Burlesque




Burlesque - A touch of glamour and frivolity

The connection between burlesque and black fashion, respectively gothic and punk is not necessarily obvious at first. Sexy cabaret shows have little in common with melancholic dark romanticism or wild punk. And yet they do exist, the similarities. At least in a fashionable sense. The most important element here is the corset or corsage. In all the styles mentioned it forms an optically central and style-defining piece of clothing. Independent of colour or shape.

The term burlesque is associated with terms such as glamour, style and striptease. The fashionable appearance is also influenced accordingly. The style developed as an erotic show in Europe in the 19th century, where dancers on stage provoked in outfits that were extremely wicked and unseemly in those days, such as miniskirts. In the 1950s, the burlesque style continued to develop and also created special forms, such as the pin-up culture.

Optically accentuated and placed in the foreground, the female curves are always emphasized. In addition to a corset or corsage, playful accessories with feathers and lace are further essential elements of burlesque fashion. In addition there are waist briefs or panties. Sometimes with frills or lace, sometimes with classic pinstripes. The outfit of the glamorous diva is perfected by the indispensable gloves, as well as very feminine adornments such as pearls, bows, tassels and feathers. Simple: From a fashion point of view, burlesque is the art, without really showing "something", of creating a feminine and seductive mix of eroticism, style and glamour.

The wicked show of the beautiful lady

Burlesque is inevitably linked to a classic image. Paris in the 50s. The world-famous Moulin Rouge variety theatre. Numerous, young and only lightly dressed dancers, wearing corsets and short, very short skirts, swinging their legs in a row dancing to lively music at the same time. This seems very pompous and loosely light. The necklines are deep and like to show a lot of skin. The skirts have transparent trains. Feathers, or feather boas, chains and pearls decorate the beautiful, provocative bodies and on the heads the ladies wear little hats. These Fascinators have the shape of small cylinders or are decorated with lace and other small, playful details. Stockings with suspenders or fine, transparent pantyhose with lace adorn the endlessly long legs. Everything looks extremely aesthetic and charming. Amazing seems to be over and over again how the ladies manage to perform such dance acrobatics in these high heels with style.
Then the ladies leave the stage, the light is dimmed and it becomes quiet in the hall. After a short break the unique voice of Marilyn Monroe with "I wanna be loved by you" is heard in soft, breathy sounds and in the middle of the stage is a white, artfully curved bathtub. The fog machine does a good job and covers the scenery with a mysterious white veil. Gracefully and with slow, gracile movements, a femme fatale steps into the picture. Each step causes small swirls in the artificial fog. The bright, white spotlight captures the erotic beauty in all its glory and never lets her out of its center. She has charisma. Her feminine body is adorned by a semi-transparent over bust corsage with flower decoration. She wears a provocative lingerie-style waist slip, which gives her a thoroughly innocent look and skilfully highlights her buttocks with playful frills. The long legs are tucked into fishnet stockings, which are a visual highlight with garter straps. This is burlesque! She wears a short bolero jacket made of black, transparent lace over her shoulders. Her face is covered by a little veil which is attached to her sweet, playful little hat on her head. Around her neck she wears a glamorous necklace in the shape of a choker made of delicate lace, with little velvet bows and fabric florets. A special highlight of this breathtaking appearance are the black, shiny velvet gloves, which reach over the wrists, up to the elbows. She inhales the smoke from a cigarette holder, which she artfully holds between her fingers and blows it emphatically carelessly into the air.

Burlesque is elegance and pure beauty

The smile of this goddess of the night is captivating and with feather-light, slow steps, she conquers the stage and the whole hall and enchants the entire audience. With skilful, playful movements she begins to get rid of her artful accessories and her seemingly superfluous clothes piece by piece. Totally fascinated, the whole theatre seems to have fallen into a kind of trance, when she finally steps slowly into the bathtub with almost nothing on. With a last smile she dives into the foamy water as the curtain falls.