by Rosanna Carlucci
The clock on the wall strikes ten. It’s show time. She adjusts her costume one last time and scurries for the stage. Poured into a creation of feathers and crystals she still manages to shine in the darkness, waiting for her cue. Her hair is set and her lips are painted with her signature red. Her heart vibrates in her chest with excitement and anxiety, like a million drums beating at the same time. She waits.

The curtain finally pulls back and the music starts. The audience gasps in awe at the beauty before them. She glistens in the spotlight and seems to float from side to side with the grace and form of a seasoned ballerina. One glove at a time she teases and she taunts, revealing everything and nothing at the same time. With every knowing smile and suggestive glare she draws the boys in and then throws them back out. It isn’t too long before all that remains is the jewellery adorning her neck and arms, and the smile on her face. The sparkling necklace and diamond cuffs seem dull in comparison to the glow of her pale skin…

Burlesque by definition is “theatrical entertainment of a broadly humorous often earthy character consisting of short turns, comic skits, and sometimes striptease acts.” More specifically in the forties and the fifties the striptease aspect of burlesque gained great popularity and its ladies or “Queens of Burlesque” would entertain and delight audiences with their saucy acts and elaborate costumes.

Today thanks to performers like Dita Von Teese the glamour and seduction of burlesque has regained great popularity, influencing everything from art to fashion.

For her fall Ready-to-Wear collection, designer Vera Wang has teamed up with jewellery designer Philip Crangi to create the most beautiful and glamorous necklaces and cuffs for Wang’s jewellery collection. The pieces seem to be greatly inspired by the vintage costumes and jewellery worn by burlesque showgirls, covered with oversized crystals and row upon row of rhinestones.

Not for the faint of heart, the jewellery is not only large in size but also big on glamour, the perfect accessory for Toronto’s first Burlesque Festival!

Vera Wang jewellery available at Vera Wang boutiques.

www.torontoburlesquefestival.com