Kawaii-Me Fashion Event

Dear Constant Reader,

On Saturday some of the Boston Babydolls were pleased to take part in Kawaii-Me’s fashion event. Kawaii-Me (it means “make me cute”) is a charming little boutique in Union Square, Somerville. Scratch & I stumbled upon it last spring and were delighted by their beautiful curated collection of clothing and accessories*.

The fashion event turned into a huge deal — 5 shops/designers on the runway, an art installation, hair, make-up, & henna artists, photographers, videographers, and a DJ. And Scratch emceeing the whole party.

Some of the Boston Babydolls and friends were modeling for Kawaii-Me. We had our hair & make-up done by professionals, which was a nice treat. I was fully prepared to do my own, but they wanted a more, shall we say, subtle look.

Betty and Elyse (one of the adorable back-up dancers you saw at The Burren) modeled the “Hummingbird” collection — all soft pinks, ivories, and golds. Stella and I were in the “Color Blind” collection of black & whites. I wore a black satin blouse with cap sleeves and a goodly amount of cleavage. The skirt was full, made of black lace over a nude satin lining with a wide elastic waistband that had a crisp bow of the lining fabric in the back. Also, I got to wear a nifty mask of black lace.

There should be pictures someday. There were several photographers, including Cila, one of the hard-working owners of Kawaii-Me. I promise I will share when they become available. [Edit: some pictures of the Babydolls crew here and the whole show here.]

Lest you think we could be surrounded by all this fashion and not indulge our personal sartorial desires, we did shop a bit. Stella bought a soft pink frock with rhinestone detailing and a most fabulous hem, which one of the Hummingbird models had shown. I needed a new handbag, so I bought this one:

It may look simple, but the inside is packed with compartments and pockets. You know how much I love organization.

If you’re in Union Square, do check out Kawaii-Me. It’s a little hard to find, as it’s upstairs in an office building, but there’s a sign on the sidewalk. The collection is lovely and the prices are amazing. Tell Gaby & Cila I sent you!

M2

* I’ve since learned that we actually stumbled upon the shop before they were officially open for business and the dress I bought was their first sale.

Published in: on 17 April 2014 at 9:29 am  Leave a Comment  
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Fit & Flair Progress (sort of)

Dear Constant Reader,

I bet you’ve been wondering what happened to my Fit & Flair dress! When last we left our heroine, she just had to tack down the neck facing and hem the skirt. Well, and then I had to take in the darts in the back even more because the bodice was bagging on me.

The hemming was a bit of a pain. Well, the hemming itself was perfectly fine, if tedious. It was making sure the full circle skirt was even all ’round. My Little Friend has a hem marker, but I’ll be damned if I can figure it out. I ended up using an unglamourous measuring tape, but it did come out nice and even.


Ta da!

Look, I even made a cute belt. True confession: it was supposed to have a buckle, but I forgot to add enough extra fabric, so it snaps instead. And I have a vintage brooch to add some interest like a faux buckle. And there was a plan (and material) for a pink crinoline.

But I’m not happy with the dress. In fact, I’m down right frustrated. It doesn’t fit well. The skirt is great but the bodice hangs badly off my shoulders. If you look at the picture, you can sort of see how the neckline is standing away from the mannequin’s body and you can see her camisole straps showing. It’s even worse on me.

Before you ask, no, I didn’t make a mock-up before I began. I’ve never had any problems with Folkwear patterns before. Butterick is another story…

I have no idea how to adjust the fit. It’s the sleeves that are the problem. They are cut in one piece with the bodice so there’s no armscye (or anything) to adjust. And I really don’t want to make adjustments to the center front as I did all that tricky pattern matching. I had Marion Hunt of Vixens Ahoy and Mimi Mischief, skilled seamstresses both, take a look at it and they were pretty baffled.

My only recourse may be to make a new bodice, from a different pattern, and mate it with the skirt. I suppose I could take off the bodice and add a waistband to the skirt and have it stand alone.

I’m very disappointed.

Grumpily yours,
M2

Published in: on 13 March 2014 at 10:20 am  Leave a Comment  
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New Costume

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:

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!

M2

Published in: on 5 March 2014 at 11:29 am  Comments (5)  
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Expo 2014: The Costume Exhibit

Dear Constant Reader,

I love the Costume Exhibit at The Expo. For the past 6 years it’s been created by BettySioux Tailor and Baroness Blitzen von Schtupp and always amazes me. This year the theme was “In Love with Burlesque”, so there were hearts everywhere and the costume labels has answers to the questions “When did you fall in love with burlesque?” or “What do you love about burlesque?”.

My camera, of course, chose this time to have one of its hissy fits and not allow the flash to work. Some of the pictures are a tad blurred. Sorry about that. I really need a new camera.


From L to R: Madeline Sinclaire (I believe this is a vintage gown, but the rest was made by her), Angie Pontani, April March, Blaze (“Sparkling Diamonds” and “Pink Diamonds” — two Moulin Rouge reproductions)


After April March and Blaze, we have Femme Brûlée, Me (my “La Vie en Rose” costume), Scarlett Letter (“Love for Sale”, which she had worn in The Rhinestone Revue), and a boudoir robe by Catherine D’Lish (owned by me)


Hedy Jo Star (Cleopatra headress, Bob Mackie/Cher-inspired costume, and peacock costume — Scratch was able to get these on loan for the weekend, but the collection has since been split up), Pat Manzo (from the same source), BettySioux Tailor (“Friendly Conversation”, worn in The Rhinestone Revue). On the table is a scrapbook of Gypsy Rose Lee photos and clippings, compiled by one of her close friends and given to Willy Barrett.

You can see most of the individual costumes and a tiny bit more information here.

M2

Published in: on 27 February 2014 at 11:30 am  Leave a Comment  
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Friday Tip

Dear Constant Reader,

Saturday night at the Vermont Burlesque Festival, Ray Gunn dropped by my room to borrow a needle and thread for a costume repair and managed to sweet-talk me into doing it for him. It took me no time at all. It’s not for nothing that I’m known as The Fastest Needle in the East (also The Martha Stewart of Burlesque), but part of the reason I was able to reattach the snap so quickly was that I use this trick:

1. Cut a long length of thread and double it.
2. Now thread the needle with the doubled thread.
You now have 4 strands of thread in your needle.
3. Knot all the ends together.

Thus you can make 4 stitches with one pass. And the thread won’t slip out of the needle. I’ve got to give credit to Schwartz, who worked on our costumes for The Rhinestone Revue last year for teaching me this tip. It’s ever so helpful when sewing on snaps, buttons and other fasteners.

M2

Published in: on 31 January 2014 at 10:11 am  Leave a Comment  
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No Worries!

Dear Constant Reader,

Thanks for all the interesting suggestions for how to solve my costume issues.

After discussing it with Scratch, we decided that I had to respect the integrity of the act and the Legend who inspired it. The plan was to perform without a single change to my costume or choreography other than making sure there was $50 in my purse backstage to promptly pay the fine if my bare backside was deemed in violation of the ordinances.

Happily, the festival was able to clarify the actual current reality, as opposed to the out-of-date and poorly written ordinance, and it is unlikely that anyone will be in violation in the course of a normal burlesque act.

Well, thank goodness! But getting busted would have made a good story.

M2

Published in: on 23 January 2014 at 2:10 pm  Leave a Comment  
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Creative Problem Solving

Dear Constant Reader,

The Vermont Burlesque Festival is almost upon us and I am so excited to be performing my tribute to April March on Friday night.

However, this morning we received a copy of the City of South Burlington Public Indecency Ordinance which states that “public nudity” is “a public nuisance” and that “‘Nudity’ shall mean the showing of the human male or female genitals, pubic area or buttocks with less than a full opaque covering…”

I end in a g-string. With a less than full opaque covering on my buttocks. If it was almost any other act, I’d just suck it up and switch to full-coverage panties. But it’s not.

I’ve got less than 2 days to figure this out.

Thoughts, O Constant Reader?

Puzzled,
M2

Published in: on 22 January 2014 at 12:34 pm  Leave a Comment  

Friday Tip!

Dear Constant Reader,

It’s Friday and we’re on the verge of a storm here in New England. Of course, the Boston Babydolls will still be presenting Brrrlesque at Laugh Boston tonight and Brigitte and I are still planning to warm up the audience of Bettie Page Reveals All at the Coolidge Corner Theatre tomorrow at midnight.

Here’s your tip!

Give your bras a break!

Avoid wearing the same bra two days in a row. Like any vacation, the day off gives an opportunity to relax and rest and ultimately be happier. The fabric gets a chance to dry out from contact with your skin (especially if your bra has padding. I won’t tell.). The elastic can contract fully after being under tension for most of a day. Just simply rotating through your bras can prolong their fit and life.

Obviously, I’m talking about everyday bras here. Show bras are a different story, since we’re not wearing them for hours and hours on end (usually). Still, air your bras out after each show.

M2

Published in: on 13 December 2013 at 1:46 pm  Leave a Comment  
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Friday Tip!

Dear Constant Reader,

Happy Friday! This week’s tip was inspired by recent personal experience.

Don’t bobble your buttons; make your removes a snap!

Cute, no?

I love a good button tease. Slowly slipping a little button out of its snug hole, gliding the fingers down to the next one, all the while eyes are on the audience… Lovely.

However, if those buttons are devilish, don’t fumble around. Replace them with snaps. Well, don’t *replace* the buttons, because they are a lovely detail and make your garment look finished. Hide the snaps under them. This will mean that your garment now opens the opposite way, so be aware of that.

And don’t forget my previous tip about positioning snaps!

I was rehearsing an act for the Halloween show at the Landsdowne Pub on Tuesday which involves a prim blouse with a ton of buttons down the front in sets of three. Here’s the catch: only the middle button of the three is a fastener. It was making me crazy trying to unfasten the correct button smoothly and without looking. Snaps it is!

But to make the blouse look right, I couldn’t just sew snaps under the buttons, because of those decorative buttons flanking each buttonhole. I had to remove the “real” button and sew it on top of the buttonhole between the other two and then sew on the snaps. I think it came out pretty well.

Here it is being modeled by My Little Friend. I don’t think it’s obvious that those buttons are now faux. Decide for yourself when you see it in action on Tuesday night.

M2

Published in: on 25 October 2013 at 10:25 am  Leave a Comment  
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Friday Tip!

Dear Constant Reader,

As we get closer to Halloween, here’s a tip that’s applicable all year ’round, but especially now.

Consider very strongly before investing in an all-black costume.

We all love black. It’s sexy, slimming, and mysterious. However, details and contrast are often lost. Backdrops in venues are frequently black, making you vanish into the curtain. Also, because there’s low contrast, your gloved hand is going to be invisible against your gown, making your come hither gestures also invisible.

Here’s an illustration:
champagne on ice
Can you see my black stocking against the black curtains in the background? Yeah, me neither.

Combine black with accent colors and your costume will be more versatile and visible.

M2

Published in: on 18 October 2013 at 10:31 am  Leave a Comment  
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