Review: Dollface Vintage

Dear Constant Reader,

A while ago I reviewed Cherry Dollface’s second book, but the first one has still been sitting on my shelf, unreviewed. So here we go, out of order!

Dollface Vintage: An Everyday Gal’s Guide to a Vintage Lifestyle! by Cherry Dollface, 2017.

This is an overview of ways to live a vintage lifestyle, according to Cherry Dollface plus tips from some experts. She shares her thoughts on hair, makeup, style, decor, and entertaining, demonstrated with photos.  Most individual topics within those categories are restricted to a page or two, so don’t expect exhaustive information on every possibility. Every topic has a section of tips, including some “dos and don’ts” and my favorite, ways to save money.

My favorite part was the mix and match photos of retro wardrobe basics and then the tips for dressing for hot and cold weather events while keeping your vintage chic.  However, the makeup how-to was a little disappointing as the photos were taken from too far away to really see the details of how she made up her eyes. The entertaining section has a few recipes for appropriate cocktails and menus ideas, but for actual dishes you’ll need to check out Dollface Kitchen.

It’s a light look at how to incorporate vintage into your lifestyle, as little or as much as you like, in your personal style, without breaking the bank. The emphasis is not historical accuracy, but a retro flair. There’s an over-all focus on practicality, which I appreciate.

The print edition is currently unavailable, but you can get a digital version, which has links to some of Cherry’s videos and some bonus features. I can’t tell you what they are as I only have the physical book…
M2These writings and other creative projects are supported by my 13 Patrons. Thank you so much! To become a Patron, go to my Patreon page. Or you can just tip me if you liked this.

Published in: on 16 November 2021 at 12:53 pm  Leave a Comment  
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Friday Tip

Dear Constant Reader,

Happy Friday! Holiday season is fast approaching and you don’t need me to remind you to buy from local businesses and independent artists. However, here’s your tip:

Shop early this year.

Whether you are buying gifts for others or treats for yourself, plan ahead and start early. The post office and other delivery services are going to be very busy this year. Let’s not stress ourselves, the shops, or our gift recipients with trying to get things shipped at the last minute.

M2These writings and other creative projects are supported by my 12 Patrons. Thank you so much! To become a Patron, go to my Patreon page. Or you can just tip me if you liked this.

Published in: on 12 November 2021 at 11:13 am  Leave a Comment  

Friday Tip

Dear Constant Reader,

It’s Friday! Here’s a tip!

In your emergency costume repair kit, have some needles pre-threaded with a doubled length of thread and knot the ends so the needle won’t slip off.

If you need to make a repair at a show, it’s usually something you need to do fast. With this tip you’ll just have to grab your needle and get to it. I like to have needles threaded with black (good for most dark colors), white (good for most light colors), and red (the most common color of my costumes). You can wrap the thread around a little slip of cardboard to keep it from tangling in your sewing kit.

Don’t forget to replenish the thread after you use it up, so you’ll always be ready!

M2These writings and other creative projects are supported by my 12 Patrons. Thank you so much! To become a Patron, go to my Patreon page. Or you can just tip me if you liked this.

Published in: on 5 November 2021 at 2:56 pm  Leave a Comment  
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Review: Gilded Lili

Dear Constant Reader,

I have a biography of Lili St. Cyr in my to-be-reviewed pile, but I realized I had never reviewed this earlier look at the legendary stripteause.

Gilded Lili: Lili St. Cyr and the Striptease Mystique by Kelly DiNardo, 2007.

Lili St. Cyr was known for her elegant, elaborate stage shows and her cool, remote beauty, as well as her lavish lifestyle and many affairs, but she remains something of an enigma. Ms. DiNardo wants to reveal the genuine Lili St. Cyr. Besides utilizing numerous print resources, she conducted interviews with some people who still remembered the dazzling dancer. 

We look at the life of Lili St. Cyr, from her early family life and her escape though a teenaged marriage, through arc of her career and fame, to her death in self-imposed exile. Her story is interwoven with a look at the prevailing culture throughout her life. Sometimes she rebelled against the culture norms; sometimes they shaped her. We are shown the people and circumstances that influenced her, like Greta Garbo and travel by ocean liner. Also, those she influenced — there’s a section about Marilyn Monroe using Lili as a role model for her bombshell persona, which devolves into how one of Lili’s husbands tried to capitalize on his relationship with both women with some tawdry (and mostly likely utterly fictitious) revelations.  

Occasionally the book feels padded, such as a mention that the teenaged Marie van Schaak (Lili’s birth name) liked to read Vogue digresses into a paragraph about the fashion magazine, or stretched, like when the author interviewed an ex-husband’s landlord for details on his life long post-Lili.

Despite all the detail and facts, I didn’t feel like I really got to know who Lili St. Cyr was. She is the center of the book and yet I felt like we were only able to stand on the fringes of her life, at a safe distance. Many of the people Ms. DiNardo interviewed knew Lili at a remove, like the children of club owners. One of her husbands was probably the closest person to her that spoke with the author, but even he doesn’t seem to have known Lili’s inner life very well. Despite baring her body night after night onstage, she kept her soul very well concealed.

M2These writings and other creative projects are supported by my 12 Patrons. Thank you so much! To become a Patron, go to my Patreon page. Or you can just tip me if you liked this.

Published in: on 4 November 2021 at 3:55 pm  Leave a Comment  

Friday Tip

Dear Constant Reader,

It’s Friday! Today is also the penultimate performance of Vamps After Midnite! We’ve been having so much fun with this show and last night we had a special guest in the audience — Devora Darling! It was so good to see her in person.

Here’s your tip!

Know exactly where your props are at the top of the show.

Is this tip inspired by an actual incident? Maybe…

Before the show starts, check over your props and know where they are. If someone else is bringing them on for you, make sure you both know how and where that transfer will happen (do you hand them over before you go on stage? are they on a prop table back stage? &c.). It’s your responsibility as a performer to make sure your props are in good working order and in the correct location.

I’ve already written about kindergarten rules (aka respecting the property of others) which continue to apply. Take care of your own stuff and don’t mess with anyone else’s.

M2These writings and other creative projects are supported by my 12 Patrons. Thank you so much! To become a Patron, go to my Patreon page. Or you can just tip me if you liked this.

Published in: on 29 October 2021 at 11:35 am  Leave a Comment  
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Vamps and Roses

Dear Constant Reader,

After a really intense week of working on and performing in Vamps After Midnite, I’m glad for two days off. We’ve got four shows next week — get your tickets now!

IMG_3149In Vamps After Midnite I play the Mother Superior of an order of vampire hunting nuns, The Little Sisters of the Thrusting Shaft, and spend most of my time wearing a wimple. (Here I am with Devastasia, who plays Mary Daguerreotype, a Lay Sister.) I can’t style my hair because the wimple fits rather closely. That wouldn’t be a big deal, if you never saw my hair in the show. However, at the end of my first scene, due to a “pointless flashback”, I remove my habit and wimple to perform La Vie en Rose. Usually I just have a single hair ornament for this act, but I also usually have styled hair. I needed something to distract from my boring (and flattened) hair.

Time to make a headdress! (Because it all came together so quickly, I forgot to take progress shots, so these are after the fact.)

I started with a cloth visor, like this one. Amazon said the one I bought was “rose”, but when it came out of the package, it was bright pink. That certainly would not do! I started to overcomplicate things by making plans to cover it with more appropriately colored fabric.

But then I remembered this stuff!
IMG_3165
Perfect for a quick & dirty project like this. A mere few minutes later the visor was red.

While waiting for the paint to dry, off to the dollar store for a bouquet of roses. The first step was to cut them apart from the central stem, using a wire cutter. Then I grabbed my hot glue gun.

My initial plan was to treat the roses like feathers on a showgirl headdress, but that meant the flowers were basically in profile and I decided I wanted the open blossoms to be visible. Also it was just a little ridiculous looking. I mean, more ridiculous than I was willing to wear. Fortunately, it’s easy to remove hot glue.

I clipped the roses completely off the stems and glued the calyx to the visor, tucking in some leaves to fill a couple of gaps. I covered the band with more leaves. After wondering for a bit how I was going to finish the back of the visor, I glued on two rows of individual petals. Then just because I could, I added a few red rhinestones here and there on the roses.
IMG_3151

Voila! Active construction was about an hour (not including letting the paint dry or the walk to the dollar store and back) and I wore it in that night’s show.

This was taken post-show, since I don’t have any downtime during the show while I’m wearing the headdress in which to take a photo. You can see it in action this Wednesday through Saturday at Vamps After Midnite!

M2These writings and other creative projects are supported by my 12 Patrons. Thank you so much! To become a Patron, go to my Patreon page. Or you can just tip me if you liked this.

Published in: on 26 October 2021 at 1:34 pm  Leave a Comment  
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Friday Tip

Dear Constant Reader,

I write to you from a haze of exhaustion. Hell Week for Vamps After Midnight started on Monday and we’ve been going non-stop. First performance is tonight! (Wait, Mina, I thought it opened yesterday? Be patient, Dear Reader…)

Here’s your tip:

When hit with a sudden curve ball, think fast and be ready to run with a new plan.

Wednesday night we had our dress/tech rehearsal and someone from the venue was there for an inspection. After we wrapped, we were told we couldn’t use our set. Due to a complete lack of communication from the venue, we did not know that some materials used to build the flats were unacceptable to them. Three days of work (and Devastasia’s beautiful painting)! had to be torn down right then.

We canceled the Thursday night preview. Overnight Scratch redesigned the set and bought new, acceptable materials the next day. Unfortunately, Plan B didn’t work (it required a level floor, which the theatre does not have), so we headed directly to Plan C (with much cursing along the way).

The cast, many of whom are not theatre people, have been great, pitching in where ever they can and staying out of the way when they can’t. I am deeply grateful to all of them.

Anyway, the set is not as beautiful or clever or funny as we planned, but at least we can have a performance tonight.

M2These writings and other creative projects are supported by my 12 Patrons. Thank you so much! To become a Patron, go to my Patreon page. Or you can just tip me if you liked this.

Published in: on 22 October 2021 at 10:22 am  Leave a Comment  
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Friday Tip

Dear Constant Reader,

This Friday is the calm before the storm that is Vamps After Midnite. On Monday Hell Week begins! Do you have your tickets?

This tip is for audience members, but obviously not you, my Dear Reader. You already know this.

Turn your phone off and enjoy the show.

I know we spent a lot of time without performances where audience and performer were in the same space.Just a little reminder that phones can be very distracting not just to you, but everyone around you. They make noise and light, neither of which is great during a show. Using your phone during a performance is disrespectful to the performers and to the audience.

I’ve seen people texting, posting, and even making phone calls during the show. Please step outside if communication is so urgent that it can’t wait until intermission or the end of the show. Because everyone has a camera in their pocket now, we’ve had audience members taking flash photos, taking selfies, and filming the performances. If you’re really compelled to take photos, please, please, please turn off your flash. It’s not just rude to inflict a sudden burst of light at everyone around you, it could be dangerous if the performers can’t see because of it.

Be present, without distraction, and enjoy the performance in real time.

M2These writings and other creative projects are supported by my 12 Patrons. Thank you so much! To become a Patron, go to my Patreon page. Or you can just tip me if you liked this.

Published in: on 15 October 2021 at 3:56 pm  Leave a Comment  
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Review: The Burlesque Handbook

Dear Constant Reader,

 I cannot believe I haven’t reviewed this book until now…

The Burlesque Handbook by Jo Weldon, 2010.

The Burlesque Handbook was published over ten years ago, but it has never been out of print. It was the first practical guide to being a burlesque performer and remains the best. As Headmistress of The New York School of Burlesque, Jo has been teaching burlesque to all levels from beginners to professionals. Her classes and related material over the years became the foundations of this book. I still have her 12-page pink “Burlesque for Beginners” handout from 2005, which grew up to become this wonderful resource.

The book is packed with useful information from classic moves to music to backstage etiquette to creating a character. There are even templates and illustrated directions for making pasties. There’s an entire chapter on fan dancing! I found the worksheets in the appendix to be incredibly valuable. Even someone who has been doing this for a while can find it useful to stop and question their own creative process.

Besides drawing on her personal experiences, Jo quotes from the “Council of Ecdysiasts” — veteran performers — for varying perspectives on a topic. She also draws upon the wisdom of Burlesque Legends, sharing their words and their stories. It’s great to have advice from a range of performers both present and past.

Jo is also a photographer, so it’s no surprise that the book is peppered with photos (black and white, occasionally with red accents). Some are of Jo and some were taken by her over her many years on the scene. The burlesque moves she describes are illustrated by clarifying step by step photos. Other performers are featured along with appropriate topics. There are even a couple of photos taken at The Expo.

The book is focused on burlesque performance — how to get ready for the stage and look great once you’re there. You’ll have to look elsewhere for information and advice on bookings, producing, hosting or promotion. I don’t have a problem with that. Trying to cover absolutely everything would made for a less focused book. Besides, Jo covers some of those topics in articles and essays elsewhere. 

To give you an idea of just how useful it is, I have a copy on our library bookshelf (thanks, Scratch! I know it’s really your book) and one on my Kindle, so I’ll always have it on hand for reference. I’ve been recommending The Burlesque Handbook to every burlesque performer for more than a decade and I’ll continue to do so.

M2These writings and other creative projects are supported by my 12 Patrons. Thank you so much! To become a Patron, go to my Patreon page. Or you can just tip me if you liked this.

Published in: on 14 October 2021 at 2:46 pm  Leave a Comment  
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Friday Tip

Dear Constant Reader,

It’s Friday! I made a silly video yesterday, which has nothing to do with burlesque, but maybe it will make you smile. Here’s your tip!

One is funny. Three is funny. After that you have to go for 20.

Doing a comedy bit is funny on its own, but repetition can make it even funnier. However, three times is much funnier than two. But four times is not funnier than three. If you want to do it more than three times, you just have to keep doing it as many times as you can, which just gets funnier each time. My Commedia dell’Arte troupe called it “going for 20”.

The BeauTease are known for our dark Halloween cabaret, The Wrathskellar, but the last thing we wanted to do this year was a dark, intense, serious show. Hence, Vamps After Midnite, a burlesque show that goes worng. It’s a ridiculous comedy and we laugh a lot at rehearsals.

M2These writings and other creative projects are supported by my 12 Patrons. Thank you so much! To become a Patron, go to my Patreon page. Or you can just tip me if you liked this.

Published in: on 8 October 2021 at 3:01 pm  Leave a Comment  
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