Last weekend my best bud Betty Quirk and I had a stroll through High Park with the lovely photographer Tyrone Islington and my amazing assistant Val! The lovely fall leaves were the perfect setting for a little spooky, halloween inspired shoot. The jacket I am wearing was a costume piece I made a few years ago for a burlesque routine and the skirt Betty is wearing I made for her with the left over material. Betty and I are no strangers to dressing in co-ordinating outfits and I love the way these two looks compliment each other. Enjoy our halloween pinup photos and have a very scary Halloween!
I thought I should start the week off with something fun; a little set of photos from my most recent shoot with Geoff Larkin! I made this robe many months ago for another photoshoot but I didn’t end up using it. I love the sparkly, shear fabric and was inspired by a classic 1960s evening robe look. Enjoy!
Our final Peepshow TO show by all means should have been a sad affair. It was the final time our amazing group of performers and friends would come together to put on the biggest and best nerdlesque show in town. The last time we would all gather backstage, getting ready and gabbing, swapping eyelash glue and pastie tape. The final collective feeling of putting on a show that was truly entertaining, inspiring and unique. But instead of feeling loss and despair I could not imagine a more electric evening. There was a buzz in the air from the minute the Great Hall began filling up. Every seat was taken and still people stood to watch what can only be described as one of the greatest shows that we have ever created. From start to finish the energy was palpable. Not one lull or low moment was felt and the volume of cheers and laughs echoed endlessly through the night. Every performer brought their best and the roaring crowd pushed each of us to be that much better.
I feel so lucky to have such talented, inspiring and loving friends and to have had so many opportunities to work with these amazing people. Even though this was the last Peepshow event (for now anyways) I couldn’t be sad for even one second because my mind is filled with all the wonderful moments I have shared with this group.
Thank you Leelando, Sevvy and Betty for giving us a stage to perform on, for making it possible for us to come together as a team and for working so tirelessly to ensure each event has been more outstanding than the last. Thank you to all the performers who have constantly pushed each other to be more creative simply by being endlessly creative themselves. Thank you to Rena, Mong Tho, Amie and everyone who has worked backstage throughout the past few years. Without you we would be utterly lost. And finally, thanks to everyone who has come out to support our shows. Hearing the excitement in your cheers is the fuel that drives us.
The final curtain has closed. The show has concluded. But I promise this is not the last you will hear or see of the members of the PeepshowTO family.
Curtain Call by Lick My Lens CapLeelando Calrissian as NamorDelicia Pastiche as Beast, Betty Quirk as GamoraDante Him as Wolverine, Dolly Monroe as Emma FrostBetty Quirk as GamoraDr. Orifice as Mr. FantasticLoretta Jean as StarlordAlex as Stan Lee, Velvet Valhalla as Lady PunisherLoretta Jean as Starlord, Betty Quirk as GamoraDolly Monroe as Emma FrostMiss Elle Towe as Lady SifSky Blew as Captain AmericaVeronica Vile as Scarlett WitchDelicia Pastiche as BeastDr. Orifice as Mr. FantasticSevvy Skellington as GrootScarlett LaFlamme as Black WidowLeelando Calrissian as NamorHenrietta VIII as She-HulkDante Him as WolverineLeelando Calrissian, Sevvy Skellington and Betty Quirk doing their goodbye speechCharlie Quinn as Captain MarvelZilly Lilly as Dark Pheonix
My wonderfully multi-talented friend Ketzia Kobrah has begun working on a video project called the Brick Wall Sessions. This series of videos features burlesque performers doing titillating one minute stripteases. My lovely friends Betty Quirk and Leelando Calrissian and I were the first few participants in this series. We each did a solo routine and Betty and I also did our go-go dancing duet. I have my videos on www.missdollymonroe.com in my new burlesque tab but you can see all the videos from the Brick Wall Sessions here! Ketzia is still looking for participants in this project, so if you are a burlesque performer, in Toronto and interested in being a part of this series please comment below. For now I leave you with this cute teaser video…
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.
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….
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!
“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.
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!
Stargirl (Sevvy Skellingtong) Wonder Woman (Betty Quirk) and Supergirl (Dolly Monroe) from the DC Bombshells Collection. Photo by Very Frank Pictures.
This past weekend my friends from Peepshow TO and I put on our best cosplays and strutted our stuff at one of the biggest Nerd Conventions in North America: FAN EXPO! Fan Expo brings together fans of Comics, Sci-Fi, Anime, Horror and Gaming for a weekend of geeky fun. The Peepshowers had a booth in the Horror section of the con and spent most of our time advertising our next show Garters of the Galaxy: A Marvel Inspired Burlesque. We had a blast chatting up con goers and posing for photos in cosplay.
This year I really over extended myself by attempting to do 2 brand new cosplays for the con. On Friday the Peepshow crew did a Sparkly X-Men Group cosplay in which I portrayed the White Queen Emma Frost. For the big day, Saturday, we did another group cosplay. This time it was the DC Bombshells, which is a set of female DC characters as 1940s pinup girls. For this group I did Supergirl, which was such fun to make and to wear. On the final day I decided to wear an old favourite, my Batwoman burlesque cosplay. Overall the highlight of the weekend was definitely getting to meet the Queen of Cosplay herself; Yaya Han! Yaya is such an inspiration for me as a cosplayer. Her costumes are flawless and she really embodies each character she portrays.
Please enjoy a few of my photos from this year’s Fan Expo…
Emma Frost and Magik heading to the con on FridayThe Queen of Cosplay: Yaya Han!Lady RobocopBetty Quirk as X Men PsylockeGetting friendly with Daryl DixonGambit (Sevvy Skellington) Domino (Zilly Lilly) Magik (Brittany) and Emma Frost (Dolly Monroe) hanging out at the Peepshow BoothSailor Chibi Moon!Our friend Ajay Fry came to visit usDay 2: Getting coffee in cosplayDC Bombshells Mera (Delicia Pastiche) and Batwoman (Zilly Lilly)Dex Morgan cosplaying Gaslight Catwoman (www.facebook.com/DexCosplay)Leelando Calrissian as DC Bombshells Poison IvyChilling with the BatmobileBrittany as DC Bombshells CatwomanCharlie Quinn joined our group as DC Bombshells Flash!Beautiful Mermaid!Group Selfie with our booth neighbour friends!Amazing Wild, Wild West cosplays!Zilly Lilly as Molotov Cocktease with the Star Wars favsRocket Racoon with a baby GrootRan into my friend Serena… I mean Sailor Mars!Leelando Calrissian and Betty Quirk as Harley Quinn and YoshiRufio and Captain Hook from the film HookBatwoman swooped in to steal the spotlight
CLASSICALLY CURVY 
