Dear Constant Reader,
I love costumes. One of my favorite things about burlesque is that I get to indulge in making fabulous costumes. By the way, today happens to be the birthday of two women who taught me a great deal about costuming. Happy birthday, Heather & Rae!
I also love burlesque history and have occasional bought costumes or accessories that have belonged to someone notable (to date that’s been current performers/costumers). But I won’t just pack them away to be admired — I wear them on stage. It wars with my museum training, but these costumes deserve to be seen as they were intended, on stage. But I treat them with the utmost of care and document any alterations I do.
Scratch had found these Hedy Jo Star costumes for sale on-line and when he saw that the owner lived in Massachusetts, asked if we could display them at The Expo. Maybe she’d get a buyer…
And she did:
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The costume has six components:
 bra |
 pantie |
 collar |
 gauntlets |
 skirt detail |
 fan (there are 2) |
Despite being in great shape, it’s not completely ready to wear. There are a lot of small wear & tear repairs to be made. All of the elastic (especially on the bra) needs to be replaced. While the skirt fits perfectly around my waist, I can’t zip it over my thighs. It looks fine open in the front, but I’ll have to decide if I want to remove the metal zipper as a snagging hazard or leave it in place as part of the historical integrity. And it needs pasties and a g-string. Perhaps the pasties I bought at The Expo will work. We’ll see.
I won’t lie; this was the most expensive costume I’ve ever bought. So once my new act is ready, I’ll be looking for gigs!
The woman I bought it from can’t remember the name of the stripper she bought it from. The costume was made sometime in the 80’s and worn locally. I would love to find out the provenance, so please, if you have any leads, let me know!
Oh, The Glamourous Life! 
My name is Roy E. Richmond, I’m informing you that I have published a book on my Aunt Hedy Jo Stars life. She was the very first sex change and a successful one in the USA.
You can visit my web page that contains a lot of information and pictures, and also the cover for the book and link to order one if you wish to. The price is $17.96 plus tax and shipping.
Please visit the web page and forward to anyone you would think may be interested in learning the true story. http://www.HedyJoStar.com
I welcome a call from you if you have any ideas of how to promote her books. 405-204-713 central time.
I was a dancer in the 80’s in Massachusetts. If that costume had an elaborate head piece of peacock feathers with a sequinned peacock head on the forehead then I’m fairly confident it originally belonged to an exquisite tiny black dancer I worked with just one week at The Squires in Revere, MA around 1984/1985. It was made for her by Hedy Jo Star. I do not remember her name. My stage name was Robin Blue
Thank you so much for writing! Alas, there was no headdress by the time I bought the costume, but you’ve given me another clue.
The American Burlesque Collection (www.burlesquemuseum.org) would be interested in hearing about your experience as a dancer.
One more thing about your costume. That picture at the top of a display of Hedy Jo Star’s costumes, next to the peacock costume to the left on the floor, looks like the headdress resting beside the costume.
That’s actually one of the fans.