Oh, The Glamourous Life!

Dear Constant Reader,

It’s another celebratory Friday! B.A.B.E. turned 15 today! I taught my first burlesque class under the auspices of my own school on May 14, 2006 (it was Mother’s Day). I didn’t expect the class to sell out and I certainly didn’t expect that a decade and a half I’d still be running a burlesque academy. Thank you, everyone, for your support over the years — all my students, instructors, and anyone who has spread the good word about B.A.B.E. Here’s looking forward to many more years of bump & grind!

This tip comes from something I realized very early on as an instructor.

When creating a teaching choreography, be sparing with moves where you face away.

When performing on stage, we often coyly turn our backs on the audience. It’s a great tease! However, when you’re teaching and you turn away, you can’t see the students and they can’t see you! It’s even worse if you’re teaching in a space without mirrors.

These writings and other creative projects are supported by my 14 Patrons. Thank you so much! To become a Patron, go to my Patreon page. Or you can just tip me if you liked this.

Dear Constant Reader,

It’s a celebratory Friday! You’ll see why when you read your tip…

The journey of 500 tips starts with a single post.

I never thought, back in 2011, when I started this blog, that I would get to 500 tips. I was just looking for a little content and decided to post an occasional tip. And “occasional” became weekly. And then that became a decade.

Big projects can be accomplished a little at a time, especially if you’re consistent about working on them.

I’m celebrating 10 years of Friday Tips and four years on Patreon! If you join my Patreon this month at the $5 level, you can download…


…a charming little PDF with 25 of my favorite costuming tips from this blog and a few new ones. Graphic design, including amusing illustrations, by Mr. Scratch (without whom I would never get anything done).

Thank you for accompanying me on this journey, Dear Reader!

These writings and other creative projects are supported by my 14 Patrons. Thank you so much! To become a Patron, go to my Patreon page. Or you can just tip me if you liked this.

Dear Constant Reader,

It’s Friday! I’m spending my day helping The American Burlesque Collection get ready for their reopening tomorrow. In honor of the temporary exhibit The Fantasy of the Fan Dancer, I’ll be teaching fan dance workshops in May!

Here’s your tip!

Store your X-Acto knife blade point down in the handle.

These little babies are so useful for all sorts of projects and it’s easy to add a sharp new blade. It’s also easy to lose the protective cap. If you store your blade like this, you are much less likely to stab or cut yourself. I learned this little trick from Nina Nightingale during an session of her Charm School, presented by Atlas Obscura.

These writings and other creative projects are supported by my 14 Patrons. Thank you so much! To become a Patron, go to my Patreon page. Or you can just tip me if you liked this.

Dear Constant Reader,

It’s Friday! It’s a particularly good one for me as I got my second vaccination this morning. Here’s your tip!

Heat will soften hot glue.

Makes sense, right? This is great because you can fix mistakes by hitting the glue with a heat gun or sometimes even a blow dryer (depending on the glue). This is not great because if you leave an item in the car in the summer you can lose all your hard work.

These writings and other creative projects are supported by my 14 Patrons. Thank you so much! To become a Patron, go to my Patreon page. Or you can just tip me if you liked this.

Dear Constant Reader,

It’s Friday! It’s snowing here in Boston! Of course it is, because this would have been Expo weekend…

Last week we were watching Scratch’s niece perform as a finalist* at the NYC Teen Poetry Slam and one of the judges said this:

A setback is a setup for a comeback.

And what a setback this past year has been. Let’s start to set up our comebacks.

These writings and other creative projects are supported by my 14 Patrons. Thank you so much! To become a Patron, go to my Patreon page. Or you can just tip me if you liked this.

*We are pretty goddamn proud of her

Dear Constant Reader,

It Friday again! I don’t know about where you are, but here in Boston it is gloriously spring out. I’m writing this in haste so I can go play outside. Here’s your tip!

When costuming a group act in identical or nearly so costumes, make sure to label them so you can tell whose is whose.

It’s a useful practice for both short-term and long. It will cut down on the amount of time sifting through a pile of identical bras, trying to find the one that fits you. It’s also useful later for determining which pieces fit other performers if you have a different cast for that act or use the same pieces in a different number.

In the theatre, costumes generally have big tags on the inside with the character name or the name of the actor. In burlesque we have to be more discrete, so the audience can’t see the labels. We have put the markings on the insides of waistbands, under facings, inside pasties, and other mostly hidden places. Sometimes we use embroidery, sometime a fabric marker. You can also add one unique decoration to each garment so if you know, you can tell them apart.

You could label with the performers’ initials, or the size of the garment, or just a number (and then keep a master list of what those numbers mean). The important thing is to be consistent. Unfortunately, over our 15 years, we haven’t been and sometimes end up wondering if the “M” is for “Mina” or “medium” (bad example, because it doesn’t matter in that case).

These writings and other creative projects are supported by my 14 Patrons. Thank you so much! To become a Patron, go to my Patreon page. Or you can just tip me if you liked this.

Dear Constant Reader,

It’s Friday again! Here’s your tip!

Spring clean your wardrobe.

It’s almost spring and that’s a great time to go through your costume closet. Air everything out! Check for spots that need cleaning or damage that needs repairing. If items have been stored folded, give them a press and refold in a different way, so you don’t create weak spots along the fold lines. Pack away any out-of-season costumes.

And while you’re at it, look over your pieces with a critical eye. Are they all still up to your standards? Do any need alteration or additional embellishment to make them stage-worthy again? Are there some you are honestly never going to wear again? Make a plan to adjust the ones you want to elevate. Sell or give away the ones that don’t make the cut.

Of course, you can do the same with your regular clothes as well.

These writings and other creative projects are supported by my 14 Patrons. Thank you so much! To become a Patron, go to my Patreon page. Or you can just tip me if you liked this.

Dear Constant Reader,

For many this week marked the start of our quarantine year.

It’s all right to mourn what you’ve lost.

Perhaps you’re grieving for people lost to the pandemic or chances to see friends and family or special occasions. Maybe also lost shows, festivals, other opportunities, &c. . We’ve all lost something. Whatever it is, you can grieve for the loss and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.

These writings and other creative projects are supported by my 14 Patrons. Thank you so much! To become a Patron, go to my Patreon page. Or you can just tip me if you liked this.

Dear Constant Reader,

It’s Friday! Tomorrow The BeauTease are premiering our latest virtual show, L.D.R.: Love in the Time of Corona! Join us at 8pm for a watch party.
It’s our first none-iversary! March 8, 2020 was the last time BeauTease Burlesque was seen live in public. We’ve had a year of quarantine and all the isolation, inconvenience, and weird living that goes with it. Some folks haven’t seen their special someone in months; some have been trapped in house with their sweetie and would love a day of solitude. Fortunately, you can always reach out to The Nightfly — the lonely-hearts DJ on WLDR — and tell him all your troubles… Love in the Time of Corona features some fabulous new acts from your favorite BeauTease, plus cameos from special guests like Lili VonSchtupp, The Guilted Lilly, Satine S’Allumer, Willy Barrett, and Jeannie Martini!

Now, here’s your tip!

Be careful, your face could freeze like that!

When rehearsing, you’re building up your muscle memory. Your face has muscles too. I know it’s so easy to just focus on what your body is doing while you’re learning without thinking about your facial expressions. I do it too. The danger is training your face to fall into concentration mode while performing instead of whatever emotion you want to convey. So rehearse with your face as well as the rest of your body.

These writings and other creative projects are supported by my 14 Patrons. Thank you so much! To become a Patron, go to my Patreon page. Or you can just tip me if you liked this.