The Sexy Underground: Behind the scenes at our catwalk event

On the 16th Feb, just before London Fashion Week, we teamed up with swimwear brand Paolita and lingerie brands Kiss Me Deadly and Lucile, for a stunning catwalk show.

Held in the sumptuous carnivalesque Cirque du Soir, we showed off what it means to be an independent brand, showcasing some of our never-before-seen collections!

We just recieved some fantastic behind-the-scenes photos, we'd love to share with you.

Aurora Galore getting ready

Aurora Galore treating the audience to a sizzling burlesque act

Mam'zelle Maz in our upcoming AW12 collection

Models in our current swimwear collection

The gorgeous Vamp garterdress, coming in May!

How The Artist used costume to bring the 20s alive

It’s no secret that I’m a big silent movie fan. Give me Chaplin over a modern romantic comedy any day!

So, imagine my delight when film of the year, The Artist, won 5 of the biggies at The Oscars! This modern day silent movie took everyone by surprise, even more so when it began to win big time at each award. It seems there is hope for the audience of the 21^st century, so used to talkies, big effects and Hollywood drama; the silence has proven that it is not a completely alien concept.

I could go on and on about silent films, but I’ll spare you, and focus on the part that has got all the fashionistas’ attention: Costume.

One of the 5 awards it took away on Oscar night was costume design, and there is no wonder why!

Channelling the golden era, costume designer Mark Bridges obviously did his research. Picking and choosing elements from popular styles and silver screen sirens, there must have been a whole host of inspiring designs from the 1920s. Just look at this amazing backless dress worn by Clara Bow:

When looking through the fabulous costumes worn by silent film stars, there is a definite theme running through the pieces: texture. Before the advent of glorious Technicolour, costume designers had to find another way of springing their actors out from the screen, ensuring they didn’t blend into the background. This, too, was the struggle for Bridges; although The Artist was originally filmed in colour, he had to use patterns, crystals, fur, feathers and more to ensure the characters remained the focus when desaturated.

It wasn’t only texture that the team used to really bring out their characters, but they also had some clever tricks up their sleeves for using costume to add narrative. As the rise of talkies begins to dampen George Valentin’s star-studded career, so we see a change in his looks. The actor that played him, the gorgeous Jean Dujardin, suggested to costume designer Mark Bridges that the costumes should just be “a little bigger to reflect that somehow George is less of a man than he was.” They did just that, tailoring the size and style of his suits; from a well fitted tuxedo portraying wealth, grace and success, to a dishevelled loose-fitting suit.

With this attention to detail, the costume worked alongside the narrative, acting talent and cinematography to make a success of a film which could have so easily missed the mark, had any of these things had been less than perfect.  

We also can’t help loving Uggie the dog’s Oscar outfit.

Who's Proposing?

If you hadn't noticed it already, 2012 is a leap year. An additional day to add to the diary, for flirty acts and dirty deeds and it occurs only once in every 4 years!

Perhaps you have a multitude of exciting and tantalising activities planned for your extra day, to make the most of this Olympic year, however does one of them include proposing to your lover?

February 29^th has, for a great many centuries, been the day women can propose to men. Not necessarily a partner or lover, it can be any man, looking at tradition.

In the 21^st century, it is not uncommon for women to propose every day of the year, to a lover or a stranger. It is no longer frowned upon in society and rather refreshing in some relationships.

However February 29^th remains a tradition for many, a day set aside for this event that certain women await fours years for, and fastidiously plan again and again. And we here at Playful Promises are keen to know how many of you have been scheming a proposition for the past four years?

The tradition is rumoured to date back to the 5^th century AD. St. Bridget complained to St. Patrick about women having to wait for too long for a man to propose. Still the case! According to legend, St. Patrick said the yearning females could propose on this one day in February during the leap year, and it would come round only every four years.

 

St Patrick and St Bridget looking rather dashing

The first documentation of this rare and odd practice dates back to 1288 AD, when Scotland supposedly passed a law that allowed women to propose marriage to the man of their choice in that year. Tradition states they also made it the law that any man who declined a proposal in a leap year must pay a fine. The fine could range from a kiss to payment for a silk dress or a pair of gloves.
I think this law should come back into fashion, I'm in need a new silk negligee and matching gown.

So if this leap year your plans involve a proposal, we have some flirty lingerie to make that moment even more memorable and will hopefully cinch the deal with your loved one!

Boudoir Photography – Investment or Indulgence?

Tigz Rice is an internationally published photographer specializing in burlesque and boudoir photography. Opening the doors to her photography studio Tigz Rice Studios in December 2009, Tigz has had the privilege of working with some of the top industry names, including the official photography at a number of the European Burlesque Festivals. When she’s not taking photographs, Tigz also performs burlesque throughout the UK under the pseudonym of Raven Six and has just been nominated as a finalist in the newcomer section of the World Burlesque Games.

© Tigz Rice Studios

As a burlesque and boudoir photographer, it would be too easy to spout off a list of reasons why I think boudoir photography is a fantastic investment. I could recite my favourite client testimonials that make my studio and work sound incredible, or post before and after pictures showing only the most dramatic makeovers from the studio. I COULD do all of that, but it would achieve nothing except to self promote like every other post on the subject I’ve found online. So instead, I thought I’d tell you all about my first experience in the boudoir studio, and what effect it had on me…

Whilst gathering ideas for the article this morning, I found myself distracted by drawn to Facebook, in particular to the first promotional image of my burlesque persona Raven Six taken last November. I was coming to the end of my classes at The Cheek Of It and the World Burlesque Games application deadline was rapidly approaching. I’d always taken pride in my appearance but for the last 12 months I’d been so involved with the studio that I’d started to slip a little, putting on quite a lot of weight and allowing my roots to grow out so far it was starting to resemble a dip dye rather than full head and highlights! Having hidden away for as long as possible behind black clothes and a ponytail, there was just no way I could continue to promote myself as a burlesque performer without a series of seriously hot Raven Six images. It was time to sort myself out so I picked up the phone and arranged a full boudoir session for my alter ego, complete with professionally done hair, make up and some fancy new clothes.

Despite having my own studio, I’d never felt the desire to step in front of the camera and so it was a whole new experience for me preparing for the shoot. There were butterflies in my stomach as Miss Honey Bare coiffed me to perfection, but as soon as my hair and make up was done and I’d slipped into my leopard print dress and heels, I couldn’t wait to get started. I had so much more body confidence in front of the camera and found a natural high, which stayed with me for the rest of the night, leaving my hair and make up done for an impromptu night of cocktails with the girls – something else I hadn’t found time to do for a while. The amount of compliments I got both on that night and when the photos went public was phenomenal and was a real ego boost, tempting me to do it all over again a couple of weeks later!

Since doing the photoshoot, I’ve been inspired to try harder on my diet and have finally lost some weight as well as investing more time and effort into making myself happy and healthy. Although this image is a record of my body at my biggest, I love everything about it as it marks the beginning of change, re-taking control of a hectic work and life schedule and finally doing something about my eating habits. Plus I will never be that young ever again so its something I can look at when I’m older and recall how good it felt to have killer curves!

To answer the debate of indulgence vs investment, I think its fair to say that boudoir photography really falls into both categories. Although it is a rather indulgent activity, for many clients - including myself - it is a way of acknowledging and celebrating a particular milestone in life, whether it is a change in appearance, circumstance or even attitude. Whilst a memory can last a lifetime, a photograph can capture that moment and tell a story to future generations. Indulge in the present and invest for the future, you only live once after all.

Embracing Your Alter Ego – How Having a Stage Name or Persona Can Improve Your Confidence

Tigz Rice is an internationally published photographer specializing in burlesque and boudoir photography. Opening the doors to her photography studio Tigz Rice Studios in December 2009, Tigz has had the privilege of working with some of the top industry names, including the official photography at a number of the European Burlesque Festivals. When she’s not taking photographs, Tigz also performs burlesque throughout the UK under the pseudonym of Raven Six and has just been nominated as a finalist in the newcomer section of the World Burlesque Games.

© Tigz Rice Studios

If you had the unfortunate pleasure of meeting me during my early years, you’ll probably remember that I was one of the most boring children in the playground. In fact, I was so ‘glum’ – as my year six tutor so wonderfully put it – after many years of school bullying for being a little overweight and having a maturity level of several years above my own age group, that I invented an alter ego. I’m not really sure if it was planned or not as the name Tigz was originally intended as nothing more than a bit of harmless fun on a youth club camping trip. However, this alter ego brought something else out of me that weekend and I started signing off everything with this new name. Inspired by the cartoon character, I suppose it allowed me to channel a few more of Tigger’s Traits, becoming far more playful in my personality and allowing me to completely bounce back from any negativity I experienced. The new ‘me’ embraced unpopular music, had extreme hairstyles, vocalised opinions and generally challenged conformity without the fear of acceptance. Ironically, it was this new persona that finally did bring the acceptance I’d craved for years – but by then I was way past the point of caring about what other people thought about me.

Having recently taken the plunge into the burlesque industry as a performer, I have once again found a need to create a new alter ego to segregate that part of my life from my businesswoman mindset. Raven is inspired by one specific memory in my teenage years and seems to be a division of Tigz - rather than being two separate people, they are like twins with Raven being the far more mischievous one! Raven is the dare devil, the stripper, the uninhibited. She doesn’t ask for attention, she demands it. She epitomises the bird of prey – elegant yet deadly, never smiling. Tigz, on the other hand epitomizes the Tiger. She is powerful, strategic and fiercely competitive, yet has a cuddly, playful disposition if you get her in the right mood! I’m sure there is a reason why I’ve chosen to name myself after to predatorial animals, but that’s probably going a little too deep for a blog post…

Many people from all walks of life embrace an alter ego, whether its to separate fun from responsibility or to give them more confidence in situations they wouldn’t otherwise feel comfortable in. When posing this thought to the powers of social media, burlesque performer Ruby Woo wrote “As soon as I think ‘OK, what would Ruby Woo do?’ I forget myself for 5 minutes because I’m in someone else's mind set.” Using a different name also can provide anonymity for those who would prefer to keep parts of their life completely separate. Miss Von Trapp replied “being Miss Von Trapp enables me to [differentiate] from my other roles as worker and mother.” My personal favourite response came from Divine Miss Em, who wrote “If the audience don't like what I do I can blame that naughty Divine Miss Em and not take it personally!”

Having an alter ego isn’t just about stage presence either. Lizzi Hobcraft, founder of Betty Blues Loungerie says that have an alter ego is an important part of her company branding. “It's like acting - you create a character that can project your 'brand'. I couldn't get up on stage and talk to an audience about me but ' Betty' is not me so somehow it is less scary.” Many other people responded in the same way that I feel about the name ‘Tigz’. “Miss Honey is the ultimate expression of  'me-ness' and a play on my nickname”, says hair and make up artist Miss Honey Bare, whilst actress Jo Richardson wrote “my [alter ego] embodies all the women I admire and who inspire me. I know when to leave her sleeping, and likewise, when to let her take the lead”

Embracing your alter ego is not only fun, but a great way to challenge yourself to new experiences, whether it is wearing more provocative underwear, applying for that promotion or jumping out of a plane! Why not try it – you might be surprised by your own capabilities…