Friday Tip!

Dear Constant Reader,

Happy Friday! Here’s your tip:

Be subtle with your scent.

Perfume and other forms of fragrance are lovely, but use a light touch. You don’t want to be That Person who has everyone gagging and gasping in her wake. You know who I’m talking about…

If your perfume (parfum, cologne, eau de toilette, &c.) is in an atomizer, spritz the air just in front of you and walk though the spray, preferably naked. If it’s in a bottle, use your finger to lightly dab a touch on your pulse points: wrists, throat, back of knees. That’s really all you need.

You want a ghost of your scent to cling, not an aromatic bludgeon to assault.

I’m all for signature scents (and I wish I could decide on one!). You can always use several products from the same line for a gentle layering effect, like perfume, lotion, and soap. Sometimes you can even find sachets or scented drawer liners.

Don’t wear fragrance of any kind in enclosed places (plane, bus, &c.) or places that are going to get warm (dance rehearsal, yoga class, &c.) It’s just polite not to overwhelm your compatriots.

M2

Published in: on 14 March 2014 at 3:13 pm  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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Mardi Tease 3/4/14

Dear Constant Reader,

The Teaseday Club opened for members on March 4th. As it turns out, that was Mardi Gras (for real) so there was an extra big show. There were beads for all the guest and plenty of drinking.

Scratch hosted the show. Our stage kittens were Elyse and Vanity. After 2 months off, I was back in the box office. All photos are by Peter Gordon.

Set 1
Dagny Vanderlust, reigning Cookie Queen, performed a ballet-inspired striptease to one of her favorite songs, “Canvas Wonderland”. Despite the ballet trappings, it was still creepy. If the music sounded familiar, it’s because you’ve seen her unwrapping bondage tape from around herself to that very tune.

Matt Kona did a stand-up set (I was still in the box office at this point).

Lucie Luxe, former Cookie Queen and all-time sales champ, presented a brand-new striptease, in which she had to decide between waiting for Prince Charming and going on a life of adventure. If you know Lucie, you’ll know which one she chose. The music was, appropriately, “Royals”, a rendered by the Vitamin String Quartet.

Emily Hect brought a little Big Easy to our Mardi Gras celebrations by singing “Do You Know What It Means To Miss New Orleans?”. I was back in the box office, but I could hear her, no problem. She’s got one powerful voice.

Brigitte Bisoux, holding the title of Cookie Queen most frequently, showed us the morning after. She lovely removed her night attire with the help of some “Black Coffee” (the song, as well as the beverage). After slowly getting dressed after her night of debauchery, she realized she just wanted a little more and undressed again to “Sugar in My Bowl”.

Set 2
Nonye Brown-West started things off with a stand-up set.

Lucie Luxe presented another new act. I was looking forward to this one because she had announced that was going to show off a big trick — I was dying to know what it was. She used “Here Comes the Sun” and I think we all could sympathize with her desire for better weather after this winter. And the big trick? One-sided tassel twirling!!

Scratch just wanted to make a drink, but his vermouth bottle and glass kept switching places. Then the bottle magically just kept multiplying. All to the tune of, of course, “It’s Martini Time”.

Vikki Likkerish, wearing little more than a string of balloons around her hips, danced to “Baby Did A Bad Bad Thing”, a favorite of mine.

Matt Kona closed things out with more comedy.

Set 3
Vikki Likkerish did a number I’d never seen before, stripping out of a stunning multi-layer costume in Mardi Gras colors to “Sweet Child O’ Mine” as done by Scott Bradlee & Postmodern Jukebox. Brigitte will be using this amazing song in her Beyond Basic Burlesque class in April (and students have to opportunity to perform to it at the June Teaseday Club)! Please forgive the brief commercial plug.

Emily Hecht sang “Mercy On Me”. That woman has such an amazing set of pipes. I think half the audience was scared and the other half fell in love.

Dagny Vanderlust presented a brand-new act. She had workshopped it for The Boston Babydolls the previous week and I was looking forward to seeing it in its finished format. No pictures of this one because she was wrapped in a black cloak and then you got to see everything and I don’t like to post pastie pix (go to the show for that).

Nonye Brown-West did her second comedy set.

Brigitte Bisoux finished off the night with a look toward Spring. And here in Boston, that means one thing — Opening Day. Brigitte was the cutest member of the Red Sox as she stripped off her uniform to, what else, “Sweet Caroline”. It was freakin’ adorable and contained a little dance in-joke for Betty Blaize.

And who won The Great Teaseday Cookie?

No surprise, Brigitte Bisoux. You’ll see her again on April 1st, along with Ginny Nightshade, Victoria Van Layer, Zia, and Mike Lemme. Get your tickets now while they’re still only $10!

M2

Published in: on 11 March 2014 at 2:45 pm  Leave a Comment  
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The Mardi Gras Ball

Dear Constant Reader,

Last Saturday The Boston Babydolls were honored to be a part of the 21st(!) annual Mardi Gras Ball. I’m not exaggerating when I say that we look forward to this event all year. It’s a great event for a great cause and we get to dance to our favorite songs with an amazing band. What’s not to love?

The stage at T.T.’s is a special place. For one thing, it’s crammed with musicians (that’s a good thing), for another it’s filthy (that’s not). To make everyone’s life easier, we take turns catching for one another — one of us stands front & center and the dancer tosses her the costume pieces. Somehow this also involves buying each other shots.

Stella worked out “The Boston Babydoll Shot Chain” which worked like this: you catch for the person who performs before you and you buy a shot for the person who performs after you (who was the person who caught for you). We have varied tastes: Stella & Devora both preferred whisky, Betty wanted coconut rum (much to the bartender’s disgust), and I had a Coke (shots are so not for me).

For the record, we performed:

  • Devora, Blue Prelude, a glove & gown strip with a boa
  • Mina, Harlem Nocturne, a fan dance
  • Betty, Tombstone Blues, a classic strip in Mardi Gras colors
  • Stella, Moonglow, a little vignette in which she is molested by jacket

    • A few amusing notes…
    Alissa Coates (she comes every year with her sweetheart — the event is their anniversary) told me that there were some girls who screamed every time I flashed a hint of rear, as though they’d never seen a bum before.

    Betty got a little enthusiastic with tossing one of her gloves to Stella and it went wild. Stella started hunting and immediately, Hunter was shining his flashlight on the stray glove.

    One of the guest singers this year was Hayley Jane of Hayley Jane and The Primates. But once upon a time, she was Baby Jane, one of the original Boston Babydolls. We had a lovely reunion backstage. Maybe we won’t wait so many years next time.

    I have to give a special thank you to Paul Ahlstrand, who was playing sax with an injured arm that night. “Harlem Nocturne” needs its brass and I adore those guys.

    I saw a photographer in the audience, so maybe there will even be some pictures.

    M2

    Published in: on 10 March 2014 at 4:10 pm  Leave a Comment  
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    Friday Tip!

    Dear Constant Reader,

    Happy Friday! Time for a tip! This piece of advice comes from Mr. Scratch, from whom I have learned many valuable things about business and communication.

    Send handwritten thank you notes.

    You should always send thank you notes — to a producer who booked you, to a photographer who shot you, &c. — and obviously a quick email serves that purpose. However, people are always delighted to received an actual something in the mail; it so rarely happens these days. And it shows you took the time and care to hand-write a note, address it, stamp it, and mail it. Plus, most people don’t want to toss something like that in the trash, so your note will linger, reminding them of you.

    It’s also a great excuse to have a library of appropriate stationary and cards. Just look at Lili St. Cyr’s personalized stationary! If you had letterhead like this, wouldn’t you want to send letters?

    M2

    Published in: on 7 March 2014 at 10:02 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 2104: The Newcomers’ Showcase

    Dear Constant Reader,

    The Expo concludes with The Original Newcomers’ Showcase, an opportunity for newer performers to strut their stuff in front of a friendly audience. For the past several years, I’ve been hosting it, which is both delightful and nerve-wracking, since it’s usually the only time all year that I host a show. I don’t get to see all of the acts or see them from the best vantage point because I’m in the wings and often checking in with the next performer.

    A few of my favorites that I did see this year:

  • Jovie DeVoe was buoyant and bubbly with a classic balloon pop
  • Holly Deck blew my mind with a fan dance in tribute to Gary Busey. Yes, really.
  • Ginny Nightshade is a perpetual favorite of mine and great to work with. Her “Wolf in Peep’s Clothing” act was super-hot.
  • Trixie Santiago was the brave soul who made her striptease debut at the “Boston Loves Dixie” show. She wowed me with her new act, which suits her perfectly.
  • Stella Chuu was just stunning with her “Tron” number.

    • I’m so proud of the moment when the Burlesque Your Way students make their stage debuts. This year they only had 5 weeks instead of the usual 6 to create their acts and they worked so hard!

    Serena Soirée, Voluptuous Vanessa Vixen, and Penelope Strut were just fabulous and I hope to see more from them and soon!

    And then other than strike, that was the end of another Expo. See you in 2015! It’ll be my birthday!

    M2

    Published in: on 4 March 2014 at 2:44 pm  Leave a Comment  
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    Expo 2014: Tea Party

    Dear Constant Reader,

    One of the many things I do at The Expo is host an afternoon tea party. It’s a nice way to relax on Sunday afternoon after all the craziness of the weekend and recharge before the Sunday night shows. We have a variety of teas, finger sandwiches, scones, and little pastries. The food is provided by the hotel, of course, but we bring in the tea from generous sponsors.

    Brigitte Bisoux is my co-hostess and in charge of finding said generous sponsors. This year MEM Tea Imports provided us with half a dozen different kinds of tea for the party and many little samples for the attendee goodie bags.

    Our new sponsor was Runa: Clean Energy, which make a tea-like beverage from guayusa (it’s like mate). Not only did they provide us with 3 different flavors of teabags, they gave us cases & cases of their bottled beverage. The strike crew was very happy to have the boost later that night…

    In fact Runa was so generous with the bottles, that we had quite a few left over. We’re selling them at B.A.B.E. and all the money will go to make next year’s tea party even better!

    One of the things I wanted for this year’s party was decorations on the tables and Mimi Mischief was happy to make cute centerpieces with a Valentine’s theme.

    Since both of my hostesses from last year desperately wanted to take Perle Noire’s class just before the party, I sought someone to help me set up the party. Blaze, The Red Rose of Texas, answered the call, tea apron at the ready. She was invaluable at getting the tea prepared and especially in keeping the pots refilled.

    And here’s the whole staff, product placements in hand.

    Just a few fashion notes: Brigitte is wearing yet another of her ridiculous hats and a vintage, reversible apron from my collection. Blaze is wearing a vintage hat, dress, and tea apron. I’m wearing a fascinator by Cristal Blu and an apron of my own creation. And no make-up — I was tired at this point and it really shows. Mimi is displaying one of her centerpieces.

    M2

    Published in: on 3 March 2014 at 9:57 am  Leave a Comment  
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    Friday Tip!

    Dear Constant Reader,

    Happy Friday! Today’s tips is based on a recent sad experience for a whole bunch of people.

    Facebook is the worst method of communication.

    If you need to get in touch with someone, especially in a professional capacity, DO NOT send them a FB message. There’s a good chance it will end up in the “other” folder.

    What “other” folder?, you may ask. Go to your messages and next to “Inbox” there’s a greyed-out link called “other”. Click it and get ready to cry at all the missed opportunities…

    If you want to send a message to someone and have them get it, use email.

    If you want to get all your messages, make your email address easily available. And let people know that you want to be emailed not messaged. And then respond promptly to emails.

    M2

    Published in: on 28 February 2014 at 11:09 am  Leave a Comment  
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    Expo 2014: Shopping

    Dear Constant Reader,

    I couldn’t neglect talking about the shopping at The Expo!

    This was my small haul this year:

    I needed a necklace to go with my hosting outfit for The Original Newcomers’ Showcase and Su’ad was able to hook me up with the lovely set on the left. Su’ad and Farasha are performers themselves, so they understand the need to have great jewelry that won’t break the bank.

    Funny story about the pasties on the right. I saw them on the Glorious Pasties table and every time I walked past it, I looked at them. On Sunday Lili VonSchtupp mentioned she’d bought a pair of pasties, to support Cheeky Cheetah, and would be adding them to her collection. A quick glance at the table showed me just which pair she’d bought and made me realize how much I wanted them. Happy ending all round — I bought them from Lili and she bought another pair for her collection.

    There was so much other great stuff, like from Meadhall (who stock up on the shiny trim for this event), Cleavage Couture, Booty & the Geek, Bella’s Tchotchkes, and of course, Vixens Ahoy (I know I missed a bunch), but I was just generally running around and too busy to do much shopping.


    I didn’t buy either of these books at The Expo, but they’re still connected. Doc (of Doc & Stumpy) was selling his fantastic book Baggy Pants Comedy, now in paperback. That’s a hardcover above because I got it as a gift for Scratch as soon as it was published. The book (and its pricing) was really intended for academic institutions, but I wasn’t going to let that stand in the way of gaining really valuable information about burlesque comedy. Doc was gracious enough to inscribe it to Scratch.

    The other is one of my purchases from early in my burlesque career. Angie was kind of amazed to see it (“published by Kinkos!”) and cheerfully signed it.

    Other than all the shopping, the Costume Exhibit, and the Bordello stage, the Vendor Hall has the cafe. You see, unlike BurlyCon which has attendee-provided hospitality, the Hyatt won’t allow any outside food. And it’s a hotel, so the dining options are kind of pricey. Scratch does what he can to help out there, like having breakfast included in The Whole Shebang ticket, having local take-out menus at the reg desk, and arranging for the cafe. It offers soup, sandwiches, salads, and the like for pretty reasonable prices and they’re quite good. And then there are tables in the Hall, so you can sit, eat, socialize, and plan your shopping.

    Saturday I had gotten my lunch from the cafe and Scratch waved me over to the table where he was sitting with Angie and her husband Brian (who is one of the nicest guys on the planet). I’ve known Angie quite a while, have some of her hand-me-downs in my closet (we wear about the same size), and have performed in a bunch of shows with her. So, here I was, sitting with some friends, chatting about stuff, but, in the back of my brain, there was this little voice squealing like a fangirl “Oh my God, I’m having lunch with *Angie Pontani*!!!”

    M2

    Published in: on 27 February 2014 at 2:54 pm  Leave a Comment  
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