My First Ever Photoshoot

I was thinking the other day that a year ago I had never done burlesque and hadn't quite dipped my toes into modelling either. How the heck did it all happen? These are things that I'd been wanting to do for years and I'm so glad I finally got the ball rolling. So for posterities sake, and for anyone else who, like me, had no idea how to jump in, here's how I made my splash.

I was chatting with a friend over tea and we were both thinking of modelling and we'd both heard good things about a website that connects people in the industry. I'd heard about it through internet friends who were also interested in burlesque/pinups and modelling is a cool way to show off your burlesque outfits as you come up with them. So we both signed up for ModelMayhem.com. And what do you know, we were both messaged by Brad Mazur. He was looking for models for a project on eyes and we were looking for experience. After talking it over with him we decided that we'd do our first photoshoot together. We were both super nervous and a little awkward in front of the camera but he was easy going and knew his stuff, and he put us right at ease. And his project turned out really cool!

Eyes really are the windows to the soul. 

 © Brad Mazur (Mazography)

As a photographer for a first time model he was perfect. For days after the shoot I was on a creative high. So when he asked me if I'd be interested in working with him again of course I jumped at the chance! This time he was really playing with the concept of light and dark.

Since signing up for ModelMayhem I've met some really cool people including photographers, other models, hair stylists, make up artists and all the other behind the scenes people who are  super creative and good at what they do. I've also made some pretty rad friends. Seriously, no one loves playing dress up with you as much as another model or a photographer.

So there's how I did it; what's stopping you?

Saucily Yours,
Miss Scarlet

Rockabilly Event - Part One

Alright, y'all! This post may seem a little self centered because out of all the amazing pictures taken during the  Drawn and Plastered Rockabilly show the only ones I'm going to be posting are mine. Don't like it? Stop reading my diary. ;-) There's just no room for all the incredibly lovely faces to be featured here. If you're reading this you probably came here from Facebook, in which case go here to see the Official Event album! It's probably  It IS the most gorgeous collection of people you will ever see.

Saturday, July 14th 2012: The pre-show magic happened at Rockabetty and The Foxy Shoppe, with half the group for the Drawn and Plastered Art Models and gals participating in the runway show going to each location. I was in the FS group which was delightful because a) it's one of my favourite places in Winnipeg and b) Miss Foxy just has to look at you to make you feel like a Fox. But to add a little more magic than even her bedroom eyes can muster she had two professional hair stylists and a make up artist waiting in the wings! Every runway model was provided with a dress and shoes for the evening. Miss Foxy even had a bag of false eyelashes-now that's thinking of everything! There was a long lineup of ladies waiting for beauty care so I took a front row seat in her shop mirror and did my own makeup.

Photo courtesy of Holly Halftone - super cute dress by the Foxy Shoppe!

I did however take full advantage of having a stylist do my hair. I swear she was the guardian angel of pin curls and victory rolls. She was laughing when she got to me after doing Miss Ruby Red Lips's updo because, as she told me, "I have two little girls named Scarlet and Ruby- I didn't think I named them after burlesque dancers!" It was the best way to get ready for the show. I was vibrating with nerves- a brand new routine never before seen by the public? But a group singoff of Hot Blooded by Foreigner worked out the jitters and got us all in the mood. And in case that wasn't enough sass Miss Foxy put the cherry on my sundae by lending me these:

Photo courtesy of Brad Mazur

When the magic was done we made our way in groups over to Le Garage Cafe. I drove a gal over in her own car because she was corseted in ... driving while constrained is a difficult skill to master! I know that from firsthand experience. I'd have loved to wear a corset for the evening but I was already going to be hopping in (but mostly out) of different outfits all evening. It's much easier done with zippers.

Photo courtesy of Brad Mazur

Miss La Muse caught me before my act to wish me luck. Is it just me or do we have fabulous taste in dresses? 

The show started promptly at nine pm with the art models posing five minutes each. Then at nine thirty I took to the dance floor in front of the stage and performed a burlesque act to Black Betty by Spiderbait. **I realized after writing everything out and organizing all the photos that my routine would have to be in another post. Yay more blogging for me! :D**

After my routine I scurried to change back into miss Foxy's lovely dress and heels. On my way back I was drafted *cough*eagerlyvolunteered*cough* to be an art model and post for ten minutes so that various artists could sketch/draw/photograph/do their thing. Two very amazing pieces came out of this episode. The first is this sketch by pinup artist David Oro.

He complemented me on my ability to not move or twitch but the secret to that is every time he looked down to draw I would quickly shift my weight, shake my foot or give my shoulders a roll. Staying in the same position for ten minutes is harder than it looks! David absolutely made my day by meeting up with me for coffee Monday night and giving this sketch to me.  I offered to pay him but he autographed it and gave me a roguish smile, saying "I like knowing that this way my work is priceless." What a man!

The second piece is by Kenneth Porhownik who took his sketches and made them into penny dreadful novel covers. So cool!

I held my position for as long as I could but shortly thereafter the fashion show began. Models from Hungover Empire, Rockabetty and The Foxy Shoppe all lined up at the door and then cat walked down the aisle, did a saucy little turn on stage and returned. Possibly the sexiest moment of the night? Two bad ass corsetted babes strutting their stuff and then having a stare down on stage as part of the show. The heat between them almost sizzled the audience!

After the show Miss Ruby took the stage. As one fan aptly put it 'she was the embodiment of Marilyn Monroe and she had the fanbase to prove it'. Uh, yeah she is!

Photo courtesy of Holly Halftone

Photo courtesy of Chris Hlday's Dynamic Photography

My favourite part of the evening was by far the best dressed contest because EVERYONE who wasn't a model was dressed up too! Everyone! It was like classy Hallowe'en had come early. With so many gorgeous  people packed into one place I'm surprised the place didn't burst into hairspray fueled flames. The contest was followed with live music by Greg Arcade and the Electrics, and the Go Go Pops with more music by DJ King Cabernet. It was one hell of an evening.

Photo courtesy of Holly Halftone

Look at this program! How amazing is that? I need to say that Meg B and Holly Halftone did a phenomenal job organizing this event. The sheer amount of hours they put in to make the event a success must have been mind numbing. Overall 115+ people decided to attend. It was a sold out show with standing room only! Since this was the last Drawn and Plastered event for the summer it was a hell of a way to end the season! The only thing that could have made it better was air conditioning. I was warmer dancing mostly naked inside than I was fully dressed outside!

So there you have it. I was a runway model, art model, burlesque dancer and mayhem partier all in one night. It was hands down the sexiest retro party Winnipeg has ever seen. Stay tuned for a breakdown of my naughty routine!

Saucily yours,

Miss Scarlet

Weekend Adventures - March 9-11

I love it when I need a work week to recover from my weekend. This fin de semaine was a wild ride of good causes and the arts.

Friday night the lovely S.G. accompanied me to the International Women's Week Cabaret of Monologues by Sarasvati Productions. The piece was comprised of one woman vignettes that spanned cultures and time but focused on Manitoban women. A Sals waitress contemplated how much better her life would be if she moved to the grand city of *Toronto*. A German war bride comforted her unborn child in the cold winter of 1945. A young Filipino girl flew to Canada to join her Mother after eight Christmases and Birthdays apart. The most memorable was Nellie McClung come back from the dead for the first NHL hockey game of the "Suffra-Jets", sure that after all this time Winnipeg women would have conquered everything down to contact sports and the line to the ladies room.
Appropriately S.G. and I followed this with a girls night of peppermint tea and dreaming dreams.

Saturday night was the third annual Spay-ghetti dinner (with no balls) fundraiser for the Craig Street Cats! This selfless Wolesley organization traps, spays & neuters and releases wild strays as well as adopting out kittens and providing medical needs. The dinner was a plate of pasta, salad and a bun. The pasta wasn't terribly appetizing but in a surprising culinary twist the salad was delicious. The cupcakes that followed for dessert were to die for. However the absolute best part of the evening was the after dinner show!

The Prairie Caravan Tribal Bellydance Troupe is utterly phenomenal. I've seen them dance once before and both times they've made me dance in my seat and go "I want to do that!" Their brightly coloured costumes and sensuous control of their bodies is spellbinding to watch. I now have this pressing desire to learn how to belly dance. If, as a student, I currently lack both time and funds, well ... we'll just have to get creative.

Sunday night after work I had a photoshoot with the very talent Brad Mazur. I picked an outfit that I haven't had the chance to dance in yet, including gold star stick on pasties. For the record, stick on pasties are terrible. They fall off and leave red, angry patterns on your skin. I'm going to have to start making my own. But back to the shoot. Brad played around with lighting and shadow as well as the effect of candlelight. I played around in gold sparkly shoes and admired the effect of gold sparkly shoes. Despite that the shoot was a great success! I'm still just starting out on this crazy path of Burlesque but even last year I wouldn't have thought that small triumphs like this (see photos) would be possible for me. They spur me on to reach for the (Old Hollywood) stars!

If you missed either of these awesome events this year you can look forward to them next year, and I promise more photoshoots are in the works. ;)

Saucily yours,
Miss Scarlet