Marilee Caruso (photographer) and Rockwell DeVil (makeup and hair) teamed up to make me look good for the holidays! My Christmas pinup set is featured in the holiday issue of Bombshell Magazine, and I’m on one of the covers.
I love red velvet and Christmas lights are basically in my blood at this point, so everything about this set is essential Catherine Morland, LOL. Marilee did a wonderful job for me. Every set is even better than the last, and I am grateful for her inspired work.
You can grab a copy of the magazine or a cover poster via Magcloud, and use code BF25 to get a discount (on these or any Magcloud publication) through 11/28/2022 (the actual discount varies by publisher and issue, btw). Note that I don’t make any money off of purchases direct from Magcloud, just the Tiki issue and posters (I have one mag copy left and a handful of posters if you want to help feed my pinup addiction. I mean, support me as I pursue this noble hobby! Ha!).
This one’s kinda meta, because my nom-de-pinup is Catherine Morland and I’m actually portraying Jane Austen’s heroine from Northanger Abbey, Catherine Morland, in the photo set. As she’s into gothic romances and horrid novels of all kinds, we have Catherine reading novels by candlelight in a spooky forestscape of her imagination. Eat your heart out, Emily St. Aubert!
Marilee also did the beautiful makeup and hair, which works well with the fashion aesthetic even though we intended it to be fantasy. The dress is by Kay Gnagey of Originals by Kay and is based on an original ensemble in the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s fashion collection. The Chantilly lace shawl is an antique, and the fan is from Amazon with a vintage silk ribbon from Etsy.
Marilee did the fabulous early 1960s makeup and hair (and lent me those awesome vintage earrings!), and I supplied my own clothes and vintage copy of the magazine. The playmate necklace (crystal pave bunny head) is a cheapie I got years ago on Ebay, the velvet dress is the olive green velvet Starlet Wiggle from the Vixen line by Micheline Pitt, and the shoes are my old reliable Christian Louboutin Piou-Piou patent stiletto pumps.
I was basically channeling one of my old Vampire: the Masquerade LARP characters, a dancer from Clan Toreador whom I named Lily after Lily Bart in Edith Wharton’s House of Mirth. Marilee did some very romantic Rachael-from-Blade-Runner-ish hair and makeup, and I wore one of my “Elisabeth” dressing gowns from Catherine D’Lish, a black lace bodysuit from Torrid, garter belt and stockings by What Katie Did, and a pair of signed Manolo Blahnik Campari pumps I got third-hand for like $35. Oh, and the fangs are one of two great custom pairs I got from Kaos Kustom Fangs.
So my friend Elizabeth and I recently attended a Persuasion-themed Jane Austen picnic sponsored by The Greater Bay Area Costumers’ Guild. It was an excuse to wear Regency, and in particular to acquire a copy of the beautiful gold Regency gown in the Kyoto Costume Institute collection.
Tiki pinup incoming! I’m super-thrilled to share that I got one of the Retro Lovely Tiki special edition covers this year (Volume 2)! Marilee Caruso shot me at an amazing home tiki bar in the Sacramento area (Danger Island!). I’m so happy with these images and also grateful to see a few friends in the issue with me, including Miss Melody Noir!
You can get signed copies of the issue and/or a 12×18″ poster of the cover art direct from me! Prices include USPS Priority shipping to US addresses. If you need international shipping, contact me! Buying these from me doesn’t make me much money, but it does help me defray the cost of bringing you pinup (which I love to do!)…
Check out the latest regular issue of Bombshell Magazine to see me in a cool film noir-themed set photographed by Marilee Caruso. I’m even on one of the covers! Fabulous Rockwell DeVil once again did my hair and makeup, and my wardrobe for the shoot included vintage jewelry, a 1940s robe by Trashy Diva, a basque by Bettie Page lingerie from Playful Promises, stockings by What Katie Did, and shoes by Remix.
(FYI, I’m a nonsmoker, but posed with a cigarette for the shoot because this is noir, people!)