really thinks of Tina Fey, and how exactly the word "consumerism" translates into a costume. Maybe it's not escapism, after all.