Our stylish friends over at Friends with Benefit (the blog associated with fabulous Benefit cosmetics) are spreading the gospel of the “Sock Bun”. I’ve never tried this hair trick before, but for hot summer days where I am, this looks tempting! Has anyone tried this? Let me know if it’s cute!
Hey all you Burlesquers,
Dita Von Teese is taking her variety show on the road! If you don’t know…
Jewelry.com
…Dita is one of the most famous US Burlesque and variety show acts. Dita is a dancer, model, published author, fashion designer, and actress. (And you know how I love strong, entrepreneurial women.) What can’t this femme fatale do? Her shows encompass everything from comedy, costumery, dance, and other acting.
Unfortunately, Dita’s May shows are only in the western United States, including California, Oregon, and Nevada (Las Vegas!). If you happen to be on the west coast, I would book yourself a ticket! I wish I could see her! (Jealous.)
A Brief History:
Undergarments–whether that be the petticoat, the hoop skirt, or even the kind used in religious practices–have been around for centuries. In fact, the loin cloth is the first form of undergarment we know of, dating back 7,000 years to hunter-gatherer societies. Women wore a fuller version of the loin cloth with more of a belted fashion and ties, similar to the look of a “bikini”.
The social significance and cultural history of “undergarments”, too, offers up much more than simple bodily coverage. Sagging your pants and showing your briefs in some US communities (typically urban, but also elsewhere) functions as a countercultural act, critiquing social discipline of the body and limits on the representation of self. Women, too, struggled throughout the centuries with relative social standards of beauty and underwear, wearing dome-shaped petticoats (in as early as the 1500s) to enhance and exaggerate the “hourglass” shape related to a gendered community ideal. 18th century Native Americans in the New World, even, wore the loincloth, which differed from the garb of US settlers. The loin cloth and other social markers contributed to settlers’ xenophobia and the future oppression and colonization of Native Americans. Finally, satirist Mark Twain compared hoop skirts to boyishly “peeping under circus tents” to see a “mysterious” world of legs.
With that being said, I wanted to introduce A Slip Shop and the magic of a simple decorative slip. Undergarments can function as an accessory to an outfit, and (as sagging has taught us) can even be a fashion statement. A Slip Shop on Etsy is an independent seller’s site that markets handmade decorative slips. These slips not only give you coverage, but can also change the wearing of a skirt. Some of the slips sold are a thicker material to create a more swing-like effect at the bottom, like the Three-Tiered White Eyelet Ruffle slip.
Others simply add simply a hint of peek-a-boo lace or organza.
Either way, I’ve bought from this seller and was pleased with my new fun slip. It helped me wear again a skirt that was a tad too short, and I also used it to dress up some of my plain-jane dresses. The $28 price, I admit, is a little steep, but if you think you could dress up a few of your own barely-worn dresses or skirts with a slip, that equals a few new outfits!
The word burlesque, from the 1860s to the 1940s in the US, refers to a type of variety show–entertainment that consists of a set of differing acts that include everything from drama, comedy, and even the bawdy or illicit (the strip tease). Think of this blog then in the same sense: every day I’m giving you differing posts of entertainment, culture, fashion and cooking, all wrapped up in showy “burlesque baker” style!
Here’s yet another fun-to-run-to musical act (that just so happens to be two chic women): the JaneDear Girls.
“Give a girl the right shoes, and she can conquer the world.”—Marilyn Monroe
I wouldn’t call myself a shoe-a-holic, but I do have multiple pairs of ballet flats. Ballet flats and kitten heels are my go-to shoes. I used to run around in heels (me out on the town in a poufy skirt and magic white heels, of course):
But the days of me wearing sky-high heels and wedges are now over. Call it age, call it happenstance (or maybe it’s my hourglass figure? A little buxom and heavy on top, whoops!), but my knees and feet don’t love me when I wear anything taller than an inch heel.
Now I wear leopard-print flats, red flats, and more, and I tend to want to get new shoes every spring. Maybe sky blue flats with black skinny jeans this spring! Or dark blue capris and red flats in the summer! We all like a little variety in our wardrobe, and I definitely needed an affordable online shoe store that featured different flat designs in a variety of colors.
One serendipitous day, I found my place: Blowfish Malibu Shoes. I really like this shoe store. They have a variety of shoes and colors, and their flats are relatively inexpensive. The ruffly Natassa flat for $45? Yes, please!
The peep toe “Court” for $49? Yes yes yes!
They also tend to have seasonal sales….alot. In fact, most of the shoes I’ve bought from them have been during a sale time, and they were half off! 25 bucks for kitten heel wedges. What a steal!
Hello, Ladies!
If any of you are getting married (or are having some sort of union) and are in need of an inexpensive, vintage-style dress, look no further. One of my favorite online clothing stores, Ruche, is now selling bridalwear. And the dresses are exquisite! The bridalwear spans multiple generations of fashion, from the 20s flapper to the 50s narrow -waisted swing dress. I particularly love the Charlotte for $499, the Victoria for $849, and the Audrey for $249. You can look like a pinup or 50s girl for half the price, and feel sexy and sweet celebrating your big day!
