BURLESQUE STYLING TIP: BLACK CHANTILLY LACE TRIM

ANTIQUE LACE PLACE

ANTIQUE LACE PLACE
A certain style of dress comes to mind when you think of Burlesque... Corsets, red lipstick, and  sexy black lace....The black lace is what pulls this whole look together! And what did the famous burlesque stars of the 40s and 50s use to trim their slips, and corsets?? Why Chantilly Lace of course! What is Chantilly lace? Chantilly lace is black cotton lace that usually has a large floral motif going all around it. Chantilly lace was very popular in the Victorian era... It is expensive and hard to find now, and not as good as the Chantilly Lace of the Victorian era... The burlesque dancers had instant access to black Chantilly lace because their grandmothers were young women in the Victorian era... Don't you wish you could knock on your grandmothers door for antique trims and laces now?? Maybe some of you can! But my great grandparents are deceased unfortunately.. I never even got to meet them. I do believe my great grandparents were married in 1915..You can find a huge variety of antique trims and laces on antiquelaceplace.com. Not to mention Halloween is on its way and you need to put your costume together!Above are a few fine examples of black Chantilly lace to get you inspired to make a burlesque corset of your very own.

IT GIRL STYLE GUIDE: RETRO SEXY! PUMPS & PENCIL SKIRTS

Hi Vixens,

 Today I'm going to talk about a classic retro look that's super sexy and is still being worn today. Its so hard to find a cute skirted look to wear to work or school that's not overly sexy.... Pencil skirts go with so many things! You can wear a pencil skirt with a fitted tank top, a suit jacket, sweater, or even with a strapless top for the evening or summer. Its a very timeless piece that hugs your curves and still gives you that touch of retro feel to your wardrobe.
    When you add a sexy pair of pumps to go with the fitted pencil skirt that's what makes the whole look  just sparkle! Pumps are probably my most favorite shoe in the world next to boots. Pumps have been around for a very long time! Pumps have been around since the 1700's I believe...                                                           Even if your going on an interview pumps and a pencil skirt would be just the right outfit to wear.  I was reading in an article that if your a woman your more likely to get hired if you wear a skirt than not wear a skirt for the interview.... I'm not sure if that's true but its always good to have different in sights when it comes to advice. Whats your favorite kind of skirt and shoes to wear? Is it a pencil skirt? a mini skirt? Boots or pumps? Sneakers?

Let me know!

 X Heather

NEW VIDEO PART 2 OF THIS EXQUISITE VICTORIAN WEDDING GOWN!

2008 VMA's: Lots of Interesting Events..

Okay, I didn't watch the VMA's last night but from seeing the headlines of the highlights of the show, it looked interesting. Britney is back in the game again as an It Girl which I am very excited about.. as opposed to her VMA disaster last year..She looked great,like a lady..Then Christina! I was looking at comments people wrote on her new look, you either love it or you hate apparently, theres no in between, lol. I don't think she looked terrible, shes still pretty its just a very drastic change from how we're used to seeing her..We've never seen her with bangs before, ever! I think she looks better with out them, she looks more like Christina..You can't see her pretty blue eyes with those bangs in the way! Her eyes are one of her best features, their so blue! I liked her dress and her stage clothes. What did all of you think of the show? or the clothes? or Britney's sweep of awards?

It Girl Fashion Fun!: Heatherette

LA Fashion week is very cool. They have a whole different style than New York. We shouldn't push L.A. under the rug and forget about them. Instead of black, brown, and gray pant suits... and more gray pant suits like New York. L.A. designers put some color and sparkle into their look, and they experiment with swim wear, dresses, skirts, heels, platforms.. The fun stuff! I still like New York designers but occasionally you need a break from looking like cooperate America all the time! L.A.'s got that crispy warm weather, beaches, celebrities, and some wild style! Heatherette is pretty big over there. For their spring 08 show they featured one of their star clients as a runway model. Adult film star Jenna Jameson! lol Its pretty funny to see a racy actress modeling clothes down the runway. Now thats what I call thinking outside of the box! That's what I love about Heatherette..They take an ordinary idea and put a very unexpected twist on it..

The "Bad" It Girl: Plaid=Bad!

What can be more fun than to look bad in some plaid! Nothing is more of an It Girl classic than that sexy school girl plaid mini skirt ensemble. There are all different styles and variations of the bad school girl outfit. Then there are the bustiers in plaid that can look really fetishy with lacing up the front, or some vinyl trim.. Top that look off with some high black boots..Every time I see one of those plaid mini skirts I always want to buy one! But when I try one on in the store its too short! Nothing I could ever leave my house in ..(lol) I guess I'm just going to have to make one out of a really cute plaid thats a good length to wear out..Here are some fun plaid pieces that are for the most part wearable, and few that are crazy, enjoy! Plaid Top:kaboodle.com,Plaid Corsets:Deaux Corsets

It Girl How To: How to Properly Lace Up a Corset..

Step 1. Place the corset flat on a table. Start the lace from the inside. Slip it through the top eyelets of the corset. Pull the lace through so that the horizontal lace is on the inside of the corset. Make sure the two ends of the lace are even.

Step 2. Take the lace on the left side and cross it over to the right. Slip it into the eyelet. Make sure that the lace that crosses over forms a line that stays outside of the corset. Repeat this on the right lace. The secret is to form an "X" with the laces on the same side that the lace originated from.

Step 3. Now the laces are on the inside of the corset. Take the lace on the right side and cross it over to the left side. Pull the lace through the eyelet. Repeat on the left lace. This will form an "X" on the inside. The laces are on the outside now.

Step 4. Repeat steps 2 and 3 until you reach the waistline of the corset. This is where the puller-loop is created. The puller-loop is the loop of lace that you pull on to draw in the corset.The puller-loop MUST be on the outside.

Step 5. Take the left lace and slip it through the next eyelet down on the left side. This creates a loop on the outside of the corset. The remaining lace should now be on the inside. Now for the right side, take the right lace and slip it through the next eyelet down on the right side. The remaining lace should be on the inside.

Step 6. Now slip the left lace through the next eyelet on the right side. . Take the right lace and cross it over to the left side. This will form an "X" on the inside of the corset. Repeat steps 3 and 4 until you reach the bottom. Adjust the slack in the laces so that you have around four to five inches of slack between the two sides.

Step 7. Tie off the bottom lace like you would your shoe. See the "X's"? Notice that the corset is completely closed with no gaps between the sides. Now your corset laces are ready for tight lacing! Just make sure that there is about four to five inches of slack between the laces before you try it on to make it easier to get in.

Voila! your laced! (Steps are from waspcreations.com)

Girl with the Golden Curls!

Lets go back, almost 100 years ago! Mary Pickford was known as "The girl with the golden curls"..True story!.. I know, I know...these curls are out of fashion right? I think their one of the most beautiful curl styles and my personal favorite. I've been trying to get these curls with my curling iron but I think you need to have really long hair or hair extensions to get the silent film star look..Or just be really good at doing hair!,lol Then theres the wave curls made famous by Giselle and Jessica Alba, and Gwen Stefani brought the bob back for a little while...Its all the same! In 100 years from now those "sexy waves" will probably be remembered like Mary Pickford's pipe curls... People will be saying "How did they do that?!" Thats what I say every time I look at Mary Pickford or Christine Daae from "Phantom of the Opera" My Favorite play!! Christine looks so pretty with these pipe curls, I'm jealous.. I wish I could look like this before I went to sleep, lol..I always wrap my hair up in either a pony tail or a bun..I want a robe like this too, instead I have my ugly pajama pants and a tank top that looks kind of raggedy..lol.100 years ago women glammed themselves up to go to bed..Not even because they were expecting a guy, they just loved to be feminine 24/7!

These Belts Will Have You Whipped!

Belts are the best accessories to have because they can transform your casual pair of jeans into Viva La Glam! Belts can be worn with evening wear, lingerie, sweats, jeans anything!Here are some of my favorite belts that I found,so have fun shopping!Bad girl Belt Buckle is from painfulpleasures.com, pink cowboy belt is from hatcountry.com,all crystal belt on top is from kaboodle.com, and the crystal heart belt on the left is from uniquepresence.com

Marilyn's Bare Essentials: All ya need is a pair of Delmans and a spritz of no.5...

She wore no other shoe but Delman! and no other perfume but Chanel no. 5. These are Marilyn's Bare Essentials.It's interesting because in a way we all have our personal style bare essentials. It could be your favorite shampoo, I-pod, drink, shoe, bra, stuffed animal.. whatever! I know my bare essentials that I can't live without are my flip flops and my fluffy pajama pants! lol

gothic fairytale fashion:

This is a niche of fashion thats quite hidden. Designers haven't really done too much with it except John Galliano but its a beautiful look! and the great part about it is you could mix pieces up so that you won't look like a goth goth but it will give you a fairy tale heir which can be quite charming when tastefully done. You can wear leather lace up boots with jeans or a denim mini skirt and wear your hair long and wavy with a lace up top, or you could wear a long skirt with a corset top in earth tones and mix denim up with that also. My most favorite movie reference to this look is Sleepy Hollow. The costumes in that film are gorgeous! as well as the illustrations of Victoria Francis.

It Girl Designer of the Week: Edith Head

During her long career she was nominated for 35 Oscars, including every year from 1948 through 1966, and won eight times, more Oscars than any other woman has won. She was responsible for some of the best-known Hollywood fashion images of her day, with her costumes being worn by the most glamorous and famous actresses in films. Head's influence on world fashion was far reaching, especially in the 1950s when she began appearing on Art Link Letters television program and writing books on fashion.Head was known for her low-key working style, and unlike many of her male contemporaries usually consulted extensively with the female stars she worked with. As a result she was a favorite designer for several of the leading female stars of the 1940s and 1950's; and was frequently 'loaned' out by Paramount to other studios at the request of their female stars. Go Edith!

“ “The Rocker Bomb Sex Kitten”

So many of our favorite It Girls are musical goddesses, and they have Rock Bomb style. Whether real rockers or ruling the bubblegum pop scene no one can deny these babes know how to pull it together. I call it the Rocker Bomb Sex Kitten. All ya need rocker bomb babes is leather, crazzi hair, and attitude! So It Girls, “ Let’s Get Dirrty!”

-Christina Aguilera