In keeping with the Halloween fashion thing we’ve got going on this week, I spoke to Cadence Macmichael, owner of Pretty Things Boutique and founder of Pink Velvet Burlesque, about whether the city’s popular burlesque scene has had an impact on Halifax fashion. “I find that people take the opportunity to get dressed up for the burlesque shows and maybe dress a little more daringly than they usually would—it’s a chance for them to come out of their shells,” she says. “We’ll often have women show up in their corsets and garters looking like they’re ready for the Moulin Rouge themselves and it’s also not uncommon to see men dressed in their suits and fedoras!”
Macmichael says that as more people come to burlesque shows, they become more tuned into the retro-revival/rockabilly culture and fashion that’s been happening in bigger cities. And with the burlesque revival of the past five years, performers such as the ridiculously gorgeous Dita Von Teese have become mainstream fashion icons. “Dita choses clothing that is very classic and timeless which is sort of a backlash against what is happening with a lot of mainstream fashion; the never-ending dime-a-dozen trends that leave you with disposable clothing you won’t wear a year from now because it will seem so dated.”
If you’re looking a reason to tighten up that corset, there’s Pink Velvet Burlesque’s proud Halloween-themed “Things That Bump & Grind In The Night” on Saturday, November 1 at the Halifax Feast Dinner Theatre (1505 Barrington). Doors open at 11:30pm and the fun begins at midnight. Apparently there are dead ghouls. (Get it??) Buy your advance tickets for $12 at Pretty Things Boutique (5685 Cunard) or Venus Envy (1598 Barrington), or be all dangerous and pay $15 at the door.
This article appears in Oct 30 – Nov 5, 2008.
