1.) When did you decide to get into the fashion side of burlesque?
I actually was not a big fan of fashion until after I hit 20. When I was very young I was in the little girl beauty pageants, which led to me rebelling against the idea of "pretty" during my teenage years. Not sure when it happened, but along the lines I discovered that I really enjoyed dressing to the nines and hitting the town. My own fashion sense developed greatly over the years. I came to really enjoy the classics, a nice set of stilettos and a pencil skirt a great for damn near any occasion. I started noticing fascinators in photos and movies of old, as well as on the pretty heads of modern women. I loved the look, but when I searched online I found them to often be quite expensive. I just didn't have the money to spend $100 and up on these types of things! I finally got around to making my own designs as Xmas gifts for friends in 2008 because I was too broke to actually buy things for them. I used my friends as my inspiration, making items that would suit their looks and sense of style. I had a lot of fun, and the girls really responded well to it. After that, I figured why the hell not?
2.) Any story behind the name?
When I was deciding on a name, it was very important to me to give a good sense in mind of the style that I design. I wanted people to hear my name, and have a mental image. Something along the lines of a classy woman of times past, a lady that would walk into a room and everyone pauses to take her in. The sense of pulling in a touch of finery and decadence into everyday life. There's no reason why a woman's ensemble should stop at her neck, a beautiful painting always needs a beautiful frame.
My dad was pretty unhappy with the Dame portion of my name at first. He was born in 1943 so he was from the time where as school boys they'd taunt their female classmates by calling them Dames. In the movies of his childhood the gangsters would always call women Dames in a negative way. He's gotten over it in time, but for a while he tried to get me to change my mind. But I stuck true, once I had the name in mind there was no way I could change it, it was just too perfect.
3.) What kind of things can you find at your tables (merch tables or booths)?
Lots of stuff! I always stress out about having enough merchandise for my vending table, so I make sure to have lots of items in a wide variety.
- Ok... so I have my feather fans, which are really pretty, soft, and hug the shape of the head. They always have some manner of jewelry piece on it, sometimes very vintage items, sometimes more modern. Whatever catches my eye and looks good. (You can see that I love mine.)
- Flowers!! Lots of colors, lots of sizes, some just with the flower, some with jewelry in the center, and some with feathers to give a bit of movement and height. My most famous one right now is Rose-Zilla, it's HUGE!! It's seriously the size of my hand span, and has long arrowhead feathers sticking out in a variety of directions. It hasn't found the perfect head yet, but I know it will one day.
- Feather fascinators, which are clips of a variety of sizes, from 2 inches to 7 inches. Lots of pretty colors, a variety of feather types, and some very pretty vintage jewelry. These have lots of movement and are sure to be the perfect topper to a beautiful outfit.
- Mini-clips, which are my grab bag type of item, they're only $5 and the perfect item for someone who likes a bit of flare without going over the top.
- Pasties, ooh la la! For the professional tassel twirlers and for those that like to play the part while at home. I package my pasties with a couple pieces of double sided tape, toupee tape to be specific! Gotta have them be ready for wear ;)
- Vintage hats, I so love my growing collection of vintage hats. I spend a ton of time going to estate sales around town to find high quality beautiful hats that were owned by women that loved them, so that I can send them off to other women that will love them just as much (if not more!).
- Fascinators! I just started working on a new style, the classic disk pad fascinator. So much fun! Also a huge amount of work. These give me more options with color, texture, height, volume, style, etc. I've really enjoyed working on these, so far I've already done three custom ones for some of local performers to match their costumes. I love the fact that I can use vintage fabrics, trim, lace, and feathers as well as jewelry.
- Me ;) I'm the tall girl with lots of hair, if you see me please stop by and say hello! I also come with lots of back stories about the items on my table, feel free to ask any questions and please pick up my designs and try them on. They're meant for heads, not tables, so they'll always look better on you than sitting on some dumb table
I'm continuously making new pieces that are my new favorites!! At this moment I have a larger ivory fascinator that I'm quite smitten with. I was already quite proud of it when I made it, but when I went down to Austin, TX to vend at the TX Burlesque Festival my love for this piece grew immensely. That Saturday I met a girl that's getting married this November, and already has her perfect wedding dress, an ivory number from the 1950s. Which just happens to perfectly match the ivory fascinator I had on sale that evening. The look in her eyes when she tried it on was so memorable. She truly felt absolutely beautiful, and it was so heart warming to me to see her feel that way. That look in a woman's eyes when she tries on one of my designs and has that instant moment of feeling beautiful, that is why I do what I do. This is the fascinator below...
5.) Where do you find inspiration for your pieces?
A while back I took a class at Richland College in Dallas based entirely on Film Noir, for me this was a whole new world of beautiful fashion that I was completely unaware of before. I really fell in love with the visuals of the Femme Fatale, who could walk into a room and truly own it. The Film Noir girls have been a huge inspiration for me in both my own fashion sense and the style that I want to create for my designs. I spend a lot of my late nights with TCM on my tv, I love watching the old movies! Just the other night I caught Judy Garland and Fred Astaire in Easter Parade, I loved it! So many beautiful dresses and hats, I get lots of ideas from watching movies like that one.
I also am finding a lot of joy out of designing something to match a specific outfit. I always enjoy challenges, so when ladies come to me asking for me to make them something specific, I always jump at the chance. There's some very creative women out there, so helping add my special touch to a fabulous outfit is always enjoyable.
6.) Anything you want to share with those who want to start their own business?
Best thing I'd say is to just get out there and do it, I know it took me a while to finally get around to making my stuff. I had in mind what I wanted to do, but actually sitting down and getting to work was a big step. You can't succeed if you don't try! My early items were not my best stuff, but it takes time and practice to get good at anything. Also, networking is a huge part of my business, I always chat up my stuff to anyone I find that's willing to sit still long enough. I'm quite thankful for my family for supporting my work and helping me through the early steps, also my friends who have been coming out of the woodwork to help in any way possible. Having a good support system is such a big help when starting up a new business.
Seriously, her designs are unique, beautiful, and withstand pressure... I have taken my fascinator EVERYWHERE (and places I won't tell her, becasue she'll wiggle her finger at me!) and it still looks amazing. Check out her ETSY shop and pick up something for yourself... trust me, everytime you wear it, you will feel truly special and unique, because you are!
Til next time, my darlings!
V
No comments:
Post a Comment