Dear Constant Reader,
Today’s tip comes from my good friend, master costumer Rae Bradbury-Enslin, the one who taught me most of my costume MacGyver tricks.
If someone is close enough to see a mistake in your costume and comment on it, they’re close enough to punch in the nose.
P.S. And don’t forget to vote for me for The MacGyver Award !
Dear Constant Reader,
We’re getting closer to The Wrathskellar and, among other things, are putting the finishing touches on costumes, which leads me to this tip:
If you have limited time, money and/or materials, invest them in the bottom layer of your costume. It’s the last thing the audience is going to see and you want to leave them with a dazzling impression.
P.S. I’ve been nominated for a Golden Pastie Award! Please vote for me for The MacGyver Award (For the performer who can fix any costume malfunction anytime, anywhere, and with anything).
Dear Constant Reader,
Along with t-shirts, hair flowers, and photos, we sell pasties at our shows. I make them all by hand. All sequins and tassels are securely sewn on and the pasties are lined with comfy ultrasuede. But that’s not really my point.
In A (Re)Movable Feast there is a banana number. It’s really the whole reason we have a food & drink themed show. Backstage during Unlucky in Love someone (who will remain anonymous) said “Scratch will never let us wear banana costumes!” Boy, was she wrong!
In honor of our banana act, I made these pasties:
They’re just waiting for the right customer.
These were made out of leftover fabric from the ruffles on Betty’s Carmen Miranda-style dress:
You have 4 chances left to see the Boston Babydoll Banana Dance — July 13th and 14th in Portland, ME and July 27th and 28th in Portsmouth, NH!
P.S. Don’t forget to vote for The Boston Academy of Burlesque Education (search on our name or amongst businesses in Allston, MA).
Dear Constant Reader,
Although “my little friend” is usually what Betty Blaize calls me (she *is* 8 inches taller than I am), in this case I mean something the same size I am: my dress form. Scratch gave it to me for my birthday this year and it’s been a delight. I used to have an old, clunky mannequin that was probably 3rd hand and very hard to adjust. My new one (no name, but I’ll take suggestions) is set to be exactly Mina-sized.
Here she is modeling my Catherine D’Lish costume:
This is the costume Catherine D’Lish used to use for her spiderweb act. I bought it from her on eBay, but had to make some modifications. I’m a pretty small person, but she’s tiny! Hence, the strip of red velvet down the front of the skirt. I’m still rhinestoning it. You can’t tell, but I also hemmed the scarf.
The Burleque-O-Matic gown:
I made this for the act we performed at the Rhinestone Revue on Friday night of the Expo this year. I needed something I could both put on and take off quickly that was over-the-top glamourous. You might remember me writing about it here. I’m quite pleased with how it came out, considering how little time I had to make it.
The Ridiculous Confection:
I didn’t make this. Scratch found it for me on our last summer tour. He’s got a great eye for fabulous clothing.
I’ll be wearing The Ridiculous Confection in our new touring show A (Re)Movable Feast. If you’d like to help get us on the road, consider pledging to our Kickstarter campaign. We’ve got some nifty gifts if you do!
Dear Constant Reader,
Vote for the Boston Babydolls!
The Boston Babydolls are working on a brand new act that we are going to show for the very first time at The Rhinestone Revue on Friday, April 6th. I need a smashing gown, but none of the ones I already had fit the bill. We tried a couple at rehearsal on Wednesday, but no dice.
In a fit of bravado, I decided to make a new one. Before rehearsal on Sunday. Scratch often calls me the Fastest Needle in the East, so why not test the veracity of that title once again? He thought it was a bad idea, so of course I had to run with the plan.
I had a pattern I wanted to use, but the last time I tried it, the bodice gaped badly. Fortunately I have a new dressmaker’s mannequin to help with fitting.
Friday night, I cut the bodice lining and started altering it. Saturday I bought my fabric, cut everything out, and started sewing everything. Eventually I broke 4 needles sewing the skirt together, quit and went to sleep. Sunday there was more bodice fitting, zipper setting, and the creation of a wearable garment. A pretty nice one, if unfinished.
Because I was both arrogant and under the gun, I started on the hem treatment. What I really needed to do was set it all aside, take some time to think, and go to rehearsal with a partially done, but wearable dress. What I ended up doing was cursing a lot and making some really dumb decisions.
At rehearsal, my dress was duly admired and I was given some good suggestions for fixing the hem treatment and some additional improvements.
What am I doing today? Ripping off the hem treatment. What will I be doing before Wednesday? Fixing my dumb mistakes. When do you get to see the dress? April 6th.
Dear Constant Reader,
Vote for the Boston Babydolls!
For my birthday, Scratch got me a brand-new dress form, which you can see here, graced with my latest creation (a 1914 blouse, just lacking the buttons and buttonholes).
For a long time I had been working with an old clunky mannequin that was very hard to adjust. It was only really good for keeping costumes in progress off the ground and for displaying them at the Expo. The new one is set to my measurements and height, so I can actually do fittings and hemming with easy.
Expect a lot more to be coming out of my sewing room!
Dear Constant Reader,
Vote for the Boston Babydolls!
I love giving you these tips. I have a whole pile of them and accumulate more every day. I’m often tempted to post tips more than once a week, but so far I’ve resisted.
To shape an ostrich plume, heat the shaft with an iron on the highest setting. Then gently bend it into the shape you want and hold it until it cools.
Don’t iron the fronds of the feather!
Dear Constant Reader,
Please click and nominate the Boston Babydolls for “Best Burlesque” and Naked Girls Reading for “Best Literary Gang”. Thank you!
Every year the Great Burlesque Exposition has an exhibit of burlesque costumes, modern and historic. It’s one of my favorite parts of the Expo, but it only lasts a weekend.
This year is different! After the Expo, the costumes will be shown in a special exhibit at the West End Museum, which is dedicated to the history of the Boston neighborhood once infamous for its burlesque theatres. Best of all, admission will be free.
You can help support this project with a donation to this Kickstarter campaign. The funds will be used to insure, transport, & display the costumes, and enhance the exhibit with licensed images.
Please help bring the beauty of burlesque costumes to a wider audience!
Dear Constant Reader,
Fake flowers, like real flowers, are seasonal. The craft shop won’t stock cherry blossoms in the fall or poinsettias in the summer.
Fortunately, on-line shops defy the calendar. It won’t be instant gratification, but it’s better than waiting for the next season to roll around.You can probably get some deals when the seasons do change and the craft store is trying to get rid of their now out-of-date inventory.
Dear Constant Reader,
A little while ago I talked about costumes for The Wrathskellar. Betty Blaize, as I pointed out, had made 2 new costumes for herself. And because I think you deserve a treat, here they are:
This costume was made for an act we called “The Tango of Death”. The bra and unseen hip belt are made from sari fabric, decorated with red crystals and red Egyptian glass fringe. The jacket and skirt are created from sequined fabric and trimmed with red feathers. Her matching headpiece was designed so that she could more easily balance a sword on her head.
If you saw The Wrathskellar, this was the costume for the number with all the hands (if you didn’t, boy, did you miss out…). Some of the design influences here were steampunk (the jacket) and Indian dance (the skirt). Betty had to be careful in designing this outfit since some elements were going to be removed by others and she was going to be dancing quite vigorously, albeit in a small space. Just imaging how all that fringe flew when Betty executed her trademark shimmies… And some of the large beads actually flew off!
Until next time, dear reader.
Oh, The Glamourous Life! 