Tag Archives: Reel Expression

Vaudeville Dance Party

4 Replies

Vaudeville was the great entertainment of the 1880’s to the 1930’s – a variety show of comedy, singers, musicians and any act that could fill the seats. American burlesque grew out of vaudeville and continues to this day with neo-burlesque geniuses like Dita Von Teese.  The Designers United group have honored that heritage with their most recent exhibition and in that spirit, It’s Only Fashion is throwing a party tomorrow night at 8 pm at The Deck – graciously offered by Sasy Scarborough. It will feature vaudeville and burlesque music and some that could be.

Continue reading →

Bijou Beauties

Leave a reply

I am in love with the new high-waisted skirts from Bijou. The come in bold, vibrant primary colors and black and white tank tops with a lovely ruffle collar. The tank top is fairly ordinary and the collar really needs a more substantial top than what is provided – though most of us have some white and black button downs that would do the trick in a pinch. The skirt – though- that’s the gem in this outfit with body-flattering curved panels that could make a twig look curvy and shapely – this is a flattering, hot and sexy skirt. The zipper and grommet details, the curving tulip shape that reveals a lot of leg, every effort has been made to make this dress hawt. Be careful while dressing that you don’t scorch your fingers.

Continue reading →

Don't Tell Mama! We're having a vaudeville party!

Leave a reply

Mama
Thinks I’m living in a convent,
A secluded little convent
In the southern part of France.

Mama
Doesn’t even have an inkling
That I’m working in a Nightclub
In a pair of Lacy pants.

So please, sir.
If you run into my Mama,
Don’t reveal my indiscretion,
Give a working girl a chance.

I love cabaret, burlesque and vaudeville music – the naughty risque and boisterously celebratory music that has mostly faded away though resuscitated from time to time with revival CD’s like Ute Lemper’s Berlin Cabaret Songs where you can hear Don’t Tell Mama in all its glory.  Authorities like to pretend that culture marches in a straight line directly from nostalgic purity to modern hedonism on its way to hellfire and damnation. It’s much more complicated than that – and really goes through eras of social liberality and repression, openness and prudery, swinging back and forth like a pendulum and while one or the other might be in ascendent, the other cultural mores are there waiting their turn again.  The prudes tsk-tsking away during liberal eras and the flamboyant maintaining an underground cultural freedom during repressive eras.

The 1890’s through the early 1930’s were an era of liberality that sparked great music, new fashions and new roles for women. Certainly the raunchiest song I have ever heard is from that era, raunchier by far than anything by Nine Inch Nails or Soulja Boy.  Beware, it’s Not Safe For Work!  There were also songs about the drug culture such as Wacky Dust and Reefer Man.  Remember that when someone’s granddad or great granddad is going off complaining about “kids today” that really, everything old is new again, including raunchy music.

So, to celebrate the fabulous fashions of the Designers United Vaudeville exhibition and the joyous music of that time period, I thought a Vaudeville/Burlesque Dance Party might be in order – and Sasy Scarborough graciously offered The Deck as a venue….so please, mark your calendars for 8 p.m. Saturday January 2nd at the Deck for a crazy set of music from the past – and some from the present, too.

Continue reading →

Ravishing Ravissant

Leave a reply

The dress may be ravishing, but the name of it ravissant has nothing to do with that. It means in a half-raised position which is a good description of the assymetrical sculptural collar that makes this dress so ravishing.  A rich wine charmeuse from House of Beningborough – this is truly one of those gowns for the red carpets of life.

Continue reading →

If You Knew Susie

2 Replies

The Designers United Vaudeville exhibition is going on now and is well worth taking the time to visit and shop. I particularly love this playsuit from Milk Motion that has an adorable ruffle on the “chassis” which made me think of the song, If You Knew Susie – a vaudeville classic.

If you knew Susie, like I know Susie
Oh! Oh! Oh! What a girl
There’s none so classy
As this fair lassie
Oh! Oh! Holy Moses, what a chassis

A ruffle accentuates the chassis.

Continue reading →

I took a Detour on my way to this post

4 Replies

I love the hair at Detour – but sadly it has been an age and half since they last produced some new hair. So yesterday, even though I was all dressed, had done my style notes and ready to shoot this outfit, when I heard there was new hair at Detour I jumped off my pose pad and thumbed a ride over to Detour. And look what I found!!

Continue reading →

Winter Formal

Leave a reply

I put some real effort in getting dressed for the SCD-Glitterati Winter Formal last night. With the request to wear white, the chances of duplicating someone else’s look were much higher, so I decided to make something completely new by combining two gowns into one. This is the result and I think it was a triumph. Or it would have been if some IRL friends didn’t drop by about 15 minutes into the party with pizza and a movie. So, I officially spent longer getting dressed than I  did at the party.

Continue reading →

The Binomial Coefficient of a Bombshell

1 Reply

The new Bombshell dress from Bijou is an entire wardrobe in and of itself. Well, okay, that’s a slight exaggeration. Nonetheless, exploring all the options will make you crazy. There’s at least three different ways of wearing the top: bra, blouse, blouse with white sash, not to even mention to wear or not to wear the collar or the little black shrug.  And there’s even more skirt options. Let’s just say that the following formula would just get you started.

Continue reading →