Burlesque is making a comeback!

So you must have noticed that one of the hottest trends going around at the moment is underwear as outerwear, which goes hand in hand with the current day explosion of Burlesque. Women everywhere are baring all and doing burlesque as a fun way of working out and building confidence. One of our most adored local burlesque dancers is Miss Cherry-pop (right) who you can check out on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Miss-Cherry-Pop/137150578933?ref=ts. Inspired by all of this, we are showing you how burlesque-inspired make-up and fashion is right on trend.

Almost every fashion house is showing this trend this season - one of the front runners on the high street has got to be Topshop. They have a stunning selection of corsets and bodices such as this lace piece which would go perfectly with a pair of harem pants or shorts. It also comes in cream and grey and is an absolute bargain for £25. We also love this denim bra-style top, perfect for summer and a more casual take on this trend.

We’re also big fans of the great brand ‘Bebaroque’ who have gorgeous pieces including bodies and tights. They are at a higher price than you would pay on the high street but the quality is worth it. Some of the designs have Swarovski crystals on them and we particularly love these hand embroidered tights which have pearls and stones sewn into them (see left). You can check it all out at www.bebaroque.co.uk and some designs are also available at www.asos.com where they are slightly more purse friendly!

Burlesque style make-up, made famous by celebrities such as Dita Von Tesse, is totally glamorous and completely achievable for a night out. The three most important things in burlesque style make-up is flawless matte skin, defined eyes and gorgeous red lips. Here are some of our recommendations; Lancome Teint Idole Silky Matte Mineral Foundation was one of Cosmopolitans 2009 Beauty Awards winners, and gives a matte and fresh-faced look for 18 hours. Urban Decay Surreal Skin Cream to Powder Foundation was also a winner. In terms of eyes, we’ve discovered this great new product, Urban Decay’s Cream Eyeliner. It’s better than a pencil and a liquid and is sure to give you that perfect defined look. Now for the most important part, to pull this look of you need to have the perfect red lipstick. Our vote goes to a brand new product from our favorite make-up artists MAC. They’ve created two lipsticks named Viva Glam Gaga and Viva Glam Cyndi, named after Lady Gaga and Cyndi Lauper. Viva Glam Cyndi is a perfect red tone, but they are limited edition so make sure that you snap yours up quick at www.maccosmetics.co.uk!

So you may be nervous about starting out with this new trend but burlesque is really on the comeback and if it hasn’t hit your local area yet, it is bound to soon. Inject a little bit of it into your every day wardrobe and you may even want to join a burlesque class like Miss Cherry-Pop’s. She’s doing a show on the 17th of April at The Winchester in Bournemouth so if you’re anywhere along the south coast and not quite ready to join a class yet then pop along, it’s guaranteed to be a great night! Find all the info on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/event.php?eid=236783462445&ref=mf.

Enjoy!

Love Katie x

Baby Joel has arrived!......

Studio mate Hannah popped back into see us along with her gorgeous new baby boy Joel, now 5 weeks old.




Hannah looked absolutely fab although she didn't hang around too long in case she got roped into work!

This months hottest event...

We’re super busy at 4couture.com this week, all rushing around with client appointments and fittings but we’ve spotted an absolutely amazing event that we just had to let you know about. Kerry Taylor Auctions are an auction house who hold auctions featuring antique, vintage and designer clothing. Their next auction is on March 16th and we’ve heard that they have some red carpet celebrity dresses so we had to have a quick look! Here are our Top 5 items from the auction...

Definitely one of the highlights of the auction is this Alexander McQueen black and gold brocade jacket which is completely stunning. In light of his tragic death we’re sure it is going to be one of the most popular items of the day- It’s estimated at £200-£300 pounds but we can see it going way over that.

We also love this gorgeous pastel yellow dress which is very on trend, worn by Slumdog Millionaire star Freida Pinto at London Fashion week. The dress is current season Burberry and is elegant, girly and really easy to wear and we think it would be a great piece to bid for.

Number 3 is a tour outfit which belonged to Nicola Roberts of Girls Aloud, consisting of a fringed corset and miniskirt. The outfit combines two major trends for this season, pastels and 1920’s style fringing. It would be perfect for a chic evening do, and valued at £300-£500 it would be a real statement buy.

But the auction doesn’t only feature outfits worn by the most stylish celebrities. Kerry Taylor Auctions are also auctioning a huge selection of vintage pieces from as far back as the 1800’s. Some pieces are being auctioned as groups which means that if you’ve got a real passion for dressmaking and altering, you can keep the pieces you love as they are and alter the rest. One of the best examples of this is this group of lace and patterned blouses from around the 30’s-40’s, there are approximately 20 in the auction and some are beautiful and fit in perfectly with this seasons trends, and at an approximated £200-£300 for all of them, that’s just over £10 a blouse.


Lastly, similar to our last pick, one of the best value auctions are these WW2 military style jackets. The group consists of 5 jackets and they’re estimated at £50-£70 for the lot which is less than you’d pay for one on the high street in this style. Our favourite is this double-breasted grey coat with gold buttons and red detail but the rest are just as lovely.

So, if you’re around on the 16th of March then pop along and grab something really special, you might end up getting a bargain but if not you can guarantee you will spend all your money on something worthwhile, we know we’ll be there!

If you do get the chance to go send me pictures of anything you manage to get your hands on via Twitter at www.twitter.com/4couture.

Good luck!

Katie x

The address for Kerry Taylor Auctions is Unit C25, (second floor) 40 Martell Road, West Dulwich, London, SE21 8EN and you can check out all of the upcoming auctions at http://www.kerrytaylorauctions.com/currentsale.php.