I would be surprised if you hadn't heard of Bettie Page.  Like quite literally like "OH MY GOD! You don't know who Bettie Page is?????".  But then again I would have the same reaction if you told me you hadn't read any Terry Pratchett books "You WHAT!!? Quick, take my copy of The Colour of Magic and read it immediately!!!" (I'm such a nerd *sigh*).

For those of you who don't know, Bettie Page was quite possibly the most famous pin up/fetish model of all time.  She modeled for fetish catalogues, men's magazines, pin-up publications and advertisements.  She was a ground breaking with her modeling choices, especially the fetish shoots.  Without her popularity in the 50's (and subsequent resurgence in the 80's), the careers of people like Dita Von Teese and Bernie Dexter would not be possible and burlesque would not be what it is today.  Even our own Sapphire Demure has done a Bettie tribute act.



I just love her smile.  She's was fresh and vibrant!  Her style was impeccable.  Her hair style, those long dark tresses and that curved fringe, has been imitated by women all over the planet.  She is the very definition of cheesecake.

Here is a super cute video of Bettie dancing.  Truth be told, she was a pretty awful dancer, but her face is so full of life and happiness that you barely notice:



And here is a marvelous example of some of her fetish and bondage work:



Sadly, Bettie died on 11 December 2008.  Although she is no longer with us, she is not forgotten.  Her legacy will last well into the future and ladies will always be looking to her for inspiration.  I know I do!



xoxo
Clara

All photos courtesy of BettiePage.com

On the last night of performing of the London Burlesque Festival last week, I had the great pleasure of meeting the one and only Catherine D'Lish! She is not only one of the ladies who revived burlesque in New York in the early 90's, but she one of the most famous burlesque artiste's and costume designers in the scene today! She is responsible for a lot of Dita Von Teese's costumes!

As I am also a costume designer, you can imagine my complete excitement when I found out that I would be performing alongside this amazing lady! Below is a picture of myself and Catherine backstage at the festival.  I have also posted some pics from her website: http://www.cdlish.com/

Here is one of my favourite YouTube clips that I've seen in a while.

Michelle L'Amour is an American burlesque performer and this is her performance at the Toronto Burlesque Festival in 2008.



It's a relatively simple act in that it doesn't involve complex choreography, costuming or props, but she executes it perfectly.  I think that's when you can really identify a true burlesque star - when she doesn't have to rely on any of those things to produce a mesmerising performance.

And damn!  Look at how she removes a stocking!  *takes some notes*

 I think it also helps that she's utterly gorgeous!

So as I have previously stated, I am trying very hard to reduce my consumerism this year by only buying vintage or making it myself.  But being the avid online shopper I am (I think I would have been addicted to buying things out of catalogues if I lived in the 1920s), I just can't stop browsing the endless isles of of the world wide web for cuteness!  Here are some things that are taking my fancy and tempting me to break my resolution (okay I already have with a spree at ModCloth but you can blame Jessie G, the flame haired temptress from The Darling Buds of May for that.  She should have known I have no self control!).



1. Everybody on the Floral Necklace by Make Believe - The girls at Make Believe, Amber & Ebony, have been taking the fashion world by storm this year.  After their Ant!podium collect, everybody wants a piece of them, including me!  I love how this necklace is so chunky, yet so delicate. 

2. Sock Garters by Swan Clothing on Etsy -  The lovely Mia Bella and I have a bit of a thing for socks.  Actually, I have a thing for socks, Mia Bella has a full blown obsession!  I saw these charmers featured on Style Bubble and have been craving them even since.  They are made with some recycle materials.  Does this make them okay to buy under my resolution? No?  Okay well I am buying them anyway *tthhhrrrippp*

3. Deluxe Cheese Making Kit by Urban Cheese Craft on Etsy - Okay so this is a weird thing to have in here amongst all the couture but hear me out.  I love cooking and baking, as you may have noticed and currently I am obsessed with Indian food, especially vegetarian dishes.  I could make my own paneer with this little baby.  I would have Paluk Paneer coming out my ears! mmmmm paneer.......

4. Bow-It-All Headband from ModCloth - This I am actually thinking about making.  I picked up some 12 ply wool the other day in just this shade.  It is such a charming alternative to a beanie/ beret don't you think?

5. 1930's Heeled Oxfords from Dance Store - I actually do need new dance shoes for Lindy Hoppin' in.  I have just some plain old $10 tennis shoes at the moment. These would be just the thing for switching and suzi-qing.  I love the cut outs!

6. The Captain Dress by Bettie Page Clothing - It's a sailor dress.  Do I need more reasons?  Didn't think so.

7.  Stepping Out Blouse from BombnBelle Clothing on Etsy - I am obsessed with peach and coral at the moment.  This blouse is the perfect colour and it's so cute to boot!  WAAAAAAANNNT!

8. Little Heart Tights from Tabio - I don't think I will ever be able to show this website to Mia Bella for fear of her being overcome and getting a case of the faints.  I want these tights in beige quite a lot.  Also 2 or 7 other pairs.

I might start featuring this as a little regular thing yes? Kind of like a catharsis for me to get some of my online shopping needs satisfied by sharing them with you.

What about you poppets?  What's your weakness?

xoxo
Clara

Contrary to what some of you may think, I'm definitely not the first person who thought it would be a clever idea to set my pasties on fire!

The first person to do that was Satan's Angel way back in the 1960s in San Francisco. 

Below is a short TV snippet on Satan's Angel including some recent footage of her amazing skills:



And here is a longer clip of her twirling:



Yep, she still has it!

Image courtesy of Sense and Sensibility Patterns

My goodness!  It's well into 2010 already!  Over a quarter of the way in as a matter of fact. I am thinking it is going to be a pretty spectacular year in my opinion.  I have so so many things planned already.  I've already made many a list in my diary on lovely lined postits (my new favourite thing in the world along with these squirrel shaped paperclips I found the other day).  But a new year calls for new resolutions.  I know a lot of people don't like resolutions but I think they are a great way of making you set goals and at least start the year on a positive, hopeful note.   

One of my resolutions revolves around my wardrobe.  I thought I'd share it with you which may perhaps help me keep it.  We're all in this together now!

Contrary to popular belief, I don't actually own many clothes.  I find myself wearing the same outfits over and over again.  I also seem to have a lot of clothes I dislike, are terrible quality and just buy almost out of habit or convenience.  So this year,  I plan to break this little cycle and perhaps stop consuming so much.

This year, I plan to try and only buy either vintage clothing or garments I have made myself, preferably out of vintage fabric, trims and patterns.  Perhaps even try to get hold of some vintage fastenings. There are a few thing that I will have to make an exception for, like under garments and hosiery but I'm going to try as hard as can with everything else. 

I've already made a start on my little New Years vintage venture with these rather dazzling shoes!  I can't wait for them to arrive!


1940's brown and white pumps from Vested Bee Vintage on Etsy
 

1930's beige oxfords from Prance and Swagger on Etsy


1930's chocolate and rose mesh oxfords from Dear Golden Vintage on Etsy

So gorgeous!  I can wait to take these steppers out on the town.  I have also been eyeing off some vintage fabric like these kitschy cute ones.  But alas,  I have a pretty huge collection of fabric already so I am going to try and use that up before buying any new material.  I am even going to try and apply my resolution as much as I can to my burlesque costumes.  I have a little plan for one coming up that will be make entirely from vintage treasures. Stay tuned my lovelies!

XOXO
Clara

There was a great little write-up on last night's opening event for the London Burlesque Week where A'dora Derriere, Sapphire Demure and I performed our awesome Cherry Mambo number.  



We got a great reaction from audience & performers alike!  Check out the comments - someone says that our act was their favourite - "just that little bit different".  We're definitely ready to take on the world!  



Check out the full review here:
http://blog.visitlondon.com/2010/04/london-burlesque-festival-opens-at-cafe-de-paris/

I absolutley LOVE this clip of Ginger Rogers doing the charleston. The scene was cut from the original movie.  I am normally all about the big crazy wacky charleston but something about Ginger's precision and girliness just fills me with dancing delight!



Isn't it wonderful!? So cute it kills me! I used it as inspiration for some of the cheoreography in a new rountine I did for our Per>Lon show.  More on that later dumplings.  Needless to say, I am pretty excited about this act!  I am already planning improvements and costume tweaks.

Now I just HAVE to share this with you.  I found this clip when I was looking for the one above.  It's Ginger Rogers and Lucille Ball charlestoning on an episode of "Here's Lucy".  She is 74. 74!!!!  If I can still move like that when I am 50 I would count myself lucky.  I also just adore Lucille Ball so it's a double treat!  She did her fair share of flappering back in the day.  Enjoy!

Until next time!

xoxo
Clara