FOUR THINGS RIGHT NOW

(Or, to be precise, four things earlier today. I'm in the harbour right now.)

I like to give myself a little extra bit of weekend; take another Sunday morning those Mondays that I'm going to the evening shift. And so I did today - made a grat breakfast (soured whole milk (viili) and blue berries are such a good combination that right now I can't think of anything better!), took it easy, resulting in having to rush and stress like crazy later on in order to get done what needed to be done before work. Sigh.


The more the better - I burlesqified these heels for our new routine. And four more pairs. (It was fun the first two-and-a-half-pairs, the rest more painful. But, still more to come; more to be done!)


One of Kerttu's photos, with us Itty-Bitties swimming, is on the cover of 6degress. The article is about burlesque and the upcoming festival.


Meanwhile, the dog is smoking in the blue room.

THE FAIREST OF THEM ALL

The Helsinki Burlesque Festival 2011 started today with the opening of Kerttu Malinens burlesque themed photo exhibition. She has been taking pictures on and off stage, backstage and on various locations for a couple of years.


The exhibition is at Jukka Male museo in Kaapeli.


Lola Vanilla and Lola Vanilla.

Tinkerbell and Tinkerbell.

Fiona and Fiona.

Me and me! From this shoot.

Fiona and I were both wearing lots of glitter and sparkle.
And she was also wearing a hat of her own design, of course. I wore a vintage gold lamé dress that I got form my grandmother. And my sparkling shoes too, may I add. Like I said, lots of sparkle.

There are so many amazing photos, so I really recommend stopping by!
The exhibition is open from 30.1 to 27.2, nine to nine daily.

The master herself.

DRESS-DREAMING

Lately 've had a huge need to browse dresses online and a craving to buy everything I see, mostly those with big skirts, in patterns or floral prints. Blame it on the spring to be. Or just on my vanity.

There is but only one reason I don't buy all of the above for example, and it's the one that I still seem to have some sense of reality when it comes to dress shopping - I am very well aware of the fact that I can't fit all dresses I already have in my wardrobe. Sigh. (Wellfare country problem)

HOwever, I have been adding some items to my other blog, clothing you've seen here before. Not always easy, but that's the way it has to go. Most of yesterday's additions are sold by now, but there is more to come so check it out!

And, therefore I feel entitled to get something new now doesn't it?

I had a vintage dress orgie over at Hoochie Mama Jane some days ago, damn, why did all those dresses have to fit so well! They were fancy frocks in silk and sateen though, I was more thinking of getting myself something for everyday wear. Sigh, again, or then I guess I should just go to more parties...

Dresses above, in consideration, from the left to the right: Pinup Couture, Big Beautiful Barbara Brown, Tara Starlet, Bernie Dexter / ModCloth, Pinup Couture.

I'VE GOT STRIPES, STRIPES AROUND MY SHOULDERS. AGAIN.

I'm having a stripe-thing going on! I just can't get enough of stripes and I'm waiting to be able to wear striped tops with shorts, wicker bags and cropped jackets and bike around in the sunshine. Oh yes.

And, about the stuff; the following things in the picture are vintage: bag, chairs, table, lamp, beret

...and the following are not: top & cardigan (H&M), fridge (Smeg), shoes (last year's DinSko), skirt (Vivien of Holloway).

THE BEGINNING, THE END, AND EVERYTHING THERE IN BETWEEN

You know I'm a big fan of animations of different kind, especially stop motion.
I'm also intrigued by so called street art; big fan of Banksy.

This is by Blu, and it's amazing:


It's a little long, I know, but worth watching!
(And as usual thinking about the making of gives me a headache...)

SPARKLING LEGS

The shimmering fishnets in my previous post were give to The Itty-Bitty Tease Cabaret to try out and review by We Love Colours, you remember, where also the colourful socks Eddi got to try came from?

The lurex glitter fishnets are soft, stretchy but still durable so they work well for dancing. They sparkle in strong light which will be great for stage (and for one of our new numbers, soon!), but in other conditions the shimmer is more soft and all-over; you don't have to be a show girl to use them :)

MIRRORS, FEATHERS

We Bitties are rehearsing for some new routines that will première on the Helsinki Burlesque Festival 2011.
And they will be fabulous.

The whole festival will be rather fabulous actually - as usual, but especially this year - with a totally incredible line up.
(There are still a few tickets left, so if you are interested you better hurry up and get them!)

You can see more pictures on our burlesque blog (soon).

KEEPING A GIFT FOR MYSELF

I got myself a new art deco inspired hat. Or head piece, however you like to see it. Originally I did buy it as a gift for someone else, but as soon as I left the shop I got doubtful and at home I thought - what the hell! I'll keep it!

I mean, it even has a tassel for heaven's sake!

The hat is made by Linda in Ansa and the bangs are fake, re-coloured from platinum and thus useable for me again. I had to give the ends of my hair some fresh tint too as they are so bleached they started loosing colour and going matte. We only had to colour half of the hair however, as it is growing out in the "right" colour.
(My hairdresser is an old friend of mine, Josefin, and she works at Prof downtown, in case someone's interested or want to pay her a visit or so.)
The sateen outfit is Vivien of Holloway.

VIVIEN OF HOLLOWAY VALENTINE'S COMPETITION!

Oh, have I got news for you:


We have once again worked out this nice thing with Vivien of Holloway, and this time they are kind enough to offer one of you a chance to win a £50 gift certificate! Just in time for you to perhaps get yourself something nice for Valentine's Day...

To enter you'll need to answer five questions related to the brand.
Email me your answers to freelancersfashion@gmail.com - use VIVIEN OF HOLLOWAY VALENTINE'S as the subject so I'll be able to find your emails in my inbox!

The questions are as follows:
1. What size is 36/28/40?

2. How would you measure yourself to get the correct bust/waist/hip measurements?

3. Can you tell me in what clothing we have the sweethearts fabric?

4. Where is all the Vivien of Holloway clothing manufactured?

5. Where was our shop before we moved to Holloway Road?

Visit the Vivien of Holloway site (www.vivienofholloway.com) to find the answers!
The winner will be drawn randomly among those who have answered correctly.

The competition is open until February 11th when I will announce who has won the gift certificate.
Vivien of Holloway can offer you next day delivery so you'll get your items in time for Valentine's Day :)

Good luck!

NEW YEAR'S GIVE AWAY OVER

So, I'd like to thank you all a lot for for your comments on the Best Of 2010-competition.

The lucky winner this time was commenter no43; Phoenix Rising! Her fav post was this one. You will receive a small little pinup-package I out together - a set of false lashes, a strawberry pin up lip balm, a swallow pin and a bow pendant.

♥

LAUGHTER

Soft Sunday song today is in Estonian.
I am actually a quarter Estionian, but my Eesti Keelt is mostly limited to talking about vehicles and car decks, due to work. Many people think Estonian and Finnish are pretty much the same, which isn't true; they do have lots of similarities, but just by knowing one of them does not mean you will get by on the other (like Swedish and Norwegian for example, where you understand pretty much of the other, at least on a basic level).

Well anyway, this song is called laughter; he sings about sumer ending and the could autumn wind's laughter.

You can hear all of the Soft Sunday songs on my frequently updated Spotify list; although not all songs can be found on youtube or vice versa, not on Spotify, so this song had to compromise.

Oh, and also, you still have one more day to enter my New Year's Best of 2010 give-away, I will end it tomorrow!

OUT AND ABOUT

Well hello, here I am; on my way to do a burlesque workshop at a bachelorette party, then go to our burlesque rehearsal and hopefully out to have dinner with an old friend afterwards.

Now you may wonder: how is that possible? To go out like that. It is minus 15C and the streets are made of ice.
Well, here's how:
You remember the anatomy of dressing when really really cold?
It's not as cold now, but close, so this is one version of it:
First, I am actually wearing two pairs of stockings; thick white cotton ones and a pair of regular, semi thin nude ones on that. As I will be indoors later on I bring my shoes along and wear my winter boots outside; one'd be crazy to go out in shoes like this with half a meter of snow on the ground. I wear a pair of black wool leg warmers or knee high socks for outside too. Then a long sleeved bolero and a thick and long -also old and a bit ugly, but warm- cardigan on top. (Don't worry, nobody gets to see the cardigan, it goes off with the jacket.) With that, my jacket, a scarf, something on the head and hands (quite a lot already, I know, but that's life over here) I'll be just fine.
Ta-ta!

(The pinafore skirt is Vivien of Holloway, T-shirt one of Eddie's, mini beret by Molla Mills, vanity case bag via ebay and shoes from Very.)

THE CAT AND THE SPARKLING SHOES

You know when you as a little girl couldn't dream of any more wonderful shoes than the red ruby slippers Dorothy had?

Although my own acute carvings for glittering shoes are long gone I did get myself a pair worthy of those Oz-tastic shoes; black velvet heels covered with small sparkly diamonds!(Yeah, yeah, real diamonds). Perfect for burlesque parties and for shows; one can never sparkle too much on stage.
I got these on sale at Halonen.

THE BOUDOIR SERIES

The result of the Atelieri shoot a month back, inspired by erotic photographs from the early 1900s (my hand however modestifying the photo a bit, for internet's sake..).

These can be seen along with the rest of the series at the "Alice in Wonderland"- exhibition about contemporary photography at Logomo in Turku, as part of the design capital 2011 happenings.
The exhibition will open on Friday and run until December.

SONG FOR SOFT SUNDAY : IT HURTS ME TOO

In general I prefer a male voice singing to a female one. But not by default. Like here:

THE JAFFAS

Some years ago I mentioned the Jaffa posters here on this blog; soda advertisements from the late fifties and early sixties that made the billboards again in a retro campaign a few years back. I've always wanted these posters and for some reason I kept on wondering how to get them until it last summer struck me - what the hell is wrong with me? Few things are ever further than a google away!
(Yes, really, sometime I am so old school I actually forget about the internet and think I have to find stuff in real life.)

A few minutes later two of the Jaffas where on their way home to me.

The posters are made by Erik Bruun, one of my favorite Finnish graphic designers (I really love this one too for example :). They can be ordered from his shop.

THE SUNDAY SCHOOL TEACHER

...but she does wear terribly sinful red shoes.

The skirt is vintage, blouse Zara, vest old H&M and the shoes are Melissa's Temptations.

A SMALL GATHERING OF THINGS I LIKE

My red shoes, some vintage bags and petticoats sharing space on my clothes rack.
(And something else I like very much in the background :)

IMPROVEMENTS

I've never been much for New Year's promises. I mean, come on.
But, I have however tried it with improvements. Improvements of things I've noticed I don't handle in the most ideal way in daily life. I've however tried improving the same things two years in a row and both times it has gone horribly wrong; I'm even worse than before...

This year I'm going to try and read more.
I have a small pile of books on my bedside table that has been there forever. I should just leave the damn computer and internet alone (sorry guys...)!


I have heaps of books waiting for me as I keep on buying them in a different pace than I actually read them. Goddamit! I also put loads of books on my shelf when packing down my grandparents hundreds of books in boxes for storage in the basement. So many pages, so many words and letters, so little time...


Another thing to improve is the one that I've failed the past years: organize my papers better, instead of giving the pile a go only once a month (if even that). Oh my I am so terribly bad at that, and believe me - I have lots of papers; the regular ones all household gather, my own companies and then the Itty Bitty's company matters. I'd need an assistans (who will work for free and still not screw me over). That improvement would also result in a much more nicer study one could actually spend time in, ahem.


Last but not least I should try to stick to another thing I wanted to start last year already (but did not manage to do, mostly thanks to Teh Internet...); a moment of self pampering each night! Now, you may think that I'd actually do that all the time, yes, in some matters,daily basic stuff like toothbrushing and hair brushing of course (and the occasional cabbage-do :) - but in the end not that much. I was thinking things like a foot bath, some stretching, a scrub, a calm moment. Something small just a few minutes per evening. Lat year I planned that I'd put fifteen minutes on papers and tidying up per night, and fifteen minutes to myself with something nice.
Well, didn't work out.

Let's see if I'll be better (to myself actually) this year then!