ZIPPERED BLACK COTTON JACKET, $5 at Value Village

(1525 11th Ave, 322-7789).

Any reasonably aware urban dweller knows the essential role Value Village plays when building a wardrobe during the economically lean twentysomething years. Williams has absorbed that lesson with all the panache of a veteran thrifter. "I don't like the feel of new clothes—they don't have any personality," explains Williams.

BLACK STRETCH T-SHIRT, $3, and CRISP AND PINTUCKED TUXEDO SHIRT $4, both from Value Village.

Pintucks first gained popularity in the '50s, when savvy seamstresses noted how such delicate embellishments accented and flattered the bodices of cocktail dresses. On a violently unrelated note, horror-movie character Pinhead (AKA "Dark Prince of Pain," "Angel of Suffering") first rose to fame in 1987 with the release of Clive Barker's classic Hellraiser.

JEANS by Levi's, about $4 at Value Village.

Her jeans may be standard issue, but they gain a modern edge when she turns up the cuffs, creating the currently fashionable 4-inch margin.

WRESTLING SHOES by Asics, about $8 at Value Village.

Bravo, Gillian; these are an exceptional thrift score, as they would have cost upwards of $75 if purchased new.

BLACK FELT FEDORA, $12 from a thrift store in New York City (location unknown).

Though much more modern and gritty in execution, Williams's overall look brings to mind Marlene Dietrich's star turn in 1930's Morocco. Dietrich, wearing a gender-bending tuxedo and elegant top hat, garnered lesbian icon status when closing a nightclub sequence by kissing a young woman in the audience on the lips. This groundbreaking scene was later praised by cultural critic Susie Bright in The Celluloid Closet, an excellent documentary on the hidden history of gays and lesbians in the film industry.