Take a Leap!

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My sweetheart informs me that it is traditional for women to propose marriage to men during a leap year. I'd never heard of this tradition but it got me thinking about "taking a leap" on or around 29th February- doing something that you wouldn't usually do, because you convinced yourself that you didn't have time, couldn't afford it or didn't dare.

Photographer: Alan High | Lighting: Trevor Yerbury | Hair and wardrobe styling: Faye Yerbury | Makeup: me

During the last few months I have discovered that booking time off to shop or go for cocktails with my girlfriends, visit art galleries and museums, dine in style with my beau or pamper myself in a candlelit bath with a bowl of fresh strawberries and opening a bottle of champagne just because actually makes me a better model at my photo shoots. If the photographer asks me to smile, I have plenty of recent happy memories to smile about. If the photographer asks me to pose, I have a rich mental store of fictional and historical characters fresh in my mind to draw inspiration from. If the photographer asks me to dress myself, I have a wonderful selection of new clothes, shoes and lingerie from my recent shopping trips to choose from, each a little memento of how I felt and what I was thinking about on the day I bought them.

If there is a show that you have been meaning to see at the theatre, a race that you want to run, some racy lingerie that you were too scared to buy or a dramatic new haircut you have been considering for months, take a leap! Embrace a stimulating experience and see what happens! You DO have time, you CAN afford it and you can dare!

Photographer: Alan High | Lighting: Trevor Yerbury | Hair and wardrobe styling: Faye Yerbury | Makeup: me

After my second designer lingerie sample sale shop in a row on Saturday, I went to the Frankenstein double bill at The Vault, this cool little underground arthouse cinema inside a a Victorian mausoleum. There were introductions from film historians and readings from Shelley's original Frankenstein at the beginning of each film by members of the cast.

The mausoleum was under a Victorian train station (now Waterloo) called the Necropolis, which was a train for dead people only! They were dug up from the London graveyards to make way for new bodies, stored in an arched underground waiting room (now a little candlelit cinema!) until there were enough to fill a train, and then transported to another, bigger graveyard just outside of London. There were even First, Second and Third class train carriages! For corpses! I'm sure Frankenstein himself would have approved! One lady in the audience freaked out and had to leave before the movie even started but I thought it was quite cool :)

I tried to take some photos on my phone but it was too dark for them to come out very well!

Taking the day off to go shopping and then to the cinema may not sound like much of a leap to some, but for a workaholic like me, it was a big one, I can tell you!

If you were to take a leap this leap year, what would it be? I'd love to know :)

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NEW Eye for an Image Studio Day, Banbury, £50 ph!

My last couple of studio days at kvmedia studios in London sold out almost overnight- now I'm giving Oxford photographers a chance to get in on the action by booking a studio day in Banbury on 23rd March!

 Photographer: George Swift | Latex: Lady Lucie | Styling: me

Date: Monday 23rd March 2012

Time: 12 - 2 pm
          2.10 - 4.10 pm
          4.40 - 6.40 pm
          6.50 - 8.50 pm

Location: Eye For An Image Studio, Cherwell Business Village, Southam Road, Banbury OX16 2SP

Rate: £100 per 2 hour photo shoot, which includes:
*  one highly experienced full-time model (me!) in any and all styles from fashion to art nude levels
*  two hours
*  a 750 square foot professionally equipped photographic studio
*  infinity cove and vinyl backdrops
*  Eye for an Image's props collection
*  my own styling, which can include designer latex, classically glamorous lingerie and corsetry, and elegant evening dresses
*  optional lighting assistant (Martyn Davis, the studio owner)
*  free parking
*  light refreshments

Extra special offer: If you book the first and second or third and fourth 2 hour shoots back to back, you will get the intervening 10 minutes for free, yes, free (e.g. 12 - 4.10 pm would be £200, all in).

Photographer: Teddy So | Styling: me

Why don't you offer one hour slots? The priority of my (rare) studio days isn't to cram as many photographers into one day as humanly possible, but rather to learn, experiment and create quality, eye-catching images using all that the studio and I have to offer- while still being able to take advantage of a discounted studio rate! This approach ensures time for lighting set up, custom styling and real rapport to develop between photographer and model at each shoot, increasing the likelihood of great photographic results.

 Photographer: Teddy So | Styling: me

If you would like to further spread costs by sharing your photo shoot with another photographer friend, please let us know and this can be arranged.

For all enquiries, please email me at contact@anitadebauch.com or Martyn Davis at martyn@eyeforanimage.co.uk with your preferred shoot times, if you have a preference.

Thanks for looking, and I look forward to working with you!

Photographer: Julian Kilsby | Designer: Kaori's Latex Dreams | Hair: Leigh-Anne Regan | Makeup: me

Latex and Lingerie in London!

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Anyone going to join me at the Torture Garden March Ball in London on 10th March? I'll be there doing a runway show for a hot new latex designer called One Eyed. I met Brett, the designer, in the Big Red the other night and we spent the whole night chatting non-stop before we realised who each other were and she asked me to be in her show! It's great when you meet a designer that you just "click" with and I'm looking forward to wearing her rubber!

You won't believe it, but I went to yet another designer lingerie sample sale yesterday, 24 hours after my trip to Coco de Mer that I mentioned in my last blog! This time it was at Playful Promises' old shop in Soho. They are relocating to Shoreditch and were selling some of their pieces at a 70% discount! You can bet that I filled my 5" heel boots! Some of my Playful Promises and Coco de Mer lingerie is actually going to end up on eBay- I got some really nice pieces and am happy to pass my bargains on to other appreciative people!

I have so much lingerie, I never actually need to do laundry as I always an abundance of fresh drawers in my drawers! I could probably go a whole year without washing my knickers, if you know what I mean. Maybe even two! Some of the really top retro lingerie companies actually pay me in lingerie instead of cash! They know my weakness! After all, money is fleeting but glamour is forever!

I received this 1940s style silk blouse as part of my payment for the runway show I did for Playful Promises earlier this month. I had a great time shooting it in my room at London's iconically luxurious Savoy Hotel with Aneil Sharma earlier this month! I did all the styling, of course :)

Now I'm going to have New Covent Garden Co's Autumn Gold soup for dinner, which is probably my favourite of theirs so far, then take a relaxing candlelit bubble bath with The Seven Addictions and Five Professions of Anita Berber. I don't know how many times I have read it but I need to refresh my memory as part of my research for a shoot next week where I'll be "playing" her. I'm doing all the styling and I'm really excited about it! I'll post the photos here, of course :)

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A Dangerous Method

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I've been getting some good/ interesting questions on my Formspring lately! If you haven't had a go already, you can submit an anonymous question right now and I'll promise to answer it on Facebook and Twitter!


Yesterday I took myself to The Phoenix Cinema to see A Dangerous Method. As I may have mentioned before, I just love seeing movies at The Phoenix! It's Britain's oldest cinema and has its original 1930s art deco interiors! It is even in a scene in Interview with the Vampire, another old favourite. Anyway, A Dangerous Method was very good. I forgot my glasses so I had to sit by myself in the very front row. You can't really go wrong with a period film about psychoanalysis with corsets and spanking, in my book! I much prefer Keira Knightley as a kinky drooling Russian maniac than in any of her other roles. All the sets and locations were stunning, of course, and I loved the costuming, especially Mrs Jung's dresses and hats. She looked the very epitome of purity. I will definitely be getting it on Blu-ray when it comes out!

This morning saw me first in at the Coco de Mer sample sale to shop camisoles, knickers, suspender belts and bras. I tell you I was in lingerie heaven! I eventually came away with a gorgeous two-tone satin boned cami and a boned pair of fringed knickers that will go amazingly well with that fringed blindfold I won in the Fräulein Kink competition! Hopefully I will be shooting them on Saturday, when I am doing a shoot based around my namesake, the Wiemar Berlin actress, model, performance artist and all-round nutcase Anita Berber. I can't wait!

After shopping Coco de Mer I came home for lunch and watched a good old movie, Cover Girl, starring Rita Hayworth!

She is such a fashion inspiration for me! In fact, take me to see any period film and I'll enjoy it for the costuming, at least! I just recently saw The Artist (at The Phoenix, of course) and loved every second!

The 1920s and 30s are probably my favourite periods style-wise but my favourite movies mostly come from the 50s, when there was that great blend of romantic comedy with the birth of realistic/ method acting. Some of my favourite movies of all time are Marilyn flicks, of course, like How to Marry a Millionaire and Some Like it Hot!

I adore Marilyn's dresses in How to Marry a Millionaire!

Some Like It Hot might have been made for my tastes- a 1950s Marilyn movie set in the 1920s! How perfect is that??

Right now I am watching the original 1940s The Postman Always Rings Twice while answering my emails (yes, I do read every email you guys send me! contact@anitadebauch.com. I promise to reply, even if it sometimes takes a while!). I really need to see the remake with Jack Nicholson! Perhaps I should put it on my wish list! I originally set up a wish list at my family's request as they never know what to buy me for Christmas and birthdays, but then figured I may as well make it public and contain everything from knickers and stockings to my dream car, just in case one of you reading this happens to be an eccentric millionaire or something!! A girl can dream!

Love and kisses xxx



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Girls, Giggles and Garters!

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I've had such fun with my girlfriends the last couple of days! We really value our girly time with each other as we're so rarely in the same town at the same time due to us each modelling solo all over the world!

As I mentioned in my last blog, beautiful Binky came over for a sleepover on Monday night, which was as fun as it sounds! We made wholemeal pancakes for breakfast, which as you can imagine, resulted in homemade pancake batter flying all over my baby pink kitchen! It was so funny!

Last night we went to the Big Red, our favourite rock 'n' roll bar, with our gorgeous friends Emma Tiger and Helene Atsuko who also happened to be visiting London! It isn't the sort of place where you do much dancing, more sitting in booths, sharing pitchers and gossiping! There ended up being a huge crowd of us taking up several tables. Emma has such a dirty, hilarious sense of humour, we were all in stitches for most of the night! And I even did a little dancing in my new Playful Promises LBD and seamed stockings here and there ;)

L-R: Helene, Bink, Emma and me last night!

 L-R: me, Helene and Emma at the Big Red

Today I'm back to work! I have a dental check-up and then the rest of the day will be spent sorting through an enormous pile of seamed nylon stockings in my bedroom for pairs to be sold on anitadebauch.com! It would be so much easier if I had someone to help me sift through it all ;)

In case you were wondering, I don't do what every other internet model does- buy cheap lingerie purely to wear and sell- all my pairs of stockings are precious items to me that I have worn MANY times, some so precious that I find it difficult to part with them! As long as I know they are going to an appreciative new home, I'm happy, though ;) My beau thinks I'm crazy because whenever I receive an order for a pair of stockings via my shop, I always wear the pair I've specially chosen for that De Bauchee for the whole day before I personally post them, from when I dress myself in the morning to when I undress at night. I think it matters! You want a pair of stockings that have been FRESHLY worn, am I right? Thought so! You can even request specific colours and styles that you like via the Shop, say, vintage black fully fashioned seamed nylons- that is, if you don't want me to surprise you ;)

 Photographer: Iain Thomson | Styling: me ;)

Ciao for now! Have fun in my Shop and I'll speak to you soon xx

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Behind the scenes video from a boudoir/ vintage lingerie photo shoot feat. the Yerburys!

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I got sent this great behind the scenes video from the SWPP Convention in January that I'd like to share! It shows me modelling for the Yerburys' Boudoir Academy in a 5* Mayfair hotel. It's perfect for those who like to see the photos being taken as well as the photos themselves! You'll see me appear in my corset, stockings and suspenders around the 1:55 mark, after the fully dressed models have left ;)

The Yerburys are a famous portraiture husband and wife team, in case you didn't know! Trevor Yerbury's father and grandfather were both society photographers too, and Faye Yerbury is the only hairstylist I know who can do truly authentic fingerwaved hair, a method learned from her mother, who in turn learned to do it firsthand in the 1920s! On this particular day though, Faye had me wear a bobbed black wig, Clara Bow style!

Wearing wigs is fun. It always brings out new sides of my personality!

I'm growing my own hair out at the moment. I like the idea of having long, luxuriously waved red hair flowing down my back! I don't think I will even get it trimmed until just before I go on tour in Ireland in the summer! I hope it will be down to my collarbones by then (it's just below my chin right now)! We'll see!

I was also filmed as an extra in Made in Chelsea yesterday! I think the rest of the cast was a little confused by my 1940s get-up- with the exception of one in particular, who made it very clear he rather liked it, although I'm too much of a lady to say who, of course! I'm sure I was the only girl there wearing stockings and suspenders instead of tights! I'm not allowed to breathe a word more about the shoot until the episode comes out on TV, on pain of death, I think!!

Anyway, I must go now- my gorgeous friend Madame Bink is coming to my abode for a sleepover :D

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'The Many Faces of Anita'

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I can't work out how to post it in my actual blog, but there is a full screen HD slideshow of photos from the Yerburys' Portraiture Superclass at the SWPP Convention 2012 by Alan High

-->>HERE<<--

Alan has titled it The Many Faces of Anita- Classic Beauty :)

I've also updated the anitadebauch.com Shop with new glossy latex photographs by Julian Kilsby to buy for just £10 (approx. US$15) + shipping, featuring famous British designers Anatomic Bomb and Kaori's Latex Dreams!

The photos are printed at 8" x 10" (just smaller than A4) to perfectly fit standard picture frames and can be personally signed and kissed at no additional charge! Just mention "SIGNED" on your payment form at checkout :) Let me know which is your favourite and whether there is anything else that you'd like to be available :)

After a home-cooked lunch of pulse spaghetti and Quorn bolognaise, boyfy and I strolled to The Phoenix this afternoon to catch the last screening of The Artist. It was such a beautiful, feel-good film! And I feel so inspired to try my hand at Marcel waves now!

Films I need to buy on DVD because I was just too busy working to see them at the cinema:

• My Week With Marilyn (I went to Asia before it came out and didn't get back to the UK until it had finished, haha)
  
• The Iron Lady
• The Help

Film I will definitely watch at the cinema when it comes out:

• A Dangerous Method

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Burlesque and Beating Hearts

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Happy Valentine's Day, De Bauchees!

Whether you're romantically attached or not, remember to romance the hell out of yourself today with a relaxing evening at home in your silkiest housecoat, scented candles and your favourite flowers, a bubble bath-based beauty session accompanied by classical music, a DVD marathon (they don't have to be romantic films!) and a no-holds-barred homemade or takeaway dinner! You don't need someone else to show or tell you that you're special, in fact, it's better to do it yourself. After all, your judgement is the best informed and most reliable, non?

Yesterday I asked on Twitter and Facebook what you would like for Valentine's Day and many replies centred around pretty ladies in more or less pretty outfits. So please allow me to treat you to a photo live from the rooftop runway at the Playful Promises "Burlesque and Beating Hearts" Valentine's fashion show in Shoreditch on Saturday!

 L - R: Signe, Bethan, me, Jess and Roswell (Faith)

Moments before the show started and runway-ready!

 Posing for the press

One of me on the catwalk by myself, after the show.
All photos courtesy of Playful Promises

After the show, the Playful Promises team rewarded the models for strutting lingerie outdoors in icy conditions by allowing us to take what we were wearing home! There were big squeals all round in the dressing room when that was announced, I can tell you! Faith and I were particularly overjoyed as we had been considering buying our outfits after the show anyway! I've been wanting a new winter dress and really struggled to find one that I like :)

We celebrated with fat-free frozen yoghurt courtesy of Frae and then, with our newly acquired pieces rolled and tucked into our handbags, went and shopped the new Playful Promises Boxpark boutique. Faith picked up a lacy garter dress and I honed in on this 1940s style blush silk blouse, which I think is now my favourite top that I own! The only downer is that I now need to learn how to hand wash silk ;)

Whatever you do today, enjoy yourself, love yourself, and I'll speak to you soon.

                                        Love and kisses,

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Happy Valentine's Day, De Bauchees!

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Wishing my friends and fans a very happy Valentine's Day a little early as I plan on being absent from the computer for a couple of days now while I hole up with Liam, sexy lingerie and champagne at The Savoy ;)

If you're single this year, send yourself a Valentine- you deserve it! Nothing says self-sufficiency like buying your choice of flowers, sweets and perfume ;) Or, indeed, a pair of my stockings, if you're a foot fetishist!

I'm just about to step out of my front door with my man and my weekend bag but I'll leave you with photos of a BRAND NEW design from Kaori's Latex Dreams! There are more photos in the online catalogue :)

Love the 3D rubber lips!

Photographer: Julian Kilsby | Hair: Leigh-Anne Regan | MUA: me!

Lots of kisses! xxx

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Peacock

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I've recently developed a minor obsession with peacocks, starting when I put a vase of peacock feathers on top of my 1930s radio in the living room and was suddenly overcome with the irresistible desire to redecorate the whole room in a blue deco peacock palette topped off with a real taxidermy peacock to perch on the wall!

So, you can imagine how much I enjoyed shooting this Peacock Body Suit for Kaori's Latex Dreams last month! The cut-out design is so cheeky yet so flattering! You can see more photos in the Kaori's Latex Dreams online catalogue if you like :)

Photographer: Julian Kilsby | Hair: Leigh-Anne Regan | MUA: me!

I also finally finally found a vintage 1930s folding peacock fire screen on eBay, which I've been wanting for a while! It was a real bargain because it needed a good clean. A whole bottle of Brasso, several episodes of Sex and the City and a lot of elbow grease later, it was restored to its former glory in its new home :)

This guy in the centre looks like Pazuzu from The Exorcist to me!! It's even better to snuggle up in front of now that the snow's back :)

Yesterday I was shooting for A List celebrity couturier, Beyond Burlesque, and ethical fur/ feather/ bone accessory designer, Roadkill Couture, in a secret garden location in Hampstead in the snow :)

In the evening I helped to host a party at the Olympic Cinema, which is in the process of being refurbished and reopened thanks to the generosity of a group of members and used to be Olympic Studios!

I got a real thrill out of changing into my corset in Pete Tong's old recording studio and swanning around the rooms where some of my favourite records by everyone from the Beatles to The Cure to David Bowie to Depeche Mode to Jimi Hendrix to Madonna to Nick Cave to the Rolling Stones to Queen to Shirley Bassey to the Spice Girls to Stiff Little Fingers to The Verve to The Who were made! Yes, I was in rockstar  heaven!

The magic of the evening was rounded off nicely when I emerged from the building at 10.30 pm to find that it was snowing and the trees were laced with fairy lights <3

Today I had two very fun shoots with two different photographer friends and tomorrow I will be stalking the runway for the Playful Promises free Burlesque and Beating Hearts lingerie event in London with my good friend Roswell Ivory. Feel free to come along and see all the pretty pin-ups from 1 pm! :)

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Winter Warmers!

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The snow has melted as fast as it appeared in London, making me really glad I quickly ran out and took some pictures on Sunday :) The air outside is less bitter and I hope this photo from The Boudoir Academy @ the SWPP Convention last month will also help to raise a few temperatures ;)

Photographer: Trevor Yerbury | Hair and wardrobe stylist: Faye Yerbury | Makeup: me

After returning home from my visit to Highgate Cemetery on Sunday, I put up new deep blue curtains in my living room and champagne velvet curtains in my bedroom. As you do, you know, on the spur of the moment, when you're high on post-tramping-around-in-the-snow endorphins. And after warming up with a cup of tea, of course.

I like vintage china with birds on it <3 This set was made sometime ~1910

I also added some cute, retro espresso cups and saucers to my eBay auctions. It's all got to go! And I finally got round to doing the mending that I've been avoiding for 9 months o_O I'd forgotten I even had a particularly beautiful Victorian mourning blouse with black lace panels and a high, buttoned neck. I can't wait to find time to wear it again! Perhaps for a proper Victorian Gothic beauty shoot with full period hair and makeup *nods*



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Photo Booth!

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Photos from Hannah and Ras' leaving do on Friday night! I cannot believe they're moving to Hong Kong tomorrow! :'(

Various pictures of me, Hannah and our long-haired boyfriends in the photo booth at the party!

Saturday was spent drinking soy hot chocolate in front of an open fire and watching the snow fall and yesterday I visited Highgate Cemetery for the first time, which is odd really, seeing as it's so local to me; I've just never got that far down on my "to do while living in London" list before.

I had lots of preconceived ideas of how it should look based around the Victorian Gothic novels and poetry I read so much of when I was in college and it didn't disappoint. Amazing that a place of death should feel so warm, comfortable, and surprisingly full of life.

On an entirely unrelated note, go see what I have for sale on eBay!! :D



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The magic of styling!

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It's amazing what different creative teams can produce when photographing the same subject, which is why I love styling so much. I get to be thousands of different people, characters and creations instead of just one.

For example, would anyone who didn't know guess that all three of the following photos are of me and were taken within the same five month period- and the last two within a week of each other?

Photographer: SMD | Hair and makeup: me

 Photographer: Trevor Yerbury | Hair and wardrobe: Faye Yerbury | Makeup: me

Photographer: Julian Kilsby | Designer: Kaori's Latex Dreams | Hair: Leigh-Anne Regan | Makeup: me

Crazy, huh??

I had such a nice time at Hannah Ashlea's leaving party last night. It's so sad to see one of my best friends leave London for Hong Kong, but I'm thrilled for her too because she's about to start such an exciting new chapter in her life. And I must remind myself that I'll be able to visit when I'm touring there in the winter and that she'll be back in two years with lots of stories, recipes and freckles! :)

The party was at a place in the City I've never been to before called Clerkenwell House and they'd hired a photo booth, which was hilarious! Everyone came away with these adorable little prints of ourselves crammed into the booth with comedy props and cocktails. I'll post some scans soon :)

My minor triumph of the evening was successfully curling my hair all by myself for perhaps the first time in my life, using hair straighteners, of all things. I'll definitely be working on that technique and bringing it to shoots!

Oh and before I forget, thanks for all the messages from people who liked my triple page Jane Doe Latex editorial in Skin Two magazine! It's one of my favourite publications to date, too :)



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Kaori's Latex Dreams shoot, vintage coat shopping and childhood photo!

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I woke up this morning thinking I was snuggling Liam's stubbly chin only to find I was actually snuggling Dexter's kiwi fruit-like behind. Even with the heating turned up, the apartment is rather chilly at night for our hairless kitties' tastes, so they have taken to camping out with us in "the big basket", the little darlings!

Anyway, hideous mental images aside, I just got back some photos from my shoot in Birmingham for Kaori's Latex Dreams that I like so much! *bounces* There are a couple more in the Kaori's Latex Dreams online catalogue :)

 Apologies if you already saw the second one on Facebook last night!

Photographer: Julian Kilsby | Hair: Leigh-Anne Regan | Makeup: me

It's always a pleasure to work with Julian, and Leigh-Anne just blew me away with her hairstyling. It is amazing what a professional can do with a simple short bob! I really hope I get to work with her on more crazy fashion projects! It was great fun being let loose to do really dramatic makeup, too ^_^

I just took advantage of MAC's free delivery on orders under £30 to have some new bits and pieces delivered including some new eyeshadows to go with the canary yellow latex I want to buy soon!

 

Chrome Yellow and Orange eye pans <3

Has everyone seen the Miss Piggy for MAC range? I love the idea but don't think the colours will suit me. I love Miss Piggy's coat, though!

Speaking of coats, I've had some great luck with finding vintage lovelies on eBay recently, including this 1960s leopard print fur coat! Can't wait for it to arrive, not least to make my cats jealous, but also to snuggle into in the cold weather ;) It looks like something Marilyn Monroe would have worn!

I've finally finished my pre-renovation clear-out of my apartment and the very last bits and pieces looking for new homes are now on eBay :)

I leave you with an amusing photo of myself, aged 14, for no particular reason other than that I found it during the aforementioned clear-out ;)

Feel free to point and laugh! 

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