Custom Wig Friday!
As many of you know already, I make custom wigs every day of the week, but I can be bad about taking pictures. So, world, I now declare Fridays as my day to post my favorite wig of the week!
May 11, 2012
Bubblegum Beetlejuice: Custom bubblegum pink wig with black and white striped extensions and rhinestone bow, $85
May 4, 2012
Butterfly Nest: Black ratted wig, with pink streaks and painted feather butterflies, $75
April 20, 2012
Sid Lucious: Black, white and green mohawk, with feathers and bows, $120
April 13, 2012
Madame Rosebud: Two-toned black and blond Rococo style, with hot pink roses throughout, $90
April 6, 2012
Lavender Dreams: Lavender and orange, styled in an asymmetrical wave, $85.
Friday, March 30, 2012
Avant- Cruella; I hate to admit, but this is one from the archives… A commissioned piece, this one was sold before it hit the floor. I never publish photos of special ordered custom wigs until well after the client has worn their one-of-a-kind creation… I don’t want to spoil any surprises!
Friday, March 23, 2012:
The Jezebel Wig, as modeled by the gorgeous Naomi. Burgundy and blonde pompadour with braids and roses; $120.
Friday, March 16th, 2012
Introducing: Aqua-rius. Turquoise and red hair, w/ red glittered roses. $120.
Dr. Sketchy’s at the Volstead
I was so pleased to be a part of this month’s Dr. Sketchy’s! I styled three different looks for the leggy Drea DiPrete to model for a live drawing salon. Hosted by Amelia, at the Volstead. For information on future Dr. Sketchy’s, check out their website, http://www.austinsketchy.com/.
For the first look, the model poses for five 1 minute sets, five 5 minute sets and two 7 minute sets…
For the second look, the model poses for several slightly longer sets…
For the third look, the model poses for two 20 minute sets… hence, the comfy seated position!
Amelia, enjoying a well earned refreshment.
The Volstead’s ambiance lends itself well to the this sort of event. With flocked wallpaper, vintage furnishings and strange taxidermy, The Volstead is equal parts divey and classy; truly feeling like a Parisian drawing room! This photo, I entitle “Aardvark Appreciation.”
The drawing session was over, but I wasn’t done with this look!
Have I mentioned the stems on this dame?
If you’re loving these feathered headdresses and need one in your life, they are available in store and online! If you don’t see what you’re looking for, you can contact me at allyson@coco-coquette.com.
My Mama was a Showgirl
I have always been drawn to feathers, fringe, sequins and rhinestones. I thought that was just part of being a girl, until about eight years ago, my Mama came to Los Angeles for a visit, which happened to coincide with a burlesque show in which I was performing. I was wracked with nerves, never having shaked, shimmied, and twirled (in various stages of undress) in front of my Mother. And from looking through the curtains, I could see that she was nervous, too, putting down the Cosmos like she was starring in her own episode of Sex and the City.
We got through the night, my Mama and me, and on the way home in the car, she confessed that she had once been a Las Vegas Showgirl. I almost crashed our car into a city bus. “YOU WHAT!?!” Was my first response, then came, “But where are all your costumes??? And why has it taken you this long to tell me?” In the next vodka-fueled two hour conversation, I learned that my dear old Ma had danced at Circus-Circus and the Tropicana in the early 70s, but had buried that part of her past when she started a family. It was a different time; one in which being a showgirl wasn’t seen as empowering and artistic, but rather indecent and scandalous. She didn’t keep those costumes, but rather chose to forget that part of her past… until now. Never had I been more convinced that I am my Mother’s daughter., and that the glittered-prop apple doesn’t fall far from the papier mache tree…
And so it is with great joy that I am able to pay homage to the glamor of showgirls past, which couldn’t have been more evident in last night’s shoot:
These are just a few shots taken with my phone camera… to see the real photo spread that Miss Amelia shot, visit my Shows + Events page. And please join us from 5-8pm, on Sunday, April 1st at the Volstead for Dr. Sketchy’s for drinkin’ and drawin’ the dazzling Drea DiPrete!
Model: Drea DiPrete
Makeup: Anna Fugate
Styling: Coco Coquette
A special thanks to Charm School Vintage, for letting us borrow her 50s swimsuit and spangley sequin onesie!
Sugar Skull Shoot w/ AnnaLani!
I remember the day this lady came into my life; she was desperately hunting down some white hair wefting, and popped by the shop to see if I carried such an item. Turns out, I didn’t, but it just so happened that I was cutting up a white wig, so I let her have a piece. And she, in return, gave me her business card. And on that business card, was the most exquisite photo of an airbrushed Dio de los Muertos Sugar Skull face that ever I had seen! My eyes popped. “You did thaaaat?” My wheels were turning. You see, whenever I meet someone talented in the art of makeup, fashion, or dance, my first thought is “How can I exploit their talent?” And by “exploit,” I mean “How can I showcase these talents for the world to see? And furthermore, how can I fit them into my next show?”
With the “Beautiful Monsters” show on the horizon, I naturally wanted her to lend her mad makeup skills to make our monsters even more beautiful. And she did, creating some of these unforgettable looks: The Basilisk, The Hone Onna, and, of course, The Grim Reaper.
Anna recently decided that she wanted to add some more of these sugar skull looks to her portfolio, so I was thrilled to bring some custom- styled wigs to Monday night’s photoshoot!
Sea Dragon Wig, $140.
Princessa Wig, $75
Bow-Ho Deluxe Wig, $120
Pulling out the Big Guns: Texas Film Hall of Fame 12
It has taken a full two weeks for me to sit down and process the experience of working on The Texas Film Hall of Fame. Of course, some of that delay could be attributed to the fact that I was run over by the proverbial truck that is SXSW. But aside from the constant shows, beverages and costume changes, I think what played a bigger part in this procrastination is the postpartum show-baby blues! I often experience a big, gaping soul- hole after show completion. After preparing and working NON STOP on a single production, to have it all be over in a single night, it’s easy to slip into an identity crisis for a minute- until all the OTHER projects that I’ve been shelving for 3 months start tugging on my shirtsleeves, and I snap out of it.
So, enough excuses! Here’s what we did.
Celeste Quesada, Wonder Woman and Creative Director, invited Angel and I to again contribute our aesthetic flair and stylings for the 12th annual Texas Film Hall of Fame, but this time, instead of taking on the after party, we were asked to sit at the big kid table. And by “sitting,” I mean creating the 54 centerpieces for the dinner tables and suites, as well as dressing 8 auction ladies, making 12 headpieces for auxiliary auction assistants, costuming Lady Luck, the diva of the night and her four attendants, creating an opening dance to kick off the awards show and costuming the dancers. PHEW! If I hadn’t been working alongside such a badass and talented (ALL female) crew, this would not have been quite as much fun…
Band rehearsal with Grupo Fantasma before the doors opened
These incredibly time- consuming centerpieces looked effortlessly elegant upon the tables. Can’t say how many hours Angel spent making 500+ paper flowers out of Bingo mats… but in the end, I think it was worth it!
Meanwhile, backstage in the dressing room, we were busy wrangling 20 auction gals, 4 dancers, Lady Luck and her 4 attendants and a partridge in a pear tree.
The army of bouffant wigs were ready to go…
There I am brushing Miss Wendy Corn’s new ‘do.
My crazy talented friend, Johanna Esper, stepped in to lend a hand when we were in the makeup weeds.
Ashley Rae Hancock and Anna Fugate (AnnaLani) turned out beautiful, classic looks all night long. We went with a 50s winged cat eye, with bold red lips.
Miss Drea DiPrete was our Lady Luck, whom we kept draping in more and more glamour! This gal is not only one hell of a looker, but is also a genuine joy to work with. And good thing, because the exquisite couture Kendra Scott jewelry probably weighed 50 lbs when we were done piling it on top of her slim frame!
This couture Kendra Scott necklace was over the top in just the right way.
We wanted to give Lady Luck the appearance of being larger than life. These Isis Wings certainly helped us achieve that!
Lady Luck’s attendants decked out in Coco Coquette turbans and fringe!
The gorgeous Fiona and Johna en route to the Lady Luck hub.
A couple of our auction cuties; Wendy and Samantha, looking lovely as can be in our vintage bathing suits and custom wigs…
More Auction Lovelies!
Feathered plume headpieces galore!
Once we cleared the dressing room of all the auction ladies and Lady Luck, it was time to get the dancers glamified! Here’s Lisa del Rosario having a mirror moment.
I am so grateful to Ellen Stader, of RubyRico Productions for choreographing the eclectic mash-up. This lady has it all; the looks, the moves, the legs, and the humor to keep everyone from losing their minds under pressure!
I’m also grateful to her crew; Debra McAdoo, Lisa Del Rosario and Stacey Breakall for executing the opening dance so flawlessly! These ladies are serious pros (and babes).
“They call her Lady Luck…”
“I went to the Fortune Teller…”
A super big THANK YOU to Holly Henderson for these stage shots! Also, many of the backstage pics came from her snapping away back there. Photo credits also to John Leach and Devaki Knowles, of Fun Loving Photos. Without you, I would have to rely on memory alone (I shudder to think).
‘Til next year!
xoxoCoco
