There is a common misconception that Burlesque
refers to vulgar strip shows. However its roots
lie in rich musical and comic theatre that has
entertained people for over 200 years. Only in
its declining years did it resort to seedy strip
shows it has now come to be associated with.
Burlesque
in the 19th century was a vehicle in which
theatre and entertainment industries made
fun of itself and those who patronized the
more “respectable” forms
of entertainment. With productions such as the “Mick
Hairdo” and “Much ado about the Merchant
of Venice”, burlesque used comedy and comic
musicals as a spoofing, mock taking, of subjects
such as Shakespeare, opera and generally other
accepted social values and behavior. From this
it moved on to challenge attitudes towards women.
Thus, whilst the day to day woman was expected
to conceal her sexual feelings and expressions
through her appearance, women on the burlesque
stage were in -contrast- exploiting their sexuality. The
shows at that time were more suggestive of sexuality
rather than explicit, playfully using sex in
a comic and musical context. Basically, not taking
the subject seriously, making it fun.
Early burlesque was often produced by
women, injecting female humor into the shows which
were full of sexual innuendo but focusing on making
fun of sex. The object of burlesque was to lampoon
their subjects and mildly titillate the audience,
not to offend. As expected, however, the more serious
elements of society at the time turned against
burlesque and condemned it as indecent.
As
popularity of burlesque declined, routines
resorted more and more on striptease and
titillation to draw in male audiences, eventually
becoming the seedy strip shows it is now
commonly associated with. Finally, burlesque
came to be regarded as corrupting moral standards
and were actually banned in New York in late
1930’s. However, in its
tradition of pushing boundaries to their limits,
burlesque theatre has left a great legacy for
future comedians and musical theatre. Modern
day comedians, satirists and comedy filmmakers,
including most television popular entertainment
programs, carry on the tradition of vaudeville
even though we do not always recognize them as
such.
By the same token, modern day designers
also carry on this tradition by pushing the boundaries
of sexuality and titillation in many of their creations,
often drawing on costumes from burlesque for inspiration.
We at Burlesque
Blue are also
inspired by the spirit of these daring entertainers.
We have tried to create a collection of shoes
which captures the fun and sexuality of burlesque,
without actually making direct copies. It is
not the actual shoe styles that matter but
the spirit in which they were created that
we are trying to re-create, injecting our own
character to the collection. We hope you agree.
