Hat Parade

I think it was very unnecessary that hats pretty much disappeared from fashion after the 60s. But back in the good old - stylish - days, women would walk down the streets with the sole purpose of showing off their new spring/fall hats. So when The Hallwyl House let people who wore a hat get in to see their exhibition Hats Off for free, on the last day of the show, milliner Marika Smith got the idea to gather the visitors and create an old fashioned hat parade from the museum to Djurgården (The Royal Game Park), where we ended our parade with a picnic.

I wore a vintage felt hat from the 40s together with my outfit from Dalena Vintage, that I wrote about here!

The hat exhibition was fun to see. But they should have accompanied the hats with photos of people actually wearing them. These head-decorations can look so different on a head, from what they look sitting on an exhibition stick!

When leaving The Hallwyl House, we were quite a few hat-wearers that paraded away through the streets of Stockholm, meeting many smiling onlookers on our stroll.

The weather was perfect for a picnic! Not cold, but not too hot either.

The organizer, Marika, wore one of her own creations on her head...

...And she had also baked heavenly vanilla buns for everyone!

This was my first picnic for this summer, but I hope for many more!

Burleskloppis 6.0 - Stockholm Burlesque Festival

On the last day of the International Stockholm Burlesque Festival I went up at 5:30 am to get ready to both work and perform at the sixth Burleskloppis (Burlesque Flea Market), which this time collaborated with the burlesque festival.

After spending a few hours moving around tables and chairs, and getting the place ready for the flea market, the sellers started arriving with all their stuff. Some of the very stylish people trying to make more room in their closets were photographer Emmelie Åslin and model Calamity Amelie... 

...Fanny and Ruby Luscious...

...and Herr H, John Paul Bichard and Fräulein Frauke!

As I'm addicted to Swarovski crystals, I really liked Push La Kokett's extravagant jewelry. 

But no burlesque flea market is complete without some burlesque performances, so here is the mastermind and organizer behind the market herself - Marika Smith - introducing the performers, which were:

The Royal Roses Burlesque Troupe!

Kitty Sincane!

Mystique Luna!

And me!

It was great to finally be able to premiere my "Moonlight Sonata" act, and I hope to do it again soon - preferably in a dark place with good stage lightning, so the audience can see the sparkle of all those goddamn 7200 Swarovski crystals I spent a "few" hours gluing to my costume. Haha! After performing it was back to work at the flea market for me, and at the end the day I felt a bit like a zombie... But I love being part of Burleskloppis, and this time of the whole burlesque festival. I had such a good time!

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

Burleskloppis 5.0

Last Sunday the fifth Burlesque Flea Market (Burleskloppis) took place in Stockholm. Just as during the last burlesque flea market, I both worked and performed! After sleeping four whole hours after my sister's 30th birthday party, I jumped out of bed (ok that was a lie...I rolled out of bed...) at 5:30 am to get ready for it all. We had to be there early to organize the market space before the sellers arrived - and then all the visitors.

The mastermind behind the burlesque flea market is sex-guru and milliner Marika Smith!

Besides running around like a crazy hen organizing everything, Marika also sold some of her creations. Love the rat-in-the-hat hat to the right! 

Lady Francescca is a master when it comes to creating pasties! She came to sell some of her her amazing nipple-wear, and I feel those red ones would look very good on my boobies...

LOVE Stories - Jenny Drakenlind Photography had set up a studio where visitors could walk in and have their picture taken. I went there and tried on some props - like this moustache! Think it fits me quite well, and am now thinking of growing one for real...

Linda of O.L.D-Obviously Linda Design and Mrs. Murphy were also there to sell their creations. At 3 pm Mrs. Murphy changed into her burlesque alter ego - Miss Diamond - and gave the audience a boobylishious show! After her it was my turn to take the stage. Because of my IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome) I usually get really shaky from coffee, so I had promised myself I wouldn't drink any before performing! Well...Managed to drink not one but two cups before going on stage...It felt like I had Parkinson's and people must have thought I was really nervous. Haha! I did my Arabian Nights number, which I end by pouring glitter over myself out of an Aladdin lamp. I wasn't allowed to use glitter on this particular stage though, but sequins were fine, so I used tiny golden stars instead. Afterwards I left a trail of those stars behind me. They should thank me for decorating the place...

Alla Tiders Handelsbod (The Shop of All Eras) had brought their café to the market - so I hold them responsible for giving me coffee...They also sell these amazing perfumes that have been made the same way - with the same design on the bottles - since the 1920s...

...and creditcard holders, hand- and pocket mirrors, pillboxes etc with prints of old photos on them. I have one of their pillboxes, with a naked lady on it, and I love it!

Fräulein Frauke (to the left) was there with her husband John Paul Bichard to promote their pinup studio Bichard Studios, where anyone can become a pinup for a day in front of John's camera. Calamity Amelie (to the right) sold some of her lingerie.

I didn't have that much time to walk around to see what everyone was selling, but I managed to buy a pretty hair flower made by Marika Smith herself, a pair of green earrings with golden bows by Bonnie Deluxe...

...and a white, transparent vintage dress from the 60s. I'm usually not so drawn to 60s clothes, but this one I like. It will be perfect for summer! A video - and possibly some pictures - of my performance will be posted another day!

Erotic Hats

I happen to have a friend who is a sex-inspirer...She is also a milliner. Her name is Marika Smith, and right now she has a few of her hats exhibited in the basement club at Berns in Stockholm. This is also where the boudoir boutique Pom Pom Parlour is based. Pom Pom Parlour is a high class erotic boutique, which offers it's customers everything from very stylish clothes and shoes, to lingerie, whips, sex toys, and books, to celebrate sexuality and femininity. So together with Pom Pom, Miss Smith created her exhibition - of not any hats - but erotic hats!

I had been invited to the opening night, and since it was all about hats, I put on a hat made by Magdalena Kellerman. It contains Mildred - a cousin to Milfred. Or well...At least part of her...

When I arrived I was greeted by Marika herself, pictured above. And I was glad to see most of the guests were wearing hats! 

Marika isn't just good at sex and hats, she is also a master when it comes to making things that makes you gain weight...So for this occasion she had created a whole chocolate buffet!!! But now to some of her hats that were on display! They all had erotic themes...

This one is decorated with a pair of mini handcuffs. Here resting on the book Sins, which is Pom Pom Parlour's own collection of erotic novels. I happen to own that one, and I can highly recommend it...

This hat has been decorated with "something" white. And it ain't snow...

This one has an old, lesbian print on it. Grrrr...

Here is my favorite in the exhibition! I could probably go to a very fancy party in this one, and get compliments on my old-style pretty hat. BUT! If you actually look at it, you can see that it is formed as a vagina - complete with a perl-clit! Haha! Love it!

Of course I had too take a peek at Pom Pom Parlour too! One thing I have spent a lot of money on in that boutique is shoes by one of my favorite shoe designers - Minna Parikka! I sort of like these ones...

...But I love this pair of bunny shoes! There weren't any left in my size though. Thank God...

Other fun things at Pom Pom were, for example, these penis-panties....

...This lovely set, that I happen to want...

...And all kinds of books. Here accompanied by my drink.

There was also an elephant...

Photo: Mrs Murphy

Among all the guests I met the always fabulous Mrs Murphy! She had brought her own photographer, and dragged me into a very impromptu, but also very interesting photo shoot...

The evening then ended with wine upstairs in Bern's lovely, crystal chandelier-hung main room, together with two of my friends - one Italian, and one French. When you hang out with people from those countries, sex jokes are made about every second minute. Let's just say I had a really good time...