Inspiration: Suspiria

One of my absolute favourite artists in Toronto is the one and only Suspiria.  This talented chick has a style all her own.  Drawing inspiration from classic horror, the female figure and her own twisted imagination, Suspiria’s work walks the line between girly and gory.  She creates dark fantasies through many mediums including paintings, tattoos and recently dolls.  Suspiria’s latest creation is a series of Terror Tot dolls with painted faces and bellies stitched onto plush, handmade bodies.  You may also recall the wonderful mermaid tattoo I got from Suspiria earlier this year.  I am constantly stunned by the outstanding tattoos I see this talented lady creating.  She is skilled at both very realistic, almost photo-like tattoos (see the wicked witch below) as well as her own unique style of cartoony, girly pinups and animals (check out the franken-babe with bat buddy below).

Check out Suspiria Land to purchase prints, terror tots or to set up a tattoo consultation.

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MissDollyMonroe.com

I have some very exciting news today…  I finally have my very own personal website!

I thought it was about time to start expanding the Dolly Monroe empire and the next logical step was to create a website. For now it is mostly full of photos from my modelling and design portfolios, but I have big plans and many exciting projects in the works that will eventually be up on the site.  I am so looking forward to what is to come and cannot wait to share more details with you lovelies.

Please check out www.MissDollyMonroe.com and share!

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Emma Frost at Garters of the Galaxy!

One week from today I will be performing at the final Peepshow TO burlesque show: Garters of the Galaxy!  This is your last chance to see the Peepshow crew together and the one and only opportunity you have to see my Emma Frost act. Basically you won’t want to miss this show!  As a little teaser I thought I would share some photos from my Emma Frost makeup test.  Click any of the photos below to purchase tickets for Garters of the Galaxy….

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Sinful Sundays: Dolls with Dye

Last Sunday I attending Sinful Sundays at Cherry Colas in Toronto!  Two of my favourite ladies, Betty Quirk and Sevvy Skellington, were performing at this weekly burlesque show along with the lovely Miss Mitzy Cream.  The trio of dyed dolls did 2 acts each and were so graceful, sensual and cheeky!  Here are a few instagram shots I got from the evening.  Enjoy!

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Betty Quirk, Sevvy Skellington and me!
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Miss Mitzy Cream and Betty Quirk all done up in pink!
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Betty performed her Satine Sparkling Diamonds routine
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Mitzy was a lovely victorian lady!

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Sevvy performed as SuperMan!
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Dolly Berlin was the stage kitten for the show
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Why Don’t You Do Right?
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Pikachu!!
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Spider Man!

Little Red Riding Hood

I had another wonderful photoshoot last week with the amazing and talented Geoff Larkin.  I was very excited when he proposed the idea of doing a Red Riding Hood themed shoot, as it is my absolute favourite Fairy Tale (I am a bit of a fairy tale nerd).  I have done a number of RRH shoots before, but I could not turn down doing another one, especially since I have two self made red capes to choose from!  We did most of the shoot with my long velveteen cape and a few shots at the end in my short brocade cape.  We had a lot of fun playing around with some long exposure shots, some different lighting techniques as well as working with a very hyper dog!  Enjoy my stroll through the woods to Grandmas house!

Photos by Geoff Larkin with assistance from Tamakhi

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Inspiration: Lili St Cyr

“Sex is currency. What’s the use of being beautiful if you can’t profit from it?”
– Lili St Cyr

 Beginning her career as a chorus girl in Hollywood, it didn’t take long before Lily St Cyr jumped out of the background and into the spotlight.  Singing and performing her own choreography on stage soon turned into a sensational career in the world of burlesque.  Lili St Cyr was one of the queens of burlesque in the 1940s and 50s, up there with the likes of Gypsy Rose Lee and Ann Corio.  One of her signature routines involved taking a bubble bath in a glass tub on stage.  Lili even broke into the film industry with roles in a handful of movies in the 1950s including The Miami Story and The Naked and the Dead.  One of Lili’s biggest fans was none other than Marilyn Monroe.  It was said that the overall look and many of the mannerisms of the Monroe character were inspired by Lili St Cyr.   Just like her career, her love life was anything but boring with 6 marriages and as many divorces under her belt.  She was even rumoured to have had an affair with Marilyn Monroe, but that was never proven for certain.  After a long, full life, Lili died in 1999 at the age of 80 leaving behind a legacy like no other.

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Gloomth Library Dress

Recently I did a photoshoot for the fashion label Gloomth.   They have a lovely array of cute, ruffley Victorian and Gothic Lolita style garments in an array of sizes (xs – 4x).  The dress I am modelling in these photos is the Academy Library Dress. I had a great time working for Gloomth and I hope to model for them again!

The Gorgeous Dolly Monroe shows her flair with a Gloomth Clothing dress!!

The Gorgeous Dolly Monroe shows her flair with a Gloomth Clothing dress!!

The Gorgeous Dolly Monroe shows her flair with a Gloomth Clothing dress!!

The Gorgeous Dolly Monroe shows her flair with a Gloomth Clothing dress!!

The Gorgeous Dolly Monroe shows her flair with a Gloomth Clothing dress!!

Pretty in Pink

Here is the last set of photos from my photoshoot with Geoff Larkin.

In this set I am modelling another outfit I created for myself.  As you know I love a good playsuit!  This fabric was one of my Mood finds from my trip to NYC in April.  I absolutely loved this super 60s style print and instantly imagined using it for a very vintage look.  Enjoy!

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Garters of the Galaxy: October 10th 2014

The next Nerdlesque show from Peepshow TO will be taking place on October 10th at the Great Hall in Toronto.  As you can see from the poster below I will be performing as the icy X-Men classic character Emma Frost.  This show is going to be absolutely out of this world and I know you will not want to miss it!

Tickets on sale this weekend at Fan Expo! Stop by our booth in the Horror section and say hello!

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Lauren Bacall

On August 12th 2014 at age 89 legendary actress of stage and screen Lauren Bacall passed away.

Lauren Bacall started out as a fashion model in the early 1940s and even graced the cover of Vogue at the age of 17.  In 1944 she had her big break into the world of film when she was cast opposite Humphrey Bogart in the war/romance adventure To Have and Have Not.  During her screen test for the film Bacall became so nervous she pressed her chin to her chest to keep it from quivering and lifted her eyes upward at the camera.  This seductive pose became known as “The Look” and was her signature expression.  In 1945 the power duo of Bacall and Bogart tied the knot and went on to star in many more movies together.  In 1953 Bacall shared the silver screen with legends Betty Grable and Marilyn Monroe in the classic golddigger film How to Marry a Millionaire.  Bacall’s career spanned several decades and she was actively working in film and television right up until she passed away from a stroke earlier this month.

Femme fatale forever she will be.  That look, that smokey voice and the attitude she exuded lives on forever in her photos and film work.

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Darlene Hammond

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