Bye Bye Burlesque

When iconic burlesque performer Dita Von Teese hit the scene, the art felt fresh, sexy, young and vibrant.  Heralding a revival in the tradition of great dancers such as Gypsy Rose Lee, Burlesque after-hours clubs like Drais in Las Vegas kept the vibe cool and classic - you could smell the absinthe instead of the fake tan.  Add in a glamorous french roll and a skinny cigarette or a Romeo and Julieta cigar held between gloved fingers and you were transported into another era.

Alas, all good things come to an end.  Modern burlesque is just lame.  At a recent gala with a burlesque theme in London, the look was tired, the staging seemed like something dragged out of a builder's van and stapled to the wall, and there was nothing fresh to be scene.  When did latex = burlesque?  The one exception was a throwback to

That doesn't mean you can make some of the classic elements of the prohibition vibe your own, however.  Think Chanel with nautical strips and lean silhouettes,  look at the classiest characters in Boardwalk Empire, get inspiration from Hadley Hemingway and Zelda Fitzgerald.  The above wardrobe represents Hadley Hemingway - a beloved character (actually my 18 year old son would've been named Hadley Maren had he not become a Connor!) with it's practical ease.  Her victorianism was all that held Hemingway to any sort of moral code - when she was gone, he went on a rampage of danger, lust and loneliness that became one of the greatest literary triumphs and tragedies of America.  The Paris Wife is a heartrending tale and you find yourself rooting for sensible shoes.

Photographed here with Hemingway and son Bumby, Hadley shows strength, confidence, and maternal modernity.  Equally sexy as any dance of feathers or lacquered toenail peeping over the edge of a life-sized martini glass... Vive le femme.