Girlesque – CLASSICALLY CURVY

Two Little Gold Diggers

February 23, 2015February 16, 2015 missdollymonroe1 Comment

This year’s Girlesque Expo in Toronto was an especially monumental one for me as it was the debut of a brand new act from myself and Betty Quirk. It is hard for me to even put into words that joy that I felt finally bringing this act to life. It has been a dream of ours for sometime to take the Little Rock number from the film Gentlemen Prefer Blondes and put our own burlesque twist on it. The scene, which has a very silly theme about finding a man with money, also showcases a genuine bond between two girlfriends who are navigating the world of men and relationships. Betty and I enjoyed playing up both this friendship aspect as well as the silliness of the number and concluded with a whole lot of booty shaking. We also took on the task of recreating the costumes from the film and creating our own fun undergarments. It was a very successful show for us and we are very thankful to have such awesome photos from Photolena of our performance as well as a video from Candid Dragon Fire Productions which is at the bottom of this post.

Gypsy Rose LD

February 9, 2015February 9, 2015 missdollymonroeLeave a comment

I had the absolute pleasure of starting my year by creating what might be my favourite costume to date! The effervescent Laura Desiree came to me with the idea of celebrating her heritage and creating a new costume and act inspired by her recent European tour. We chose a rich colour pallet of deep reds, purples and bright gold for this look and completely decked out each piece in jewels and beaded fringe. Her undergarments have rows of coin fringe as if her loot is hidden beneath her outer layers. The headpiece was her crown of roses complete with a long flowing veil. Laura was a mystical wonder at this year’s Girlesque Expo in her gypsy ensemble.

Photos by Photolena, Chris Hutcheson, MOPO, Rawesome, and Ruth Gillson.

Laura Desiree at Girlesque 2014

November 7, 2014November 6, 2014 missdollymonroeLeave a comment

Early in 2014 I was working tirelessly on one of the biggest costume commissions I have ever had. My muse, Miss Laura Desiree requested a new costume for the Girlesque Festival in Toronto. Working with her dance partner, Sexy Mark Brown, Laura wanted an outfit that had three changeable bottoms to reflect the three types of dance they were performing. First a knee-length circle skirt for a romantic slow dance, then a pair of short shorts for their tap number, finally a long chiffon skirt for their ballroom waltz. I also made a bustier to go with all three looks that was heavily embellished with lace, beading and swarovski crystals. I absolutely love how these garments turned out and Laura looks absolutely lovely flowing through this dance. Please check out the video below for the full routine.

Gigi Vanilla at Girlesque

February 11, 2014February 10, 2014 missdollymonroe1 Comment

I was lucky enough to get to make two costumes this year for the Girlesque Expo in Toronto. One of these costumes was for the stunning and talented Gigi Vanilla. Gigi came to me with a beautiful vintage photo of a dancer and a pink colour scheme. From that I created a chiffon dirndl skirt, covered and decorated a bra top and made matching one-finger gloves and a g-string. I love the bits of pink lace on the bra and waistband, it adds beautiful texture to the outfit and the sparkle which was partly an applique and partly hand sewn gives it a real showgirl feel. Gigi did a wonderful job at the Girlesque Expo and really brought this costume to life. Check out the video at the bottom of this post!