Pinup – Page 31 – CLASSICALLY CURVY

Inspiration: Suspiria

October 8, 2014October 4, 2014 missdollymonroeLeave a comment

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.

Inspiration: Lili St Cyr

September 11, 2014September 10, 2014 missdollymonroeLeave a comment

“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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Inspiration: Brigitte Bardot

August 11, 2014August 14, 2014 missdollymonroe2 Comments

“I’m a girl from a good family who was very well brought up. One day I turned my back on it all and became a bohemian.”
-Brigitte Bardot

Brigitte Bardot is one of my ultimate style icons and inspirations. While Marilyn is undoubtably the queen of the blonde bombshells I would say personally that I am even more inspired by the golden haired goddess that is Brigitte Bardot.

Bardot was a French actress, model, singer and sex symbol in the 1950s and 1960s. She starred in 47 films (including And God Created Woman and Viva Maria!), recorded over 60 songs, was featured in hundreds of magazines and wrote 5 books. Bardot is also considered one of the first and most liberated women of post-war France and in Simone de Beauvoir’s 1959 essay The Lolita Syndrome Bardot was referred to as a ‘locomotive of women’s history’. In her later years Bardot become a strong voice for the animal rights movement and in 1986 she established the Brigitte Bardot Foundation for the Welfare and Protection of Animals.

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When I look at images of Brigitte Bardot or watch her films I am always struck by a beautiful sadness in her eyes. There is a darkness behind her light; a smouldering beauty that is at once so complex and yet effortless. Her captivating appeal is so much more than her physical appearance and extends to her movements, her expressions and of course her beautiful french tongue. If you enjoy watching foreign films I recommend you check out a few of my personal favourite BB movies, Two Weeks in September and The Vixen.