Exquisite Identities

I feel very blessed to have so many artistic and creative friends. It feels like someone is always up to something crazy, beautiful and entertaining, and most of them don't mind sharing their work with the rest of us. One of these people is photographer John Paul Bichard. You have probably seen some of his pictures on my blog before, since he always walks around with his camera, shooting both performers and guests at events such as Fräulein Frauke Presents and the International Stockholm Burlesque Festival - both of which he produces together with his wife Fräulein Frauke.

John Paul has worked with different projects which has been exhibited both in Europe and in the US, and this post will be about one of those projects - one he calls Exquisite Identities. When describing the project himself, he says that Exquisite Identities is "a growing series of photographic works that capture the creativity, personality and aesthetics of some of the great names in the contemporary burlesque and cabaret scene. The focus is on people who go to extraordinary lengths in their professional lives to develop rich, complex and highly constructed identities..." As some of these exquisite identities happens to be friends of mine, or performers I have had the chance to see on stage, I can tell you that the way they have been portrayed by Mr Bichard is the perfect way to get to know their stage-personalities. This is who these people are, and what they do!

Lou Lou D'Vil

Fräulein Frauke

Laurie Hagen

Honey Lulu

Hedo Luxe

Erochica Bamboo

Mr Pustra

Scotty The Blue Bunny

Cleo Viper

Marlene von Steenvag

Vicky Butterfly

Until The end of April you can see seven pictures from this series exhibited at MELT Bar & Restaurant in Stockholm. For more of John Paul Bichard's works, please visit his web site here!

Source

Fräulein Frauke Presents - The Great Masquerade 2013

Last New Years Eve I welcomed 2013 at the most lavish, beautiful, decadent New Years masquerade ball I had ever been to! The producers of the event was Fräulein Frauke and John Paul Bichard, and as the party was such a success, they decided to do it again for this New Years Eve!

The theme of this year's masked ball was the 20s and The Great Gatsby. So I set my hair with fitting finger waves and did smokey eyes - which I later covered up with a mask after a very cozy pre-party dinner with Fanny, Michael, Elegy Ellem, and Fredrik.

Here we all are, at Elegy Ellem's and Fredrik's lovely apartment. As you can see, we were extremely excited to go to Nalen and party the night away!

Nalen was decorated for Christmas, but those ornaments faded in the light of all the amazingly dressed guests! 800 people decked out in their finest - most of them keeping to the theme of the night. When you looked around it felt like we were actually welcoming the year 1924, instead of 2014! Haha!

Before we arrived, a three course dinner had taken place in Nalen's biggest ball room. We decided to skip that part this year though, and have a more intimate dinner party.

Here are the two fabulous producers of the event - Fräulein Frauke and John Paul Bichard! Miss Frauke is wearing a dress made by Fanny by the way, for her project Stage Fright! And then we have the performers of the night:

The evening's conférencière was the gorgeous Reuben R Kaye! Although I don't think he would be so interested in me - since I happen to be a girl - I still did my best hitting on him, by slamming a door straight in his face as he came running by full speed! His first reaction was that he was going to sue me, but then he said I looked lovely and gave me a kiss. So now I'm slightly confused about the outcome of this... Well, well...

The other performers on stage were Ruby Luscious! 

Contessa Blackbird!

Christopher Wonder!

Peggy de Lune!

Fräulein Frauke!

Cleo Viper!

And, not to forget, the two vey important, and very sweet stage kittens - Gabriella and Angelica!

Then, in the middle of it all, this gangster goes up on stage, invites his lovely lady to follow him, gets down on one knee, and proposes to her... As I'm a silly romantic, this gave me goose bumps! And of course he got a "yes"!

Men and Fanny also had a very romantic moment though, as you can see in the picture above! Tired but happy - and not completely sober - we then returned home to our beds, hoping Miss Frauke and Mr Bichard will make these burlesque New Year masquerades a tradition! What am I going to wear next year?!!! AAAAAAHHHH!!!!

All photos marked "Bichard", by John Paul Bichard.

Fräulein Frauke Presents - Under The Sea

Last Saturday it was yet again time for one of Fräulein Frauke's wonderfully decadent burlesque parties - as usual taking place at beautiful Nalen!

Before heading to the party me and a few friends met for some drinks at Le Bar Rouge in Gamla Stan (The Old Town).

This place is very decadent in itself, so it fitted us perfectly! Above you can see my drink of choice!

Fanny and Tifa looking lovely!

Me and Tifa. (Photo stolen from Tifa...)

Since the theme of Fräulein Frauke Presents this time was "Under The Sea", most of us had dressed up as something that had anything to do with water. Fanny was a deep-sea fish - you know those fish that live so deep in the oceans they actually produce their own light - and had made a hat that, well, produced it's own light! I have to say this was perfect during the evening. Every time any one of us left the company to get a drink or something, it was very easy to find our way back to our little group among all the people - we just followed the light on Fanny's head!

I went as a sea nymph, and had made a diadem of seashells and sparkly things.

I had also created a seaweed-skirt. It was very revealing, but with matching panties, garters and corset from What Katie Did it worked well! Why hide such pretty lingerie?! 

My partner in burlesque crime - Fabulous Fabio - had just come back to Stockholm from his second home - Venice - and was fittingly dressed as a gondolière, fully equipped with a blinking gondola on his shoulder!

Amazing photographer - and coproducer of Fräulein Frauke - John Paul Bichard, was as usual there to document the event with his camera, so here follows a few of his photos!

Tifa and Fräulein Frauke, drinking Cointreaupolitans! Check out Fräulein Frauke's ship-hat!

The evening's first performer - Kitty Sincane!

The Jellyfish Woman - who won one of the two best-dressed prices!

The other price went to Neptune!

Crazy conferencière and magician Christopher Wonder!

Pepper Potemkin did a number as the Lobster Woman!

Sailorette Cleo Viper...

...who also did an amazing butterfly act!

Fräulein Frauke performed as a beautiful mermaid. I hav no idea how I will ever be able to eat sushi again after this night?!...

Contortionist Manda Rydman left us all breathless!

The Pirate Queen Virginia Valentine and her - not yet born - costar!

A better picture of Fanny and her amazing hat...

...and Fanny and her amazing husband - photographer Michael Vincent McCarthy Kellerman! Love his jacket!

Me and my evil twin!

DJ Damón Zurawski from The Catastrophe Orchestra played lots of danceable tunes until the horrible lights went on, and we had to leave...for the after party!!! After an extraordinary evening i dived into bed around 5 am. The day after I noticed that wearing a tight corset that prevents you from drinking is really good, since it also keeps you from being hungover the day after!

If you want to see all Mr. Bichard's photos from the evening you can find them here!

Fräulein Frauke Presents also - of course - has a Facebook page! So if you want updates on coming events I suggest you follow it here! Next time she opens the doors at Nalen will be November 24, and the theme will be "Victorian Circus". What am I going to wear?!!!