FRIDAY 13th : THE LOVING DEAD

Eddi & I at the Halloween Horror Cabaret by Atelieri O.Haapala (who says they will do one more gig still, November 28th! Keep your eyers open... ).

I'm wearing the long velvet 1930's evening gown that I picked up at my ederly relative some time ago.

(If you're in the mood for some zombielesque check this :)

PALE NOVEMBER LIGHT / BROWN POLKA DOT DRESS

Dress - Big Beautiful Barbara Brown

WELL WELL

Well well indeed, since here's something you don't see every day -in fact, only once before in this blog- I'm wearing trousers!
(And I have my hair parted in the middle, not on one side. That's pretty rare too).

This -the trouser thing, not the hair- is mostly due to dresses and skirt in general being invincible in comfort as well as to an incapability of finding a pair of high waisted trousers that are small enough around the waist and wide enough around the hip, without making my legs look like a pair of barn doors (that's a saying my mom uses. I have no idea weather it's an official one or not :) Those facts makes online shopping a pretty risky business and something I haven't dared trying yet although I've seen some pretty nice pairs out there on the internet by now. This pair however was a find at H&M last year and is pretty ok, at least great for when I go Lindy Hopping!)

Strawberry wrap around shirt - Big Beautiful Barbara Brown

SOULSAVER'S CLOSER / JO JO IN THE STARS

This one is beautiful and sad.


Please watch the whole story and it's ending here.

(The song is by Soulsavers. If you want a bit more meat on the bones listen to the ones with Mark Lanegan and Mike Patton. And who wouldn't want that on a grey and gloomy Sunday like this.)

THE LAZY THRIFTER GOT LUCKY

Here's some of the things I picked up a couple of weekends ago at this elderly relative of mine.
About a fifth of it. (Yes, this is now the brag-blog.)

A 1950's suit (the pencil skirt being exactly my size, what luck!), leather gloves, hat and bag. Well the bag is actually from Hoochie Mama Jane, I traded some of the gloves I got for it.


An early sixties satin coctail gown, a beaded evening bag with gemstone fastening and long gloves.

The thing is, I went back there the other day for some more. She called me (or actually my grandmother, who called me, but that's details schmetails) that she still and some shoes and accessories she wanted to get rid off. The lazy thrifter gets lucky indeed.

Unfortunately the shoes were too big but I brought them to Hoochie Mama Jane. I'll bring some vintage dresses there in the near future too and Irja has a lot of other nice stuff there already so why not pop by!

VINTAGE STUDS

As time has gone by I have become less and less interested in fashion and trends, not to mentioned influenced by them. But of course I notice trends and such, and studs have been seen a lot lately (did it start with Carries studded belt in the SATC movie?), perhaps it's still really in, or perhaps the biggest boom is over by now, but anyway; behold, they had studs in the 1930 already! And not just shoes or bags but a studded dress!

Even though some of the studded stuff may be delicious per se I haven't really found it my thing but this one I could wear!


Lanvin from 1935. (Scanned from a book of mine).

STEP BY STEP...

I guess most of you younger readers will be speared the immediate association of adding "ooh baby..." to the headline. Hehe. (Needless to say, I was never a girl to like those kinds of bands btw.) Well anyway, the dress is Trashy Diva and the slip vintage (one of many things I picked up last weekend), the rest from here and there.

STAGE REHEARSAL

Weekend show days are filled with to-do's : Roll the hair pack the bag do the base-make up, go to location road all stuff in have sound check walk trough numbers get something to eat do make up wait perform change fast for next number showtime again change fast and so on, have a drink afterwards maybe dance a little stuff all your things in bag (wonder why everything takes more place now afterwards than before) road out again go home. Weekday shows are the same except you have to fit in work in the beginning too. Not that glamourous actually.

But it's fun anyway. A whole lot of fun!

Photos above are some 'behind the scenes' photos by my fellow Itty Bitty Lola Mancehgo took from the stage rehearsal of a recent show (going through my No No No number and being silly in general), ending with a bonus pic of me and Vera De Vil's behinds going into tandem Charleston. Burlesque is not all glamour no.

(Hehe).

EDDY AND THE LIGHTNINGS

You know I love rautalanka and suomi beat. This time my Soft Sunday song is a little bit less soft: Shut up! As bonus you get this great video of, eh, Finnish metal workers in the sixties or so.

LA LA LASHES

I love fake lashes. The bigger, the better. In general I only wear them for shows or photoshoots since I get pretty much of my own lashes with a good mascara as well, but sometimes I might wear them in every day us as well, just for the fun of it.

Here are some of my best lash-tips for you:

* I've noticed alot of "how-to's" out there on the web when it coems to applying the lashes. My best tip for applying is the same old mantra that I've mentioned with so many other things : practice makes master. There's no other way.

* Be sure to choose a good, professional glue. All of us Itty Bitties use Duo.

* When you shop for lashes alwyas take one size bigger, fuller and longer than you first intended to. They still look pretty different on you than in their box. And what's the use of wearing false lashes if you don't look like straight out of a make up ad? In my opinion at least.

* You can modify the lashes a bit yourself; a lot of lashes are very long but rahter thin, for stage use I'm after a few thick long "cartoon-like" ones that will show from a far; I used a bit of water and glue to stick the lashes together to achieve the effect. Make Up Store has a couple of lashes ("Circus Holiday")with the right look that doesn't need modification.

* The thinner the lining of the lashes the better. Some may look nice with a linig of rhinestones or glitters but it will make them harder to glue on correctly. The ones with the lashes attached to a thin, almsot unnoticeable silicone strip are the best. You can always add a line of glitter or diamonds yourself later (you can buy those on pre-glued strips).

* Some recommend to put mascara on your lashes before applying the fake ones or to put eyeliner on afterwards. I say never! Do all other make up first. I put mascara on last, only a little, to make the fake ones stick to my own better. Sometimes I might have to fill in a bit more on the eye-liner afterwards.

* I never put the glue directly on the lashes, but on a small piece of paper and then, with the help of a pair of tweezers or a cotton pin, attach it onto the lashes. I use the tweezers for application help too. When applying I first check that it fits my outer corner correctly, but I press the lashes down in the middle first, then the corners. I glue them on my own lashes, right on the root, not on my skin. If there has to be more glue added to the edges put som on the tweezers and carefully add some. After a few second I press the lashes a bit upwards, then add mascara.

* As you may know you should cut the lashes to the lenght of your eye. My eyes are pretty wide so I seldom have to, but alwyas chekc the lenght before you start. You can use the small bits of the lashes cut off for a star-like effect; glue them "up sie down" in the outer corner of your eyer, under you underlahses. Seal with mascara.

* You can use the same lashes many times, but you have to clean them in between use. Carefully rip off the dried glue with a pair of tweezers. Afterwards I press the lashes against a make up removal pad and gently wipe them clean, after which I press them onto a tissue. Let them dry for a whole and place them in their box to keep their shape.

* It's fun to play around. Now for our Zombie Halloween show I'm going to wear huge lahes under my eye for a holed-eye effect, that will still make me look good.

CHERRY IN RED AND BLACK

Photo by Risto Kantola

This is me in dark locks and wearing part of what became of the sequinned fabric. In other words, just before getting up on stage last Saturday to premier my new number.

(I can let you in on so much as what starts out in black ends in blonde and there's a whole lot of glitter and shaking fringes in between but the rest you'll just have to catch yourself. *wink wink* Club Wanted X is coming up and so is our jazzy night at Storyville, more on those later.)

EDIT : You can see some pics of our (as wells as Burlesque Polaire's and Sugar Kane's) last week's show here.

CANDY SUNDAY

I have a bag I refer to as my ice cream bag. It's the colour. It makes me think of ice cream. So does my pink cardigan.

So dressed like this I felt like a bowl of ice cream (vanilla, strawberry licorice sauce. And some pistachio ice cream too, underneath. Not that I really like licorice sauce on ice cream. But anyway). Or Fazer's French pastilles in my grandmothers porcelain jar from when I was a kid, since as you know I like to dress like candy from time to time. And what a candy Sunday I had!

First I went to an elderly relative of mine who was wealthy and into fashion in the 50's and 60's and collected hers and her aunts old clothing she wanted to get rid of. Stuff you'd kill me to get your hands on I tell you - a 30's long evening gown in velvet, an amazing 50's satin brocade cocktail dress, a promenade suit with the perfect fit in mint condition plus some more dresses and skirts. (Yes I will twist the knife even deeper and add some photos eventually.)

Afterwards I met up with one of my sisters and my parents for a late birthday celebration; we had some cakes and pies and you name it at a café in a 18th century villa in a park just outside of town. Nice.

To top it all off I had marzipan and champagne for dinner.
As I said, candy Sunday.

(For those who wonder; the skirt is thrifted, the cardigan from Gina and the bag from one of the shoe shops in Kamppi.)

WINTER TIME

Did you all remember to turn your watches one hour back?
(After years of being watchless I now have one I could turn the time back on - one that will surely not help me to be on time but that will let me know how much I'm late and make me look more sophisticated to check the time from rather than my mobile phone; a watch necklace.)

Anyway. I would appreciate this one extra hour a lot more if it came on a Monday morning, instead of Sunday morning. Sundays are easy anyway. This one especially. But more on that later.

LIFE IS SHORT AND FULL OF STUFF

(That's me quoting the wisdom of my friend and burlesque gal Jackie O's new superb tattoo).

But yeah life is full of stuff and here's what's up for the moment :

* I received some of the stuff I've ordered lately. Stuff makes me very happy in many ways. (Not all ways possible, but many.) Ordering online makes me guilty and excited at the same time and picking up the stuff makes me ridiculously happy; it brightens up rainy days or hectic on-the-verge-of-a-burnout periods.


* Yours truly gave her harbor boys a laugh some time ago by answering the question of "what to do when you're underdressed" (my first answer being that I, of course, never am underdressed for any occasion...) by phone to a reporter, while wearing yellow safety clothing, heavy boots, trailer grease from the knees up and dirt from the knees down, loading a ship. The related photoshoot was fun and taken some weeks earlier. (I look like I'm about to eat you and anyone else opening the mag at that spread).


* This sea of sequins, pearls and satin ribbon will turn into yet another burlesque outfit of mine which will premiere on Saturday. Fanicest fabric I've ever bought (I better do that number a lot now). That and a whole lot more can be seen at the L-World party at DTM. (And yes I know, most of you don't live around here and won't make it but I'm going to wear this outfit-to -be on a photoshoot coming up soon so this time there will be pics!)

VAUDEVILLE BOUTIQUE

I'm proud of my friends - my fellow burlesque performers Mimi de FrouFrou, Lafayette Lestrange and Olivia Rouge have opened a shop for all burlesque and retro lovers in their home town of Tampere!




Vaudeville Boutique is a beautiful shop full of pretty, kitschy and delicious things from labels such as Stop Staring, What Katie Did and Kiss Me Deadly - not to forget a bunch of Finnish designers and friends as well; hats and fascinators from Fiona Timantti, accessories from Molla Mills, clothing from Mirkka Metsola and Olivia Rouge herself, plus many more. Olivia also has her small studio upstairs where she can sew you custom clothing.

The store is located just by the train station on Rautatienkatu 26 so if you visit Tampere you'll find it hard to miss. If you are a local I take it you've been to the store already, right?

For all of you everywhere elsewhere than around here the online shop is begin constructed.

This is surely the largest dressing room in Tampere! It actually is a room.

I payed the store a late night visit before a show of ours over there and got myself a hair clip from Olivia Rouge, which I attached to my angora beret instead of my hair. (Because you can do that too you know :)

(Ps. Mimi will be our guest star on Club Wanted in Novemeber!)

A SHIRT IS A SHIRT IS A SHIRT. OR?

(Yes, I am shamelessly using my cats for more interesting pictures.)

I have been asked to do an honest review on a shirt from Littlewoods. (I hadn't heard of Littlewoods before but maybe it's a familiar name for you if you' re from the UK or so?). The Love Label check shirt.

So why not; one can never have too many shirts. A basic cotton shirt is always useful and versatile since easy to wear in different ways. At first I wasn't really sure about how one reviews a shirt though; it's either a good shirt or then it's not.

Well this turned out to be a good one - I was positively surprised when I received it since I, to be honest, think it looks rather boring on the site. It has kind of a western vibe that you can accent by wearing a jeans skirt or a fuller skirt and "hide" by wearing a pencil skirt or high waisted wide trousers, like me. I am between sizes and tend to order the bigger one to be on the safe side just to find out that I am in fact not in between sizes but exactly the smaller one, and so it was in this case too. But a shirt doesn't really have to be skin tight, it looks nice with a bit of puffiness.
Thumbs up!

DRESSMANIA

Oh my. I just can't stop drooling over pretty dresses I spot online! Clothing porn. I am a total dress addict and for the moment there are quite many notifications from the post office about parcels to picked up that I'm waiting to receive (oh yeah!). And just as I've decided not to allow myself to order anything for a while I stumble across this beauty. Oh! What a shame to leave it all alone out there on the internet and not on me instead...
(Bettie Page clothing / ModCloth.com)

Ps. You've asked to see the results of what I've been sewing on in the previous post. They are stage outfits so I most likely won't be presenting them here, you'll just have to pop by at Club Wanted tonight for a peak then!

TULLE, LACE, CATS AND PEARL RIBBON, STRESS AND SILK

I am once again in a very familiar state - the one where I wish the day had more hours and don't have time for everything. (Or when I wish I were a millionaire with a couple of assistants doing all boring chores for me and me not having to work with anything else than what I want to). I'm still quite proud over the fact that I have achieved a lot so far- a part from getting up at 05:40 every day this week to go to work, I've sewn (and sewn very well!) not only one but two very nice burlesque outfits for my shows and even finding the time for a little lindy hopping in between!

You can see the first outfit in a re-vamped number of mine in Tampere, where I'm heading on Thursday with Lola Manchego and Tinkerbell to perform at the Sweet Jeena & Her Sweethearts record release party! There will be a lot of dancing, americana, swing DJ's, chocolate sweet hearts and lovley ladies on stage. (Getting up before six in the morning and doing the two-hours drive to perform in the late evening is less nice however...)

The second outfit can be spotted at Club Wanted VIII on Saturday!

Next week I'm going to sleep a lot.

BLACKER / COVER UP

If you have a bad hair day, cover it.
If you have a bad makeup day, paint over it.
If you dont know what to wear, wear black, and wear a lot of it.

(If you happen to go to a circus-themed burlesque party the same night it makes it easier not to spare the eyeliner, drag a scarf out of the closet and go all gypsy fortune teller from a travelling circus sometimes long before you were born. If you're not, go for it anyway, think silent movie star in an exotic role. The one a of gipsy fortune teller in a circus perhaps.)



The scarf is from Tunisia, the hair flower from Rascal, the earrings a gift, the eyeliner thick and covers most of the eyelid.

SUNDAY SONG

Good for lying in bed, waiting to get up,not being in a hurry, Sunday morning.
This one.

WALKING AROUND IN STOCKHOLM

Last week we did our short trip to Stockholm. We did a whole lot of walking in nice autumn weather and visited a whole lot of nice vintage stores and cafés, thanks to you and your Stockholm tips. I saw a lot of pretty things but didn't actually buy anything myself becuase you know, you don't always have to.

RUBBER BOOTIES

Oh the joy of waterproof shoes!

(Although I have to confess, they are not the most comfortable ones. Totally ok for an hour or so, but not to walk in for hours. Ouch. But then again, few shoes are...)

HALF MOONS

My nails are rather small and I seldom do anything else with them than just paint them red or pink. Sometimes however I go for this vintage style manicure; colouring the moons in a paler colour, or leaving them without varnish with only the base coat showing. I don't use any manicure strips or fancy nail paint for this, only a precise hand, but it's a bit tricky that way so I have been thinking of investing in either one to make the painting a little faster.

I've come across pictures and videos on the web calling a manicure like this "Dita nails". Surely she has her nails painted in this 30's style from time to time but it's not like she has come up with the idea herself. (It's not like all shoes with something heart shaped are called Minna Parikka shoes either :).

I saw the movie Public Enemies some time ago and noticed that you could catch a glimpse of Billies nails painted in this style in one scene. I like those small details in movies that you might or might not notice, but still add an over-all touch to the authenticity of the era pictured.

A PRETTY LONG TIME AGO

27 years ago today I blew out the candle on my first ever birthday cake!
(I'm pretty sure I didn't have any of that cake myself then though. Today however, I will :)


(I couldn't resist putting up this pic of me, mom and my very baby-chubby legs here too...)

EVERYDAY YIN AND YANG

I got two things today. A good thing and a bad thing to even it up a little; I picked up a couple of cherry combs (to be shown later) and a big beautiful blue flower from Rascal Kosher's etsy shop. I also got a parking ticket (during those five minutes I ran up to J's flat to pick my cats up after staying there during my Sweden trip).

That's everyday yin and yang for you.

(Psst. Thanks for all you Stockholm tips!)

STOCKHOLM

A teenage hippie-troll in Stockholm some eleven ten years ago. Ehrm, me, in other words. But 'm quite cute though. And I remember really loving that strange furry old jacket!

Well anyway. I used to pop by in Stockholm at least a couple of times per year before; K and I went over there for some shopping and (never too successful actually) bar hopping, staying at her father's place downtown. Now I actually haven't been there properly for a couple of years! I'm doing a short trip there soon and as I've gone bazookas on the internet I have absolutely no need to shop anything but I was thinking if you locals would give me a hint on some stores worth visiting anyway? And for men too! And what's you absolute favorite place for a fika? Advice appreciated :)

LUCKY GIRLS

(Photo from here.)

There were so many participants of the Tara Starlet give-away but as you know, only one lucky girl to win. Miss Fortune has drawn that lucky new owner of the sailor slacks; this time it's The Sun and the Sparrow! Congratulations!

(Btw even though the Choo collection is not out yet it's already known that the next designer to work with H&M will be Sonia Rykiel. There will be a lingerie collection launched in both H&M stores as well as Rykiel's boutiques (!) in December 2009, and knitwear for women and children(girls) in the spring of 2010. I never end up buying any of the stuff anyway but I think the designer collaborations were a pretty genius idea for H&M to come up with. And if you're sad for not winning the pants maybe this will make some of you girls feel better :)

SOFT SUNDAY, ONCE AGAIN

This Sunday was not spent in The Big Harbour as supposed but instead in bed since I have a stomach flu. That sucks. But I'm waiting to get well again next week since I intend to have lots of fun then!

THE 5 SECOND HAIRDO

Sometimes when I don't have the need to or feel like fixing my hair I create the fastest hairdo in the world by grabbing half of it- the hair that is- and pushing it upwards with a comb into something of a bouffant kind of style, a miniature beehive. Super Kawaii Mama has a tutorial on how to achieve the look without backcombing, by tucking some hair under itself in order to achieve some height; you can also avoid back combing by putting a hair rat/sponge roll in, but that's all to hi-fi for this. I go casual : grab, twist and push. Take half of your hair and twist it about halfway around itself and press a comb in tightly from underneath, upwards. You can actually get the hair pretty big!

It's a good 'do if my hair is still damp from washing it, or a bit fly and dull. It works just like that and truly does not take longer than 5 seconds, but if you want some more flair curl the ends of your hair. Or add a ribbon. Then you have to add a couple of minutes but you still get away pretty easy.

SOME PEOPLE NEVER HAVE TO CLEAN UP BY THEMSELVES BUT I'M NOT ONE OF THOSE

If you ever wondered this is what I look like when I do my cleaning (and like this when I make the magic in the kitchen happen). And I listen to opera while I do it, of course.


Well.
Let's not break any illusions here shall we, I actually AM vacuuming in those pics because sometimes you need to do so. Vacuum that is. Weather I actually always do it all dressed up or not is a totally different question, but sometimes it's just inevitable to do it right there right then so at least it has happened once.

(My dress is from Stop Stearing, the seamed stockings are what Katie Did. Very recommendable stockings.
The mini beret is Molla Mills, shoes OIS.)

SUBTLE AUTUMN COLOURS & SUNDAY BIKE RIDES

The warm afternoon sun could almost make one think it is still summer, but there are still some things giving autumn away: the shade of the light, a colder breeze and colours starting to pop up here and there, less green, more yellow.










And of course, the fallen leaves. More and more of them.
A great weather to bike in however!

WELL YOU'RE A BUNCH OF LUCKY GALS!

I have such great news for you all:
One of my all time favorite labels, Tara Starlet, is doing a give-away right here, right now!


One lucky reader will win a pair of what I find as one of their most desireable products, the Sailor Slacks! I've dreamed about these sailor styled pants with a super high waist, wide legs and contrast coloured buttons a long time myself already. ♥ Oh ♥

I will as usual let Miss Fortuna decide by randomly choosing a winner on Monday September 28th! That means you have ten days time to try your luck - all you have to do to enter is to leave a comment on this post. Feel free to spread the word. OH yeah and if you don't have a blog account remember to leave me your email!

Tara has also started a blog for an inside view of a fashion studio! You can read it at tarastarlet.blogspot.com.

YES PLEASE.

In general I am not very fond of listing things that I want to have and shout that list out on the internet. But of course it is no news that I do like a lot of pretty things, and just because I don't list them all the time doesn't mean there aren't things I dream about every now and then. But because it's my birthday soon I thought I'd give it a go, in case some kitchenware manufacturer or apple sellers would be reading this and be in a generous mood...

Since world peace and a 1967 Ford Mustang most likely are out of the question (and apart from constantly craving dresses and weekend trips to European cities) these are some things I dream about for the moment:

A mint green Smeg! Even though getting one such would require a bigger kitchen and therefore also a bigger flat (plus a cream coloured oven and cream coloured dish washer from the same line to match my future cream coloured cupboards), which I unlikely will receive for such an insignificant birthday as my 28th(and probably no other B-day either :) I still keep on wishing. Because one day I will have all that! (picture)



The Minna Parikka ginger bag in powder blue...and pretty much any Minna Parikka shoe too, but I guess I should add that I absolutely have no need for new shoes for the moment, but oh what the hell, I wouldn't mind!


A lomographic camera so I can take artsy-fartsy photos!(cat pic from here)


A new mac: mac book pro. Doesn't have to be in 24K gold though, but hey, why not?

I also wished for a bow trench, waterproof shoes and a nice umbrella but I took care of those things myself already.

(Ps. Smeg suppliers and mac-men, did you get the hint? Thanks in advance, appreciate it.)

LAYING LOW

My cats are taking it easy while I'm busy working and organizing things, like different jobs and gigs and my life and stuff, but I do have something great coming up for all of you soon! Exciting...

MAGIC, WELL KIND OF

Remember this post and it's one-of-a-kind bag?


Well abracadabra, now it's mine!


(Dress - Tara Starlet, Bag - Viivi Vein)