Paris in the Spring

The Opera House, Paris: so beautiful, I almost wept. I get very emotional when I see something really transporting and ornate. My slight champagne hangover from Dita's Crazy Show vaporised in an instant! This room didn't so much take my breath away, as knock it right out of my body!

After the opera house, we had a quick coffee opposite at the Grand Hotel, then grabbed a cab for a glass of pink champagne and some caviar at Prunier, a funky art deco seafood restaurant frequented by Dita Von Teese and Jean Paul Gaultier. I don't think about what I'm "allowed" or "not allowed" to eat too much when I'm abroad; I think it's important to enjoy the local specialities to really submerge oneself in the culture.

Anyway, to stick to a strict diet in Paris, one would have to lack a pulse!

Prunier.

A last boutique I had to visit before we left was Caron, where I bought two of these gorgeous swan's down powder puffs. I am collecting beautiful objects for my dressing table at Peng Towers :) I don't have the actual dressing table itself yet, but whatever... for now I have a dreamy peach powder puff for my future dressing table, and a miniature baby pink one for my present makeup case. They are the softest things I have ever ever touched!

I also took away some French perfume samples, including one that smells just like fresh pink roses, my favourite flower.

Our last stop before picking up our cases from the concierge and leaving for the airport was the Musée de l'érotisme, which had two whole floors dedicated to late C19th and early C20th erotica, including lots of vintage photographs of the the ladies of the night of Pigalle, and real 1920s pornography playing on a loop on TV screens!

"Gigolettes" of the 1890s- the lack of makeup was compensated for by every kind of lace, silk, velvet, ribbon, pearls, corsetry and other intricate lingerie, and any other glamorous trimming you can think of!

One thing I learned at the Musée de l'érotisme is that the moment cameras were invented, the first thing people did was use them to record sex, and pictures of beautiful naked women. At the time, brothels were perfectly legal in Paris and many had stunningly beautiful ornate interiors with the ladies who worked there sometimes wearing ballgowns in sumptuous fabrics as well as the more expected lingerie (or nothing but shoes!). It seems that high heels, stockings, garters, lace, corsets, gloves, waved hair, smoky eyes and round bums have been sexy since at least the 1890s!

Parisian prostitutes in an opulent brothel in Pigalle in the 1910s.

Now to catch up with emails! Au revoir for now x

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Dita Von Teese at The Crazy Horse, Paris

After champagne, oysters and ile flottante at Bofinger, Boyfy and I spent a rainy afternoon shopping in Paris. I love to visit the original Dior flagship store, est. 1949. I also don't mind being offered complementary champagne while I try on dresses, that's for sure.

I wanted to go to the Hemingway Bar at the Ritz, but when we got there, the whole place was closed for refurbishments. Disaster! I've added a book called The Cocktails of The Ritz to my Amazon Wish List so I can make them at home, but I think it will be a while before I order myself any more gifts- living it up in Paris comes with a price tag!

The evening was the highlight of our trip, Dita's Crazy Show at the legendary Crazy Horse, which has been a burlesque house since the 50s. We saw Dita perform her new acts, which made clever use of lighting technology and the small space. The Crazy Horse has a small stage with the audience almost touching distance from the action and no room for feather fans, giant Martini glasses, or the like- but there was room for the Lili St Cyr-inspired bathtub :)

I'm happy to say that photography of the show was strictly prohibited, so the audience wasn't constantly alight with people trying to record everything on their phones, blocking each other's view, checking in on Facebook, etc etc. In fact, I didn't even take my phone with me on this trip! I really wanted to just live in the moment of being in Paris, thinking only of the now, and not of how best to record it for when I'm back home. It was a good experience. I'm sure I will still take photos on my phone from now on, but probably fewer pointless selfies. I'm getting a bit bored with this "pics or it didn't happen" social media culture we have.

So, here is a photo I lifted from Dita's Instagram (I also reposted it on my Instagram) of her first of the five acts she appears in (maybe call it four and a half as her final appearance is really at the end of the finale, where she just comes out and waves goodbye). I have to say, this show is genuinely very sexy, and definitely not a family show or something toned down for tourists! It is a proper strip show- just an extremely imaginative and high calibre one!

The founder of the Crazy Horse said of the world-famous nude-dancing Crazy Girls,

"...what we do with the girls is magic, too, because they aren't as beautiful as you see them onstage. It's the magic of lights and costumes. These are my dreams and fascinations..."

There are even strict guidelines on how the dancers may appear offstage, on their way to and from work. A man after my own heart! Modelling is all about lighting, costumes and fantasy, too, or at least, it is for me. I go into this subject in depth in my book, The "Ugly" Girl's Guide to Modelling, which is £12.99 from various online retailers and should be of interest to all self-made glamour goddesses.

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Le weekend

Let me tell you all about my Easter weekend in gay Parree!

I finally made time to go on a long-overdue holiday to one of my favourite cities, Paris. All I can think about when I'm here is La Belle Epoque, the Roaring Twenties, artists and courtesans drinking absinthe in art nouveau bars, the "leg shows" at the Opera House, the New Look, Jean Paul Gaultier...

Photographer: GSC4X | Skincare: Bareskin Beauty | Cosmetics: Mya Minerals

Pink hotel room! :D One thing I love about Paris is that decor- no neutrals, plain carpets or magnolia paint in sight! No-one is afraid to try and make a room special in Paris.

After a well-deserved lie-in at a little Baroque hotel I found online, where the rooms are named after glamour icons from Parisian history like Mistinguett and Coco Chanel, Boyfy and I went for brunch at Mariage Frères, an exotic tea salon from the C19th. We shared "Le Classique", but were so full, we still had to take the sakura blossom dessert away to share at the hotel later!

I love floral scents, so I purchased a box of rose and violette tea called Swan Lake, which will look really pretty brewing in my French press at home when I have the girls round ;)

We managed to sneak into Laperouse when it was closed at midday, for a little unofficial guided tour:

I also visited Notre Dame for the first time, which was as spooky and impressive as I'd imagined from Victor Hugo's book. I wanted to learn more about the history of Paris, so we visited the museum in the crypt.

One of the highlights of the trip so far has been dinner at Maxim's, an art nouveau restaurant and my favourite in Paris. The owner who made Maxim's so wildly popular at the turn of the century did so by ensuring the restaurant was always full of well-dressed women in all manner of lace, diamonds, velvets and ribbons, tactically seated in the windows facing the street. Jean Cocteau wrote that

"To undress one of these women is like an outing that calls for three weeks' advance notice, it's like moving house."

Hilarious!

We ordered absinthe and champagne with our meal, the drinks of choice during La Belle Epoque, and it gave me a happy little buzz to listen to the pianist play and imagine how many grand dames and dandies had enjoyed the same drinks in the very same room since the late C19th...

The Bar at Maxim's

On Sunday, we went for tea and a single Marie Antoinette macaroon to share at Ladurée (I just wanted to taste). I like the Ladurée at Harrod's, but you can't beat the real thing in Paris.

The good weather lasted just long enough for a pretty boat ride along the river, where we got our first really clear view of the Eiffel Tower. Wow! Everywhere you look in Paris, there's beauty all around.

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Parisian dreams with Amy Colwell

So the other week Amy Colwell and I were flown to Paris in a private jet to shoot some "casual" black and white portraits at one of the many chic little cafes near Le Louvre and Musée D’Orsay.

Okay... so you might have guessed from the writing on the blackboard that we didn't go all the way to Paris to shoot these, but don't they just have that certain je ne sais quois??

 Hair and makeup: me. Vintage faux fur coat courtesy of my favourite local charity shop!

We were actually in Muswell Hill, North London, about 15 minutes from my house. It's a nice spot, but it's not Paris- I was just trying to "think Paris" and project it into the camera lens ;) I'm *hoping* to visit Paris this year to see Nine Inch Nails, and next year to "do" Paris properly, when I will hopefully have the time, the money and the language skills. I'm so excited!

I backpacked across France when I was 17 and could still speak French, but being a penniless teenager, wasn't able to appreciate Paris to its full extent. I am drawing up a dream list for next year. It's always better to start by brainstorming your wildest dreams, and then figuring out the practicalities of making them happen, than it is to just try and think of something practical in the first place. Aim high!

♥ Anita’s Paris list ♥

• Victor Noire- try jumping the fence to kiss him!!
• See a ballet at the Paris Opera House
• Jean Paul Gaultier boutique 
• Caron (next door to the flagship Dior store) for swan’s down powder puffs 
• Saint Ouen flea market- Nuits de Satin is all vintage lingerie
• Go for a cocktail in the Hemmingway Bar at The Ritz 
• See a show at The Crazy Horse
• Palace of Versailles- museum and gardens and a boat on the lake
•  Restaurants: La Perouse (“most romantic in Paris”), Mariages Freres (exotic tea salon), Le Voltaire (classic Parisian brasserie), Prunier (art deco seafood restaurant), Bofinger Brasserie (for oysters and ile flottante)
• Stay at Hotel Chalgrin (about £80 per room per night, so £40 each)  
• Carnavalet Museum- history of Paris 
• Bateaux mouches (boat ride down the river) 
• Cirque d'hiver (location for Lola Montès) 
• Corset fitting with Mr Pearl (ho ho)

Here's to dreaming!

Anita xxxx



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Lady in Red (Lingerie)

I just got home from a 24 hour "booze cruise" to Calais with my dad- our Christmas celebration this year! The kitchen is now crammed with French red wine, yummy goat's cheeses, cartons of gourmet vegan soups, and also half a case of demi-sec Blanquette De Limoux for my birthday party next month! I love Blanquette- not only is it delicious, but it is ancient, the oldest sparkling white wine in the world, even older than champagne. I love drinking it and thinking that I'm sharing an experience with people from the C16th. Trippy thought :)

I even bought some organic salami- meat really isn't doing it for me lately, especially pork, and especially fatty meat like sausages, but my boyfriend likes it. I'm picking off the odd slice to go with my organic red wine, goat's cheese and cornichons as I write this in front of a roaring fire :)

 This is the fireplace in my lounge! I did this shoot with Jim Nemer and Playful Promises lingerie just before going to Singapore last month. I think it's the most Christmassy photo I have! I have an idea for a "proper" Christmas photo that I want to do for next year, if I can find the time and photographer to do it, but it won't be what you're thinking..!

Even the cats got some of the booty- I bought them some French fishy kibble (looks identical to British fishy kibble to me, but they seem to like it!) and some posh rabbit terrine for cats. It was their reward for putting up with having a bath and they loved it!

Its only 9.30 pm (I've been watching A Muppet Christmas Carol and even nipped out to the shops in between writing this blog!) but I'm ready for bed ALREADY! Just need to unpack and re-pack my suitcase for tomorrow first, I'm shooting at Adrian Pini Studios all day, woo!

In case I don't get a chance to blog again before Christmas, MERRY FUCKING CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!!! And I hope you all get awesome presents ;)

Anita xxx



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Peaches and cream :)

Plans for my first European Tour this summer are going well so far (yeah, I like to plan things 4 - 5 months in advance, what of it?). I'm especially looking forward to shooting for Buffies in an eighteenth century French chateau in June, woo! :)

I'll be shooting fashion and glamour assignments in Portugal for the last week of April then heading back to the continent again in June after my Scottish and Irish Tours are over and visiting various cities in France, Germany, Switzerland and Italy. I also want to visit Brussels, Amsterdam, Barcelona and Madrid, if I have time!

In the meantime, here are some more glamorous portraits by Barrie Spence, taken in completely natural light :)

Tomorrow's photographer had to postpone so I have train tickets to get me to Sheffield but nothing to do when I get there! I may do some Googling and see if there's any touristy things to do there so I can have a little day out :) If not, I might just stay home and prep for Tuesday's shoot in Kent :)

Outtakes from around the world

The end of the year; a time to review oneself and one's work. In digging through my full-to-bursting hard drive I found a concerning number of photos of me messing about during lighting tests, so in a break from the traditional posting-meticulously-posed-and-Photoshopped professional images, I present to you some professional lighting tests and behind the scenes snaps.

Professional on the behalf of the photographers, that is.

Malta, January. It was absolutely freezing on the coast!


London, February. Multi-tasking with Binky: checking out the photos-so-far while holding the grey card for Adam Robertson

Switzerland, July. Shooting Joy Williams latex with The Beauty of Abyss and Cornelius Fischer

Singapore, November with Callan and Kevin of Cake Images LLP

Ireland, December. Me hiding in my new Burberry trench coat during the lighting test with Sean McCormack

Lille, December. Lighting test for a shoot for Peccatus Latex Couture with Maxime Avet

No doubt there will be more in 2011. Here's to another year of international immaturity!