Black 40′s A-lined skirt with maroon silk dupioni pleat detail.

xoxox,
Miss Glamourpuss

I managed to get my hands on a box full of vintage patterns from 30s, 40s and 50s and now I’m eager to begin experimenting with them. Plan is of course to use these patterns as a base to create some unique designs of my own.

xoxox
Miss Glamourpuss

I managed to source this divine vintage patterning and dressmaking book to compliment my vintage dressmaking library.

The book doesn’t have a year on it, but I’d place it somewhere in the late 40′s or early 50′s. It goes through dress patterning step by step, revealing the tips and tricks behind all those gorgeous vintage design details, and teaches how to draw your own tailored patterns.

Not only is the book fabulous, it’s in flawless condition!

xoxox
Miss Glamourpuss

Choosing your stage name is tricky. I agreed to model for a friend’s event and was faced with the decision on naming my fabulous on stage persona.

A good stage name is catchy, yet not obvious or too cliched. Too nice is just boring and anything too raunchy will only make you sound like a drag queen!

First thing I did was to head over to Striptease Symposium to consult this article by Penny Starr Jr.

She bans the use of the most common words like: Kitten, Kitty, Vixen, Honey, Von, Lux or Deluxe, Lola, de Ville, Violette, Pinky, Femme or Belle based on the simple fact that they have already been used by every other showgirl all over the world. I was already doomed by this point as I wanted to keep ‘Glamourpuss‘ as the latter part of my stage name.

I tried the porn name method she advocates (the name of your first pet and the first street you lived on), but I quickly discarded ‘Bella Shaft‘. Not quite what I was after.

She suggests that the use of legendary car models might be a good starting point. And I have to admit that Continental, Coupe, SuperSport, Zephyr, Valiant, Corvair, Mustang, Nova, Futura, Mercury, Rocket 88, Metropolitan, Citrone, and Fiat are actually quite interesting. Maybe just a tad masculine for my liking?

However, my favourite part of her advice was naming yourself after alcohol! How delightfully decadent! How about Martini, Campari, Negroni, Gin Fizz, Dubonet, etc. I was quite attached to ‘Martini Delight’, but gave it up as I still was hoping I might come up with a name that works with ‘Glamourpuss’.

There is plenty more advice in the article, so if you find yourself stuck like I was, go ahead and read some more.

In the end I relied to the good old Thesaurus method and the aid of a good friend. We looked up words that I related to and after a long night, my friend found ‘gally‘. Not only does it sound like a combination of ‘gal’ and ‘girly’, I loved the meaning of the word:

Definition: ridiculing
Synonyms: cheeky, cocky, contemptuous, crusty, disdainful, flip, fresh, gally, insulting, jeering, mocking, nervy, out-of-line, rude, sarcastic, sassy, scoffing, scornful, smart, smart-alecky, taunting
Anonyms: complimentary, flattering, praising, respectful

Also, I like the way the word doesn’t seem to officially exist at all, and another Thesaurus entry contradicted the previous definition entirely.

So there it is:

I’m done. How’s yours coming along?

xoxox
Miss Glamourpuss

P.S. If you’re really stuck and running out of time, here’s a Burlesque Name Generator that can spit out off the shelf stage names.

Photography & styling by Pixie from Boogie Bop Dames.

1. Know who you are and what you have got

Being glamorous begins from you. Study yourself from the mirror and see what sets you apart from others and play on that. That’s a good starting point. Know who you are and what are your best assets.

Got a fantastic pout? Great, never leave the house without red lipstick! Hourglass figure? Make sure all your outfits accentuate your waist! Pins to die for? Make them even longer with a stunning pair of stiletto pumps! Voluptuous bosom? Flaunt it darling!

Playing on your best assets draws attention away from little things you might not be so comfortable with.

2. Choose a style icon / era

Choosing a style icon gives you a good reference point. It helps, if you have something in common with them whether its body shape/size, hair colour or facial features.

Study the style you like. Identify the era/decade that you are most drawn to, in order to draw inspiration from a wider field. Know everything about your style icon in order to be able to learn from her style and fill in the gaps that you might not be able to reference from her pictures only.

Not sure where to start looking for a style icon? Here’s a list of goddesses from “Burlesque and the Art of the Teese‘ book:

’50s Bombshells
Lili St. Cyr
Tempest Storm
Dixie Evans
Blaze Starr
Marilyn Monroe
Brigitte Bardot
Elizabeth Taylor
Jayne Mansfield
Mamie Van Doren

’40s Cheesecake Pinup Dolls
Ann Corio
Gypsy Rose Lee
Sherry Britton
Betty Grable
Rita Hayworth
Gene Tierney
Lana Turner
Vivien Leigh

’30s Silver Screen Sirens
Gypsy Rose Lee
Sally Rand
Georgia Sothern
Marlene Dietrich
Jean Harlow
Mae West
Hedy Lamarr
Greta Garbo
Ginger Rogers

’20s Vamps
Mistinguett
Josephine Baker
Mae Dix
Theda Bara
Louise Brooks
Clara Bow

3. Practise, practise, practise!

In the end it all comes to doing it right. Whether it’s red lipstick, 50s eyeliner flicks, false lashes, curlers, hairdos or walking on skyhigh stiletto heels, it all takes practise to master the skill!

xoxox
Miss Glamourpuss