Burlesque Past and Present: Mistinguett and her lengthy legs

The art of the tease is on everyone's lips; with a rising interest in burlesque, cabaret clubs are in full swing and new acts are cropping up every week. At Playful Promises we just adore a bit of cheek, and would love to introduce you to our favourite burly girls, past and present! Keep your eyes firmly peeled, as each week we feature inspiring performers guaranteed to set pulses racing!

Although I am cheating slightly, featuring a lady who wasn't necessarily thought of as a burlesque artist, she did pave the way for many a showgirl; making glamorous, gigantic headdresses and vast skirt trains of feathers a popular performance costume. 

Mistinguett, real name Jeanne Bourgeois, was THE female entertainer of her time, with legs that would make men melt at her feet! 

Determined to make it in show business, she left her humble beginnings as a flower seller in a restaurant and began her career in 1885 after taking classes in singing and theatre. Apparently those classes didn't do much good, as it was noted that she didn't have much of a singing voice, nor could she dance well or be particularly visually appealing, so she made her name the only way she could: a charismatic personality. 

That and her legs! She explains "the rest had to be created. I had to invent something.... my legs, 'the lovliest legs in the world', [an idea that] came out of my head." Indeed, those legs were the basis of her career; in fact, in 1919 she insured them for 500,000 francs! 

Bourgeois (and with a surname like that, you would most certainly need something catchier for the stage!) experimented with various stage names, such as Miss Helyett, Miss Tinguette, Minstinguette, before finally settling on Mistinguett. She debuted at the Casino de Paris in 1895 before moving on to appear at notorious venues such as Folies Bergere and the Moulin Rouge. 

Mistinguett was the epitome of showbiz decadence during the turn of the century. Her cheeky performance style became well known; once, while singing, an audience member shouted, "higher!", to which she lifted her skirt (and you can imagine what an uproar that caused!).

Rumor has it that she was romantically involved with Alphonso XIII, the King of Spain and the Russian Prince Orloff, and was BFFs with Jean Cocteau and Oscar Wilde. 

She was also best known for her signature song "Mon Homme", recording it in 1920. You may have heard the popular English version "My Man", which became a staple of the cabaret world for years to come. 

Burlesque Past and Present: Lydia Thompson

The art of the tease is on everyone's lips; with a rising interest in burlesque, cabaret clubs are in full swing and new acts are cropping up every week. At Playful Promises we just adore a bit of cheek, and would love to introduce you to our favourite burly girls, past and present! Keep your eyes firmly peeled, as each week we feature inspiring performers guaranteed to set pulses racing!

Kicking off our naughty series it is only fitting that we discuss the woman that helped shape Burlesque as it exists today: Lydia Thompson.

Often credited as the burly-godmother of American Burlesque, Lydia was a dancer and producer, who successfully introduced this quaint English vaudeville act to the American public. Back when the art form stuck strictly to the origin of the word (in Italian 'burla' means a mockery), the acts revolved around parodying rather than the sexual striptease we are now familiar with. Popular during Victorian London, burlesque was a form of musical theatre, which was often quite risqué for the time.

Flesh-coloured tights shocked and thrilled the audience, giving the impression of naked flesh (rather like nipple pasties are used since!). While this became ever so slightly passé in fashionable London, in 1868 Lydia Thompson took her troupe, The British Blondes, overseas to New York. When this group of women with bleached hair landed in America with little but a pair of tights, tickets we snapped up in a fit of ecstasy. 

Whoever had been dealing with Lydia's PR had hit a goldmine. I just love this story which spread itself around before the debut shows: "Captain Ludoc Baumbarten of the Russian dragoons took some flowers and a glove belonging to Miss Thompson, placed them on his breast; then shot himself through the heart, leaving on his table a note stating that his love for her brought on the fatal act." Whether this dramatic tale is true, we don't know, but the men of America were stricken with a lust for Lydia. 

She must have been particularly charming, as the view of young women's legs was no new experience - "leg shows" had been around for years. This new format of titillation had captured it's audience, allowing the shows to develop into full length revues, and their original schedule of 6 months was extended to a jaw-dropping 6 years. 

Not only did these ladies look amazing, but you definitely didn't want to mess with them. Bizarrely, an incident where Lydia, her husband and another troupe member, Pauline Markham, horse-whipped a critic at gunpoint only lead to a fine and increased popularity. Burlesque is serious business after all. 

Another particularly interesting point to mention about Lydia was that she was known for her roles as the 'principle boy', the leading male character. While this was a standard in burlesque, many claim she was one of the first great Drag Kings, and the idea of a woman dressed and acting like a male further infuriated critics.

While burlesque went out of fashion in England at the end of the 19th century, the American style grew into it's own genre. Sexuality became an increasingly common feature; what began with "cooch" dances moved into strip shows in the 1930s. But that is a whole other blog post!

Find the Perfect Swimsuit Top for your Bust

Susan is a blogger for Beauty and the Beach, a swimwear and fashion blog by InStyleSwimwear.com.  For more swimsuit style tips, trend reports and more, check them out today!

Let’s face it—no two women are shaped exactly the same, and some of us need more or less support than others when it comes to the girls! While shopping for a new swimsuit, one of the biggest problems women run into is finding a top that fits and flatters their figure.  The key is to know which swimsuit tops to look for, based on your bust size. After reading this mini style guide, you’ll be well on your way to looking absolutely fab this season!

Small Bust

Women with small bust sizes are often very self-conscious when swimsuit season comes around.  The key is to find styles that enhance your bustline. In terms of silhouette, triangle tops and bandeaus with either a twist design or sweetheart neckline are your best bet.

Look for these swimsuit tops with specially designed push-up padding (which will help enhance and boost you up) or molded cups (which will help create a curvier shape for your bust). 

Finally, embellishments and texture are your best friends! Look for triangle or bandeau swimsuit styles with fringe, tiered ruffle detail or beading such as Playful Promises Hummingbird Triangle Bra.

Medium Bust

Ladies with medium bust sizes are the lucky ones! Depending on your particular bust size and shape, you can pretty much wear any style of swimsuit top you’d like, including halters, triangle tops, bra tops and bandeau tops! 

Ask yourself what you’re looking for. If you want to make your bust appear bigger, look for swimsuit tops with embellishments, push-up padding, molded cups or even bold prints.

But if you want to make your bust appear smaller, look for swimsuit tops that will offer more coverage and create a minimizing effect, such as plain bandeaus that go straight across or dark solid-colored halters. Playful Promises Future Tribal Embroidery Bandeau bra is perfect for this.

Large Bust

Finally, if you’re well-endowed up top, then you’ll most likely need swimsuit tops that offer better support. Any top that has underwire cups will be the most supportive for the girls. Similarly, halters with thicker fixed underbands or those featuring double-string underbands can be ultra-supportive.

But if you hate tan lines on your chest, bandeaus are not out of the question! Certain bandeau swimsuit tops have center v-neck halter designs which can be easily untied when you’re laying out. In addition, most traditional bandeau tops come with one or two optional neck straps that can be easily removed for your tanning pleasure!

For more support, go for styles like Playful Promises Garden Party underwire bra

Now that you know what swimsuit tops to look for, you’re one step closer to finding your perfect swim style! Happy shopping!

Backstage with Burlexe

Burlexe is a unique play about the lives of women in burlesque. It fuses performance with storytelling, dancing with acting. It’s about strong, powerful, amazing women and it’s like nothing you’ve seen before.

We went behind-the-scenes to find a unique sisterhood, which actually reflects what’s happening on stage.

- Burlexe mixes the inimitable Kele le Roc with actresses and guest burlesquers – it’s a living soap opera with highs, hilarity and a good deal of glitter.  

- On stage, Kele le Roc is the most hilarious of comperes, flicking her whip and backstage she’s holding court with stories told in a myriad of accents.

Image by Tigz Rice

- Girls arrive for the pre-show walk-through in leggings and Ugg boots but emerge on stage as glamorous goddesses be it exotic like Luna Rosa or gothic a la Aurora Galore.

- It’s glamorous but girly with backstories are led by hormones, love life, current circumstances and losing an earring.

Kiki Kaboom by Tigz Rice

- Conversations are about make-up and costume tips, where to get just-as-good-but-not-as-expensive-Swarovski-alikey crystals. And did you know what a see-string is? A G-string to perform in. Where can we get one of those? Ask Bettsie BonBon…

Want to find out more?

Seeing Red: Is red still seen as the sexiest colour for lingerie?

Love - Playful Promises AW12

Type in "red lingerie" to google and you are instantly bombarded with every kind of shade you can imagine, in a whole host of designs. From sex-shop style frilly teddies to sumptuously expensive treats, red has often been cited as the sexiest colour for lingerie.

It's not hard to see why - red is the colour of passion and danger, of energy and confidence. Some cultures honor the colour as a symbol of good fortune, celebration and purity. What do you think when you see red lingerie?

I'd love to know when the first trend of red undergarments first began. Strangely, in my searches I couldn't find any information on such an interesting subject! Was it during the Edwardian era, when synthetic dyes made intense colour possible? Or, could it be a little less savory in it's origins?

From as early as the 15th century, clothing worn by prostitutes had to be distinguishable from that of other women, mainly because society shunned their lifestyle choice. Often a harlot had a yellow stripe on her clothing, but more commonly the stripe was red. Of course there is nothing to say what colour their underwear was, but perhaps this taboo naughtiness kickstarted the ongoing trend. Not that wearing red lingerie means you wish to be a prostitute, of course, but it may have given the colour red that extra touch of kink!

A prostitute in New Orleans in 1912 by E.J.Bellocq

In this era, where lingerie has moved from 'strictly bedroom' to 'fashion statement', the underwear as outerwear trend still in full swing, I wonder if red lingerie has been replaced as the colour of choice when looking to seduce?

When we asked our followers on Facebook and Twitter which colours made them feel sexiest, they answered with pinks, cream, blue, purple, green, ever-present black and even neon pinks and yellows! Only two people mentioned red, with one specifically preferring dark wine red to the flashier tones of the 90s.

These can be seen, too, in the forthcoming trends (but which comes first, the trend or the fashionista?), with Spring Summer 2012 seeing a whole host of pastels and earthy browns, lemon yellow and teal, dusty purple and lilac.

Moving those colours through into Autumn Winter 2012, the colour tones become deeper, with rich and vibrant jewel tones, ruby and a stronger teal, contrasted against rich blacks. This is all thanks to one of the most prominent trends of the season, which is all about the body and the raw energy emerging from it. Red lingerie is back with a new lease of life, in darker, luscious tones combined with ultramarine and blush. Think hearts and veins and sinuous muscle! Kinda gross, but that's how we like it, which is why we named our AW12 collection "Anatomy of a Heart"!

Juliette - Playful Promises AW12