Our four day residency at 246 William Street as part of On William's Makeshift festival was a fantastic success!
Check out our Facebook album to see some happy snaps from the weekend's events, including sneak peeks from our Curves to Kill, Vintage Pinup and Great Gatsby photoshoots.
The weekend started off with a fun and fabulous Opening Night Party! We christened our new home at number 246 William with delicious wines from Repertoire Wines in Margaret River, beer from PFF sponsor Peroni, and food and sweets from European Foods. Our guests enjoyed a number of mini fashion displays to give them a taste of what to expect throughout the weekend - and for some, a shopping list for our Sunday markets! Blaah Designs (Blaauw by Monica), Red Stripe Clothing and The Powder Room all displayed beautiful pieces, ranging from edgy and structural modern fashion pieces to vavavoom vintage beauties - all complemented with stunning handmade headpieces by Jessica Frank Millinery.
Guests also enjoyed performances from our models - who just happened to be some of Lady Velvet Cabaret's top burlesque artists! Sugar du Joure wow'd crowds with glittering risque routine, Lady Lace dropped jaws with a feisty burlesque solo, and Monet Petite performed a fiery samba-inspired routine.
Acts were snapped by Jennifer Villalobos Photography and Matsu Photography dropped by to catch some action too.
We kicked off our workshop series with our Curves to Kill class. Sugar du Joure gathered a huge number of resources and examples (including some gorgeous curvy models) to teach some fabulous ladies how to make fashion work for THEM! Covering areas that many people shy away from, Sugar attacked fashion dos, dont's, myths and mistakes head on, instilling in her students an understanding of their shapes, and a love of fabulous fashion! She answered questions, busted myths, demonstrated examples and gave top tips on where to find tricky wardrobe items and how to pull them off!
With some guidance on hair, makeup and posing for the camera, the girls were ready for their Jennifer Villalobos photo shoot! It was fantastic to see the transformation in so many of the ladies - some did not consider themselves photogenic at all when the course started, but shot incredible photos, gaining confidence and creativity throughout their shoots! We can't wait to see the final results, but you can catch some sneaky peeks in the photo above, or on Facebook!
Next it was the turn of the pinups! Bright and early on Saturday morning, 246 William was overrun with gorgeous vintage vixens who were keen to learn the art of the vintage pinup from Miss Perfect Pinup WA 2011/12 Lady Lace. Over a full length workshop, they learned everything from the history of the pinup, the hair, makeup and styling of the pinup, iconic vintage pinup poses, personalities, characterisations and even pinup names! Some of the students have also taken our Pinup Bootcamp class and were already retro devotees, but some were completely new to the idea of the pinup girl. No matter their experience, they all wow'd us with their composure, style and flair during their Jennifer Villalobos photo shoot - what a bunch of gorgeous girls!
After all that primping and posing, our girls had earned a break - so thanks to Burlesque High Tea, they enjoyed an hour of delicious sweets, snacks and treats, accompanied by a luxurious chocolate fountain and exotic tea buffet! Throughout this time, they got exclusive burlesque performances by their instructors Sugar, Monet and Lady Lace, who presented a varied programme of acts, ranging from sweet and demure to raucous and saucy! Tellingly, the final performance was from Charleston expert Monet Petite, who would teach the ladies some signature dance moves later on in the evening!
After the delicious tea, the next workshop begun! With a large group of dames (and one gent), including some celebrating the hens party of the lovely Kate, we went back in time to explore the Roaring 20s! Inspired by the hit film The Great Gatsby, our Flappers learned iconic 20s hair and makeup from Lady Lace, who explained the crucial differences between the 40s/50s looks previously covered, and the dark and dramatic 1920s look. With some help from Lady Lace, the guests learned their finger waves from their pincurls, and managed to recreate a dramatic 1920s hair and makeup look each! We were then visited by the lovely Zoe, of The Powder Room, who brought with her some lovely goodies for us to explore! With pieces from her Decadence & Hedonism range (which we spied at the opening party, and again at the markets!), as well as some luxurious faux fur and even cigarillos, she walked our guests through how to dress like the iconic 20s flapper, combining props, accessories and wardrobe to replicate the Gatsby look. She helped our guests work the camera, and there are so many fantastic snaps from Jennifer Villalobos Photography of our incredible 20s vamps and vixens! They rocked their photo shoot, and finally capped off their evening with a special treat - a Charleston lesson from Monet Petite! They bravely set out to learn one of the most energetic and frenetic dance styles of the 20th Century - learning knee-knocks, Suzie-Qs, mess arounds, and more - of course combining them with the Charleston. They performed their routine to wild applause and we hope they got to test their new moves out later that night!
After three days of exciting workshops and photoshoots, it was time to strip the venue back to its bare essentials in preparation for the influx of over 10 specialty vintage, retro, alternative and arts stalls! Sunday saw the opening of our Vintage Fashion Market, a free event which proved fun for the whole family. Joining us were stalls like Red Stripe (above), who sold brand new retro and reproduction wares like clothing, shoes, accessories and bags. Jessica Frank and The Powder Room joined forces to provide a massive stall which proved too much to resist for some - with handmade millinery and 1920s Flapper dresses. Independent sellers like Lady Lace, Lauren, and Amy brought along their personal collections of new and pre-loved pieces, including fashion, accessories, pasties, books, sunglasses, vintage brassieres and lingerie, and even a vintage wedding train!
Monica returned after displaying her Blaauw label at our opening night, selling her own handmade pieces as well as costume jewellery and new shirts and shoes. Our favourite online Showgirl boutique provided gorgeous fascinators, corsets and new clothing, while Sylvia Sippl sold original drawings, paintings, prints, bags, and more. Miss JamJam provided her iconic hair bows and accessories, while Whiskey and Rye Photography offered all marketgoers a special price on their legendary pinup photoshoots! Noveltea Vintage joined us for the first time, with their original pieces causing quite a stir, with vintage plates and books reimagined as unique retro-flavoured homewares proving popular!
What a massive weekend - a big thank you to everyone who helped make it such a success, from sponsors to creatives to workshop guests!
We can't wait for next year's Fashion Festival already!
- Lady Velvet Cabaret x
