The Art of Burlesque

Yesterday i watched Burlesque. For those who haven't seen it- This film stars Christina Aguilera and Cher. The story is about a small town girl, Ali, who moves to LA dreaming of becoming a performer. She lands a job in a Burlesque club run by Cher, has a romance and helps the club out of a tricky situation. Most of this film has been seen before, but still it is quite entertaining. I particularly enjoyed seeing Kristen Bell playing a bitch rather than her normal blonde, goody, goody characters.

For me there were 2 things that prevented this film from being a boring disaster. Firstly there was Aguilera's obviously amazing voice, and secondly Michael Kaplan's incredible costume design. Kaplan being the brains behind the clothing for Pearl Harbour, Blade Runner, Se7en and Armageddon seemed like a strange choice of designer to me. However, he has proved that he is definitely not a one trick pony and can design fun, seedy and glamorous just as well as serious and epic.

These costumes are absolutely incredible. They are everything we would expect from burlesque but without being too camp and cheesy. The costumes feel vintage and are fairly understated and simple, but, in a way, this has suceeded in making them seem more real and tasteful. The woman look just as graceful as old Hollywood actresses but at the same time have a grittyness that modernises them. The women just look so beautiful and glamorous, which is what burlesque is really about; a celebration of female power and beauty

My favourite costume is the underwear made completely of pearl necklaces that Ali wears. It's beautiful and definitely something that i will try to recreate. Here it is in this photo.



Here are some examples of some more costumes-

 

Watching this film also made me think about how little burlesque has changed as an art form. Here are some pictures from the 1962 film "Gypsy' starring Natalie Wood. Wood is one of my favourite actresses and she is absolutely stunning in this film. She doesn't show that much but still manages to be unbelievably sexy.

Although, not a burlesque dancer herself, just look at how Marilyn Monroe has influenced this art form. Her shapely curves, red lips and smouldering voice have paved the way for burlesque dancers. Her style will never go out of fashion.