Fabergé Friday

I just realized I haven't shown you any of Fabergé's flower creations yet! He made many of these, and thought it fitting to start with my favorite flower - Lily of the Valley - made around the year 1899!

The delicate bell-shaped flowers are made of pearls, edged with tiny rose diamonds. They are attached to stems of gold, on which also sits a pair of Siberian nephrite leaves. The whole creation rests in a vase made out of rock crystal, carved to resemble a water-filled glass vase.

The Lily of the Valley was also the favorite flower of Tsarina Alexandra Feodorovna. She used to import these flowers from the south of France, which were kept on ice during the long train ride to Russia. After buying this one from Fabergé though, she had one that never faded...

Source

Cemetery Shoot

A few weeks ago, I met a lovely photographer who wanted to do a ballet shoot, inspired by The Ballerina Project. We decided to do it at one of Stockholm's big cemeteries. It was a very grey day, and I went there dragging my achy leg behind me. Charlotte on the other hand had just gone through knee surgery, and came jumping on crutches. The cemetery felt like a good backdrop to our states of mind at the moment... Haha! We did manage to get some good shots though! And here is the result!

All photos by Charlotte hall.

OrologiSilenziosi Timeless Couture

One of my fellow performers at Caput Mundi International Burlesque Award - Mrs Mystique - shared a page on Facebook, and since the picture she posted looked very nice I - of course - had to investigate! And that's how I found OrologiSienziosi Timeless Couture! It is a company based in Venice, Italy, that creates avantgarde couture, corsets, hats and accessories. The owner work on commission only. So every piece is unique, handcrafted for every customer's needs. And here are some of OrologiSilenziosi's beautiful creations...

Photo: Annie Bertram

Corset dress and accessories.

Pasties.

Photo: Andrea Parisi

Black Widow Spider outfit for Mrs Mystique herself!

Flower head piece.

Corset.

Burlesque ensemble for Nuit Blanche.

Another amazing corset!

Photo: Viktoria Stuts

Edwardian outfit.

There are too many goodies for me to show you them all! But if you want to see more, just head over to OrologiSilenziosi's Facebook page, or their website!

Source

Fabergé Friday

In today's Fabergé post I have something for the men - a pair of cufflinks - made by workmaster Henrik Wigström, sometime between the years 1908 - 1917!

These oval cufflinks are made of gold, and covered in lilac enamel over a guilloché ground.  

The enameled center plaques are set in ribbon-tied reeded gold frames. Each plaque is also decorated by an old cut diamond.

The width of the cufflinks is 3/4'' (1.9 cm), and the price for them is 12,500 USD. If you want them, I'm sorry to say they have already been reserved by someone...

Source

Naked Again...

Last July I met a man. And the first thing I did when I saw him, was throw my clothes off! Haha! He calls himself FG Photography, is a very good photographer, and we had planed to do a nude shoot that day! We walked over to a dirty cellar close to his apartment - which was a really nice setting - and began shooting. And here comes the result! If you don't want to see me naked, don't scroll down! Hehe...

After cleaning myself off from all the dirt in the last picture, I though I had gotten most of it away. Looking in my small pocket mirror in the subdued light in the cellar made it look like I was pretty clean. Later when I got home and looked in a better mirror I realized I had lots of dirt left on my face though! No wonder people looked at me in a funny way on the subway... Haha! It was a fun shoot though, and a few weeks ago FG Photography shot me again! The result from that one will come in the future...

All photos by FG Photography.

Roma, Roma...

So. If you read last weeks posts, you already know I went to Rome to perform in Caput Mundi International Burlesque Award. Me and my sister did get some time over for sightseeing though. So here is what we did and saw in the beautiful, romantic city called Rome...

We saw the ancient Colosseum...

...and killed a gladiator! Some things just have to be done...

The we celebrated our victory with gelaaaato. Italian ice cream is seriously the best in the world!

After climbing down the Spanish Stairs, we met a whole bunch of horses ready to drive around tourists. Of course I had to cuddle a bit with one of them!

Rome becomes even more beautiful after dark, when all the buildings and fountains are lit up by light installations. Here is the Pantheon. You don't realize how massive it is until you're actually standing there among those huge columns... It always impresses me how people could build such amazing buildings such a long time ago, without the modern equipment we have today.

Then we had a very romantic dinner! My sister told me to drink my Prosecco slowly, because she had hidden a ring in the glass. I didn't find it though. So I guess it went down in my tummy together with the pasta. Haha!

Sister got a bit cold, so I let her borrow my fake fur stole I had just bought at Zara. She liked it so much I was afraid I wouldn't get it back. Or, as she said when she put it on; "It's so cozy! I just want to curl up in a fetal position and cuddle with it!". Hm...

Then we found a spot to take cool light-pictures at!

Here is another photo from my performance at Teatro Centrale Carlsberg - the reason I came to Rome in the first place! This was taken just when I pour glitter over myself. Sparkle, sparkle... After lots of walking, lots of ice cream, lots of Prosecco, and lots of burlesque, it was time to say goodbye to Rome and all the new friends I met there. Hope I'm able to go back some day...

Full Moon

Source

For this month's full moon, I want to share my favorite song by Queen - The Show Must Go On. Very powerful, and true...

Fabergé Friday

It's Friday again! Good thing this day comes every week. Otherwise there would be less Fabergé posts... For this week I have chosen a pretty bonbonnière, made around 1896 - 1908!

The box has a rounded cushion shape, and is enameled translucent royal blue over a moire guilloché ground on the sides, and a sunburst guilloché pattern on the top. In the middle of the lid sits a cabochon ruby, surrounded by four golden leaves.

Around the edge of the lid runs a border of chased yellow gold laurel leaves, and the thumbpiece is set with five graduating rose-cut diamonds. The interior of the bonbonnière is guilt. You can find it over at Wartski.

Source

Caput Mundi International Burlesque Award - Part 2

Saturday morning - the second day of the burlesque festival - I woke up in a heap of glitter! After a later breakfast, and a bit of Rome sightseeing, it was time to get ready for the evening's show. Most of the performers of the festival stayed at a hostel called The Yellow, and when it was time to head over to Teatro Centrale Carlsberg, we were all picked up by a long row of Fiat 500 cars from the 50s!

The cars then drove us in parade through Rome to the theatre. At one time the engine died in the leading car, so the drivers of the three following Fiats ran out to run-start the first car, and then rushed back to their own cars to continue the parade. Haha! These old Fiats might not be so trustworthy, but now I really want one too! My dress is a vintage one from the 50s, by the way. From vintagebluemoon on Etsy. And yes, I know I'm smoking in the bottom pic. Bad! BAD! Don't follow my horrible example! Anyway. Moving on...

When we got out of the cars outside the theatre, there was a red carpet (which was actually black and sparkly) with photographers lined up to let us bask in the camera flashes before we stepped inside. I could get used to that! Just like the night before, Jack Woodhead started the show by singing a lovely song! The other Saturday performers were:

Our fabulous conférencière, Vibrissa Eccola Qua!

Fräulein Frauke!

Lilly Bulle!

Nuit Blanche!

Bana Banal!

The producers of the whole festival - Dixie Ramone and Albadoro Gala, here together with Jack Woodhouse!

Mrs Rose!

Bianca Nevius!

Raven!

Greta Qamar!

Eliza DeLite!

Clea Cutthroat!

And the evening's guest star - reigning Queen of Burlesque 2013 - LouLou D'vil!

A big applause to the creators of Caput Mundi Burlesque Award - Dixi Ramone and Albadoro Gala (pictured above), aka The Missunderstanding! We had two amazing evenings at the theatre, ending on the Sunday with a laid back farewell party at The Yellow. I hope this festival will take place next year too, and that I will be able to go back and see all - or at least some - of these wonderfully crazy people again! And Rome itself of course! Me and my sister did have time for a bit of touristing, but more about that another day...

All photos marked "Bichard" by John Paul Bichard.