Vinterview 4 - Bonita of Lavender and Twill / Rita Hayworth

This weeks vinterview is with a friend of my the lovely and multi-talented Bonita of Lavender & Twill. Bonita is a busy lady not only does she blog at Lavender & Twill where she writes about her vintage style and is currently documenting her family's move to Thailand she also in the process of setting up two companies. The first one creating cute brooches from her original designs. You can check out some of Boni's artwork at Teacupgirlart and even purchase some for yourself!  Boni's second venture is creating vintage style clothing that is durable and hardy enough to be thrown into a suitcase and can upstand the rigmaroles of a busy travelling woman. You can follow her progress at Time Traveller Clothing. You can follow Bonita's adventures on instagram @lavenderandtwill or check out her artwork @teacupgirlart

Bonita chose another redhead for her vinterview the stunning Rita Hayworth. Rita Hayworth was an American actress and dancer. She achieved fame during the 1940s as one of the era's top stars, appearing in a total of 61 films over 37 years. The press coined the term "love goddess" to describe Hayworth after she had become the most glamorous screen idol of the 1940s. She was the top pin-up girl for GIs during World War II.

Hayworth is perhaps best known for her performance in the 1946 film noir, Gilda, opposite Glenn Ford, in which she played the femme fatale in her first major dramatic role. Fred Astaire, with whom she made two films, called her his favorite dance partner. Her greatest success was in the Technicolor musical Cover Girl (1944), with Gene Kelly. She is listed as one of the top-25 female motion picture stars of all time in the American Film Institute's survey, AFI's 100 Years...100 Stars.

And now to the interview. 

This is the first film you've made in quite some time. How does it feel to be back in front of the camera?
I haven't ever made a film personally, but I can say that it always feels a bit weird to come back to something after taking a break for a while. This is particularly timely as I have been taking a break from blogging. When I've not been blogging regularly, I always feel like I've completely forgotten how to do it! It takes me some time to pick up the thread and get my "voice" back.

Who is in it with you?
Well, mostly I keep the blog to personal subjects ~ vintage fashion and creative lifestyle, my family do come into every so often. In fact, they will probably feature more predominantly as we have started a big adventure over in Thailand and I will be blogging about that once I get into the swing of things.

Can you tell us anything about the story and the part that you play?
In this story of our life, I am a wife, mother and artist! I am trying to expand my role to small business owner as well, and I am learning all I can about the part.  ;)

Is this different from anything you have done before?
Yes, quite! I have always designed and had creative output but this is the first time I've really put a lot of effort into creating my own business.

When you were out in the Caribbean did you visit a lot of places?
I haven't been to the Caribbean as of yet, but so far in Thailand we have seen a lot of the West side of the island and explored around, and visited the Royal Old Town on the East side. We are planning to spend two in Malaysia or Vietnam in about a month's time, so I am looking forwards to exploring there!

You've got your children with you haven't you? Have you been taking them around? Have you had time?
Yes, our whole family has relocated to Thailand, we have three little ones. Theodore, our eldest son is five, Isabelle is four and our youngest, Charlotte is two. We have been able to take them on some adventures in TukTuks and taxis, but my husband and I have also been exploring by ourselves on our scooter. One of the things we have very much been enjoying is loads more time to do the things we'd like to as a family. The benefits of not having to prepare meals, clean or do laundry have been a very big blessing for our family!

Are you going anywhere this weekend with them?
At the moment, my plan is to go back to the Royal Old Town on Saturday, or we might hire a Jeep and head down to the National Park on the Southern tip of the island. There's a gorgeous lighthouse and tons of monkeys that I would like to take the children to see.  Or there's a Butterfly Garden ~ as you can tell, we still have a lot of things to see!

Are you going to do any more musicals?
No, but I am planning to do more videos for YouTube! I do like sharing videos and filming them, and hopefully I'll have a new one up soon showing the villas that we have been living in for everyone to get a better idea of what they look like.

You've made musicals with stars like Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly it must have been fun?
Have I? How marvelous!! Gene Kelly is my favourite actor, I think he is wonderfully talented! That would have been an absolutely amazing experience!

Have you any ambition to play any particular part or do any particular picture?
My ambitions currently are to get my two businesses up and running, one designing and making a brooch line ~ Teacup Girl, and the other, manufacturing an ethical, vintage inspired, travel clothing line ~ Time Traveler Clothing.

So I am very much focused on these goals, and I am really hoping to see that happening within in the next few years. Then I truely will have achieved my ambition of becoming a small business owner!

Thank you for having me, it's been delightful chatting with you today.

Vinterview 3 - Eva Devore / Lili St Cyr

The next vinterview is with the gorgeous Eva Devore, burlesque babe extraordinaire! Sultry, sensual and seductive, Eva Devore  will transport you to days gone by. Enchanted with old world glamour and bygone eras, this vintage vixen creates luscious visual feasts with acts to titillate and tease. Bringing her fresh take on classic striptease to Sydney stages since 2016, Eva combines her extensive knowledge of costume and history with her love of dance to bring you a performance you won't forget. Let Ms Devore mesmerise you with her hips, sequins and so much more.

Eva Devore is an accomplished seamstress and costumier,with qualifications in Fashion and Costume for Performance. A self-professed history nerd, Eva has lent her expertise to several major productions, including working with the Sydney Conservatorium in 2015 for their Centenary production at the Sydney Opera House.You can find Eva on inta @eva_devore and catch Eva in her upcoming performance in June at the Martini Lounge, Sydney. Details and tickets can be found here.

Eva chose burlesque legend Lili St Cyr for her vinterview. Lili was born Minneapolis, Minnesota, on June 3, 1918. She and her sister (who was also a burlesque dancer ) were raised by their grandparents. Lili took ballet lessons in her youth and began dancing in the chorus line in Hollywood. Lili begged the manager to give her a solo act. From her self-choreographed act she eventually landed a bit part at a club called the Music Box in San Francisco, with the Duncan Sisters. It was here that she found a dancer's salary was only a small fraction of what the featured star's salary was. The difference was that the featured star was nude.

From the 1940s and most of the 1950s, St. Cyr with Gypsy Rose Lee and Ann Corio were the most recognized acts in striptease. St. Cyr's stage name is a patronymic of the French aristocracy, which she first used when booked as a nude performer in Las Vegas. Although more obscure toward the end of her life, her name popped-up regularly in 1950s tabloids: stories of her many husbands, brawls over her, and her attempted suicides.

St. Cyr was married six times. Her best-known husbands were the motorcycle speedway rider Cordy Milne, musical-comedy actor and former ballet dancer Paul Valentine, restaurateur Armando Orsini, and actor Ted Jordan

And now to the interview these questions were taken from a 1957 interview by Mike Wallace

What is your personal opinion of the men that sit in nightclubs and burlesque houses and watch you strip?
Personally, I love that men are coming to see an artform that portrays women as strong, powerful and sensual beings. Burlesque is one of the few platforms that a woman can explore her sensuality in performance without the sleaziness factor. Burlesque can be comedic, sexy, sensual, silly or make a political statement. It’s such an empowering art form.

What is the reason you think most men come?
I think a lot of men might come along to their first burlesque show expecting something similar to a strip club, but come back for the incredible performances and the exploration of striptease and sensuality in art and comedy.

What do you think of women that come to see a girl take off her clothes?
To be honest, most of the audience is made up of women at burlesque shows! I love that women can come together to celebrate each other’s bodies and sensuality. Burlesque doesn’t exclude any body types; whether you’re short, tall, slim or curvaceous, big boobs or small, burlesque celebrates everything that shimmies and shakes!

Why do you go to striptease shows?
They’re just so much fun! I’ve always adored the glamour and the costumes, and as I studied costume-making, I was drawn to the vintage aesthetic of classic burlesque (best represented in the mainstream media by Dita Von Teese.) As I started attending burlesque shows in Sydney, I got to see the variety involved, be it comedy or satire or circus arts, and I fell in love.

Suppose there were a male equivalent of the striptease in which a man got up on stage and took of his clothes would you approve of that kind of thing?
Absolutely! There is indeed a male equivalent to burlesque, known as boylesque or brolesque, and I think it’s fantastic! The burlesque community is very welcoming of many performers, of all genders and orientations, and often this is explored in performance too. There are some absolutely fantastic male burlesque performers, including Russel Bruner, whose vaudevillian acts are just amazing, and here in Sydney we are lucky to have Mac Galleon and Bullseye Billy, supremely talented performers who I recommend seeing if you get the chance!

What do you think about while you go through the gyrations which are calculated to arouse the most basic emotions in people who watch you?
I’m usually cheering or whooping along with the crowd, enjoying the performance and the creativity of the artist. I love appreciating beauty in all forms!

I know you have been arrested for indecent exposure 3 or 4 times. What do you think of people who say the striptease is lewd and immoral and its sole function is to arouse lust in an audience?
Well, I haven’t actually been arrested yet, but to people who think burlesque is immoral, I think they should come along to a show and actually experience burlesque. Sexuality, sensuality and the human body are all parts of life, so why not explore them in performance? I think some people are very limited by their beliefs and views, and if we could all be more open and accepting of each other and our own feelings and bodies, the world would be a kinder place.

Have you ever done anything that you are ashamed of?
Well sure, haven’t we all? Nothing burlesque related though. Usually I’m feeling ashamed because I demolished a whole packet of Tim Tams in an hour, when I was supposed to be rationing them out…

Do you think you are an artist?
Absolutely. My interpretation of burlesque is vintage and history inspired glamour, and it’s a great platform for me to explore my costume-making.  I love to create big, lavish costumes! Every burlesque performer approaches their art in a different way, and that is why there is so much diversity in burlesque performance.

How did you get into the business?
I’ve been interested in burlesque since I was in high school, but I started performing professionally in 2016. I’ve always done dance classes of some kind, including belly dance, go go dance and jazz dance, but a few years ago I started taking burlesque classes with the Sydney Vintage Dance Studio, run by Sheena Miss Demeanour. It definitely built up my confidence, and so I started to put together my first act, my Egyptian revival-inspired Nile Queen act. It got a wonderful response when I debuted it at a night for new performers, and things kind of took off from there!

How did you feel the first time you performed?
Over the moon. I was so excited to finally be doing something I had always dreamed of! Also, there’s no feeling quite like having a big audience cheering and clapping as you are taking off your clothes!

How does your husband feel about his wife disrobing and dancing provocatively in public?
My boyfriend is really supportive of my burlesque. When I was just starting, he was a little unsure how he would feel, but at my very first performance he was so proud and supportive! He’s definitely my biggest fan and I’m so lucky to have him. He comes to all my shows!

Are you going into business with your husband or will you just be a housewife and forget the bright lights?
Haha I don’t think I’ll ever be a housewife (even if I dress like one sometimes!) My partner is a photographer and so we often collaborate to shoot my costumes or concepts. He shoots burlesque shows as well, so sometimes we both get to work on the same show.

When you quit what will be your interest?
I don’t know when or if I will quit, I’m really enjoying burlesque at the moment! I’ve always followed one creative pursuit or another, so I doubt that will change.

What kind of religious upbringing did you have? What are your religious beliefs?
I was brought up atheist, but my personal beliefs are just that; personal. I believe everyone has the right to believe what they wish and follow their own religion, but I don’t believe in forcing one’s religion on another or expecting others to abide by your beliefs.

What about politics do you have any interest in that?
I think politics are pretty ridiculous at the moment, given recent circumstances. The world would be a much better place if we could all learn to be compassionate and emphatic.

What kind of things do you read?
I love fantasy and historical fiction! Lately I’ve been working my way through the Miss Fisher series (I just adore the television programme too.) I also love classic literature, and have a huge collection of costume and clothing reference books.

Do you think with your occupation, with your business, your body, your beauty, are you afraid of growing old and growing ugly?
I think everyone is a little afraid of this, but then I also think of the beauty in age. We all grow old one day, and that shouldn’t stop you from doing what you love. One of my idols is Iris Apfel, the eccentric fashionista in her 90s, who exudes amazing style every day. That’s my goals for old age for sure!

You don't respect marriage, you don't want children, you have no interest in politics, religion. What sort of world do you think it would be if everyone were like you?
(Side note: I love how backwards the reporter in this interview was, and how Lili St Cyr handled it with such grace. She is just incredible!)
If everyone were like me, I would hope that the world would be a kinder and more compassionate place. I’m by no means perfect, and I think it would be pretty boring if everyone were just like me! But it would be lovely to see a more accepting and peaceful world, full of art and expression.

And here is the original interview with Lili: