The Misshapes

The MisShapes

The MisShapes are a New York-based DJ trio comprised of Greg Krelenstein, Geordon Nicol and Leigh Lezark. They also hosted the hip downtown New York party Misshapes, which ended in September of 2007. They are well known for their "mod-meets-punk" style.

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From left, Greg Krelenstein, Geordon Nicol, and Leigh Lezark. Image via nymag.com, photograph by Cass Bird.

History

The three met one night in 2001 at Tiswas, a club in Manhattan. Geordon, who had run away from Toronto, and Leigh, a Hunter student from New Jersey, were both underage at the time. They met then-NYU senior Greg, and the three soon moved in together. That New Years, the trio hosted a party in their East Village apartment. They pinched boxes of vodka from a friends' parent's restaurant and provided gift bags stuffed with issues of V Magazine. Although only about 30 people were invited, almost 300 showed up. Guests remarked that they should "do this for real," and, two weeks later, the first MisShapes began.

The party, named after a Pulp song, was first hosted at Luke & Leroy's, a small venue in the West Village. Geordon and Leigh, who had to lie about their age as well as falsify resumes, along with Greg, started the party as a way to hang out with their friends. DJ's, both popular and unheard of, graced the party, although the MisShapes themselves often played. An in-house photographer was also employed to take "portraits" of everyone that came. With the help of the internet, the party's popularity grew within the tragically-hip fashion, music and art scene. A few years later, the party moved to semi-iconic SoHo club Don Hill's.

At its new location, the event, as well as the DJ's, enjoyed growing success. Downtown it-kids, Parsons fashionistas, and B-list celebrities partied together. Creative D.I.Y-style flyers were created and sent around. A big part of the MisShapes party was its accompanying website, misshapes.com. Photos of the party, as well as the portraits taken against a white wall were posted online. The MisShapes were compared to past visionaries such as Andy Warhol and Edie Sedgwick. Geordon, Leigh and Greg were hired and flown around the world to DJ at various fashion shows and parties. They became fashion darlings in their own right, characterized by their signature black hair, blank expressions, and mostly-monochrome wardrobe of up-and-coming New York designers such as Obesity and Speed and Pleasure Principle. It is even said that Hedi Slimane based his Dior Homme S/S 07 line after the three's style. They appeared in various magazines, such as Nylon, Teen Vogue and Paper. Most notable party guests included Madonna, Hilary Duff, Kelis, Sienna Miller, Hedi Slimane, and Ashlee Simpson.

This demi-celebrity status became a problem when they missed their own Saturday-night party because of other obligations. "It became to be work," said Nicol, which is one reason they decided to end the party. Another reason is the backlash the party received. The party was labeled as a "hipster" mecca and "over". The three also began to lose their hip status by doing "mainstream" things, such as modeling for an Eastpak ad or DJ'ing at a Teletubbies event.

In September of 2007, the MisShapes released a book of the same name, published by MTV Press. The book contains almost 300 pages of party portraits. The trio continue to DJ around the world, and are said to be releasing a line with H&M. Their website is also slated to include an online magazine, among other things.

Famous party guests included AFI, Agyness Deyn, Alexandre Herchcovitch, Amy Sedaris, Arcade Fire, Arden Wohl, Ashlee Simpson, Benjamin Cho, Bloc Party, Cassie, Chloe Sevigny, Cory Kennedy, Dash Snow, Fall Out Boy, Felix da Housecat, Franz Ferdinand, Gareth Pugh, Gemma Ward, Good Charlotte, The Gossip, Hedi Slimane, Hilary Duff, The Horrors, Hot Hot Heat, Interpol, James Iha, Janeane Garofalo, Jarvis Cocker, Jeremy Scott, [Junior Sanchez], Junior Senior, Kelis, Kelly Osbourne, The Killers, Klaxons, Lady Sovereign, Ladytron, Lily Donaldson, Littl'ans, M.I.A, Madonna, Mandy Moore, Mark Hunter the cobrasnake, Max Minghella, Metric, MSTRKRFT, My Chemical Romance, Patrick Wolf, Peaches, Rilo Kiley, Rufus Wainwright, Selma Blair, Sienna Miller, Siouxsie Sioux, Sophia Lamar, The Sounds, The Strokes, Uffie, The Virgins, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, and Yoko Ono.

Friends of the MisShapes include internet star Jackson Pollis, blogger Sarah "Ultragrrrl" Lewitinn, artist and party host Sophia Lamar and designer Benjamin Cho.

The MisShapes have been known to wear Alex & Chloe, Alexandre Herchcovitch, H&M, House of Holland, Imitation of Christ, Jeremy Scott, Obesity and Speed, Pleasure Principle, Preen, Surface 2 Air, and many other designers. They also frequent stores like Seven New York and Opening Ceremony.

References

1. MisShape's After-Party: A global nightlife brand tries to grow up.