OFF TO THE AIRPORT SOON...

Almost done packing my belly friendly dresses and then I'm off ot the spring in Milan!
Surprisingly enough I usually pack quite little ...

....it's all the make up and other stuff that fill up the bag. Especially since we're doing a show. As you can imagine my hand baggage only consists of sequins, wigs and dancing shoes...
If you're there come and say hi!

If interested, from above:
vintage jacket and dress, H&M ballerinas,
new Marimekko dress, old shoes and another pair of H&M ballerinas,
Marimekko striped dress and kitten heels form Martin's.

Ta-ta!

IN THE GARDENS

 The Itty-Bitty Tease Cabaret photographed by Kaylin Idora at the Botanical Gardens in Helsinki, February 2012.

(All images (c) Kaylin Idora. Mention source & photographer if linked or pinned. You can click the photos for a bigger view and  you may of course not use them without permission.)

FOUR THINGS TODAY : FLOWERS; COLOURS AND A COUPLE O' WINNERS

 Spring means flowers at home (and trying to see how long they last before the cats molest them. Carnations tend to be left alone, while tulips will be destroyed immediately. I guess they squish nicer between small sharp teeth.)

 Flowers survive on the balcony nowadays too, as we're on the plus side of 0C now.
And I got a strong urge to paint my nails soft coral pink.

 I also got a strange urge to wear a somewhat unexpected colorful leg-feet combo. (So far, my water proof heels. But the time has come and I have some flat shoes waiting for me...)

Aaaand last but not least, Ta-Da! The give away winners from last week:
40's Femme will win a cherry muffin bunny iphone cover (or actually, a Feathers cover as that was her fav)  and Kaneli will get the Cutey charm bracelet!

TEAM POSING

Yesterday Eddi, the bump and I (plus a bunch of other people) were in Stockholm.

Today I'm home again, hanging with the cats while the father-to-be is at the farm hanging with the children and the sheep.

(For those interested, my jacket is BB Dakota (via ModCloth), booties from Light in the Box , skirt ASOS maternity and bla bla bla. Eddis jacket is a vintage navy pea coat. shoes vintage from Berlin and hat from Stockmann.   Bla bla. )

BURLESQUE WITH A BELLY

26 weeks belly pic!

I've received some questions about performing as pregnant - do I still do it, do many performers do it, and so on.

The answer is: yes, I have still been performing.  Do others do it too? I have no idea, I guess it depends.  Little Brooklyn did a special kind of performance at the NY Burlesque Festival in 2010. And I know two Finnish performers who did shows at burlesque happenings quite far in their pregnancies. It really does depends a lot on the event -we; our troupe, performs a lot at lot of different events. Not all events are suitable for a pregnant dancer. Some people really do not want to see that on stage, and I totally get it. So when we've done corporate events or such we've checked before that the crowd won't be chocked or offended. Then again at events that are specifically burlesque, it does not really matter - in fact, many find it a positive thing to see someone still performing although "very pregnant".

In the beginning I performed normally of course, although I myself felt pluffy and swollen as I was munching all the time to make the sickness and nausea go away. But it is not like I perform as before now of course, I can't get down on my knees and bend over and twirl exactly or do any furious shaking, neither do I fit most of my costumes. I haven't really been asked to perform solo anywhere at a long time, but we've had a lot of bookings for the group, and as you know; I will still be going to Milan to perform next week. I do that with numbers that don't involve any "risky" movement, for example TInker Bell and I choreographed our art deco number in such a way that I don't do any jumping or too fast movement.
But otherwise it is of course good to keep fit and I've been working out and doing light dancing during these months, staying physically in shape still as the kilos gather up. But otherwise I don't think it's that much of a thing really. Only it feels nicer on stage now, that I look pregnant, and not just like I've had a little too much to much over Christmas...

Picture by Kitty from last night's show at a gala dinner for a commerce chamber.belly and I performing with "permission". Very virgin like in white (HA HA).

WEARABLE VINTAGE FASHION & SECONDHAND AND VINTAGE LONDON

I have a lot of books at home about art, design, vintage and fashion, and also titles on all of those combined. Which I always thought would be nice to feature in posts (although few posts have seen the, how would you say it, light of the world wide web so far...)

My latest book is by Jo Waterhouse and Clare Bridge, Wearable Vintage Fashion, a book I had been waiting for but then forgot about until it came up in an email conversation and then down the mail slot in my door.


The authors of the book are vintage enthusiasts and run a vintage store in the UK; Secondhand Rose. The book covers fashion styles from the 1920's to the 80's in perhaps a little different way than we are used to see vintage fashion being represented; quite down to earth, rather practical. The book does not present items that designer pieces photographed at a museum nor is it illustrated with vintage fashion editorials and adverts, but the clothing pictured are from the authors' vintage store or borrowed from friends and relatives, items that have really been worn or are in use. The photos in the book are also of friends and relatives, shots from real life.

Each decade is presented with some text and key items for both daily and fancier wear, the over-all style presented. What I like is that also items from different decades are brought up when discussing a certain style, not ruling anything out. Like some seventies pieces that fit 30's style and 80's goes 50's or example, showing how fashion recycles itself and how you can take advantages of different periods when trying to recreate a look for everyday wear. The book also recreates one style icon per decade in a don't-take-it too-seriously kind of way, with good tips for masquerades or theme parties.

In the end there is a section of street style, with what I am sure will be a lot of familiar faces for many of you. And why did I mention I had been know about the book to coming out?


Well, that's since yours truly is also featured in a spread :)

At the same time as Wearable Vintage Fashion I also got a guide book on vintage shopping in London; Seconhand and Vintage London by Andrew Whittaker:

When I was in my later teens the thing for me and my friends was to move to London after school was over. We saw movies like London Kills Me and read UK magazines, listened to brit pop. Well, dreams changed, none of us moved there. In fact, I haven't even been threre. Yet.
But anyway, most people find London a good city for vintage shopping and thrifting. So when I do get to go there to dig in on the selection this guidebook will come in handy -  Secondhand and Vintage London is part of a shopping guide series being made (so far  a Berlin version is also available, which I'd like to see as I have had the chance to browse stores over there a few times and have many trips there yet to make again).

The book is divided in sections, like Clothes & Accessories, Books & Music, Home &Garden etc, and each section is organized according to stores per area.  There are over a hundred shops and markets featured. The stores are labelled according to a three-step price scale.

Both books are published by Vivays (- they have quite many books on art and vintage!).
You can't order the books directly from the publisher but find them on Amazon for example.

And, and, in honour of finishing off my "give away week" (which I intended to do last week already but that a nasty flu stopped me from), one of you will have a chance to win either one of these books according to your choice!

To enter, leave me a comment on this post, and let me know which of the books you would be interested in. As usual, this is open to everyone out there. The winner will be drawn randomly which means only one comment per person (and once again, make sure I can reach you trough that comment)! If you however mention and link this give away somewhere out there on the interwebs you can leeave me annother comment showing me you'v done so, which of course will give you another entry.
The give away will be open for one week; until Wednesday March 28th.

THINKING AHEAD...

...is when you in squishy-sqyashy snow-mash weather go to pick up two vintage summer dresses form the post office that you will be able to wear at a time when you are not pregnant!

(Ok, the other one I thought would fit me during spring but nooo-ho-ho, how wrong I was. Will be nice for right after though, also for nursing as one can button it up. Or well, down.)

 Peaches and lemon!


Lulu inspects the dresses.


Closely.


Always with her worried look.

The early sixties dresses are from Love Miss Daisy (one of my favorite shops).

LA BELLE DÉCADENCE

For some time last year I had this idea of a stage costume, that would also include big flat fans.

An idea that we early in autumn developed into a project:

That some months later, this February, turned into this:

Photo by Kaylin Idora.

By Atelieri O.Haapala. (You saw the other portrait just recently too)

And this, on stage:
(the last picture might be considered nsfw. But you can always call it art...)

(I just love our faces here!)

Sepia toned photos by Emiliano Melandri,  coloured shots by Jari B.Miettinen.

You'll see this (and another act) in Milan in a couple of weeks!
That will most likely be my last show before my burlesque-mommy leave starts.

GIVE AWAY WEEK pt.2 : SUNSHINE, PASTELS AND CHARMS

A couple of things I've noticed:
1.  I always want to name posts with pictures taken in the kitchen pastel this and pastel that regardless of what I really am wearing. Which is something of a duh!, since my kitchen itself is in pastel colours. Makes the rest go along as well.

2. It is suddenly so light outside! Even in the evening. Which is nice. But, only three months before it starts getting darker again! Which is totally wtf. Also, once again, it's the time of the year when the windows start calling for a wash (ouch!).

3. I decided to call this hair the "house wife hairdo".

But now to the theme of the week:

As you may recall I am rather bad at remembering to wear my jewelry. Sounds stupid? Yes, it is. (Has to do with my work also now that I think about it.) I mostly wear what I have in periods. I do like jewelry an accessories, so I've been trying to remember to wear those I have and vary them. Now I've been wearing this bracelet that I was given by Cutey (cutey.co.uk), a small company making charm bracelets. As usual with charms, you can mix and match them as you like, as the bracelet has this removable lock/stopper. My bracelet is in green and pink, to match myheadband and my kitchen (HA HA). First I though the chain would stretch, but it doesn't, so if you have a very wide wrist the bracelet might be too small.

And, as I have a give away week (that was the theme, not me and my acessories dilemma) going on, I will let one of you win a similar bracelet to mine, with pink charms!

You know how this works, but lets go trough it again: 

this give away is open to all my readers.

You enter by leaving me a comment on this post. 

The winner will be drawn randomly which means only one comment per person, and, you have to be reachable to me trough that comment either by a linked account or by giving me your mail.

If you post and link about this somewhere else on the web you get another entry, which is, if you write me a comment about it.

The giveaway is open for a week; until Thursday March 22!

In case you are curious my flamingo headband is from  BooBoo Kitty Couture's etsy shop and my shirt is from Vivien of Holloway, still fits me if I leave the last buttons open, or tie it on top of my belly :) 

CIRCUS IN BLACK AND WHITE

Circus photographs from the late 19th and early 20th century. 

Via Retronaut.

GIVE AWAY WEEK pt.1 : CUPCAKES, CHERRIES, RABBITS AND IPHONES

Compared to the rest in my family, I have always been the electronics and gadget person. (Which may not be that much of one compared to the rest of the world, at least the geekier side of it.) One thing I however hadn't given any thought to was such a thing as phone covers. Except for one I had back in the early 00's with Hello Kitty on it, to pair with my disco blinking key pad lights my dad bought me from Hong Kong. (That some mofo stole along with my phone in Budapest 2003...) Anyway, it was not until I was sent an iphone cover that I noticed there are quite a lot of them - bling blinged with rhinestones, glitter, patterned and what nots. And a lot of brands with signature prints seem to be sporting covers for iphones or blackberries. Isn't it great to learn you (almost) need something you never would've thought of? (As I did notice now, it kind of is rather practical with a cover.)

Anyway, I was given a cover from Iconemesis with what else to suit me better than a rabbit in a cupcake suit! With a cherrie on top. Oh yes.

You may recognize the rabbit as Fifi Lapin. I used to visit that blog a few years back but had completely forgot about the bunny fashionista  (who seems to have it going on nowadays) until she ended up on the back of my phone.

Iconemesis collaborates with young illustrators and designers to produce artsy covers. They also have the option of custom made covers coming up, so who knows, perhaps my phone will get a milkshake cover one day, hmmm...

Well, last but not least, you saw the headline, so yes here we go:
one of you can win a bunny cover like mine!
Or, any other artwork you prefer from the site. There are covers both for iPhone 3 and 4.

To enter, visit iconemesis.co.uk to choose your favorite design and let me know which one you'd like to win by leaving me a comment on this post, and also weather you will need it for an iPhone 3 or 4. The giveaway is open to all my readers and will run until Tuesday March 20. The only requirement to enter is that you should follow Iconemesis on twitter or like their Facebook page.

As usual, the winner will be drawn randomly so you may only leave me one comment not to mess things up. Make sure I will be able to reach you trough that comment! If you blog/post/tweet and link to this giveaway you can leave me another comment telling me you've done so, in order to get another entry. You know the deal!