Retro Tease

Industry Social Network for the Global Burlesque Community

We bring you Retro Tease for all things Burlesque.

Badge

Loading…

Members

  • Princess Farhana
  • Tom Erik
  • Big Bald Brian
  • Little Miss Risk
  • Allyeska
  • Miss Brandy Alexander
  • Lenion Vile
  • Kat Mon Dieu
  • Miss Mary Cyn
  • Hazel Honeysuckle
  • Lars Pluto
  • Joey Nova
  • Goldie DeBloomers
  • Stormy Leigh
  • Lola Spitfire
  • Alen Boprey
  • PASTIEGIRLcom
  • Charlotte La Belle Araigne'e
  • La Rosa Muerta
  • Darkteaser

Featured Events












Groups

 

Advertise your Biz below, for $15 per month

Retro Tease Members Photos

Loading…

Latest Activity

Tom Erik and Stormy Leigh are now friends
1 hour ago
3 hours ago
Kat Mon Dieu updated their profile
4 hours ago
Kat Mon Dieu Playin solitaire till dawn with a deck of 51, smokin cigarettes and watchin Captain...Kangaroo...now don't tell me, I've nothin to do!
4 hours ago
Find and meet performers in New York
5 hours ago
If you design Costumes or are interested in the works of a costume designer, please add yourself to this group. Please note if you join this group , you can email personally to all members of this group
6 hours ago
7 hours ago
Princess Farhana added an event
March 18, 2010 from 9pm to 11pm
Princess Farhana Guest Stars at Sinner Saint Burlesque Revue Thur. March 18 9:00pm 21 + $12 at the door Noc Noc 1516 2nd Avenue Seattle, WA 98101-3518 (206) 223-1333 Friday, March 19: In belly dance show w/ live Arabic music VDP Studios 4128 Fremont…
7 hours ago
PASTIEGIRLcom is now a member of Retro Tease
8 hours ago
8 hours ago
Charlotte La Belle Araigne'e updated their profile photo
8 hours ago
Buckingham Burlesque's New Orleans Show at The American Legion Ballroom, Pomona
March 20, 2010 at 8pm to March 21, 2010 at 12am
If you weren't able to celebrate FAT TUESDAY; MARDI GRAS on that dreadful week day, then have another chance at it with us! Buckingham Burlesque's "New Orleans" show at The American Legion Hall in Pomona. This historic building was built in the 20's…
8 hours ago

Burly Events

Featured Member of the Week is Bernie Dexter


MEMBER OF THE WEEK

My name is Bernadette but nobody calls me that (unless I'm getting carded or pulled over of course). All my friends call me Bernie. I live in Portland Oregon and love the slower pace of life.

My mother is from Oklahoma City and my father is from the Philippine Islands (now I think of it I am convinced this is where I get my curvy shape from). They met in the 1960's at a club where my mom danced when my father was on leave from the U.S. Navy. He fell in love with her at first sight!

My mother became a burlesque dancer at the ripe old age of 17 and as a kid I had no idea really what kind of dancing she did until I was rummaging through an old 1800's trunk she owned and found some old lobby cards that featured her!! I never asked her about it as a teenager as I felt like it was her private, secret world but I was intrigued as I found her so fascinating. Sowing the seed

Even as young as 5 or 6 I had started to stand by my mother's side for hours watching her do her make up & hair. She used false eyelashes & everything! I was always fascinated with her transformation from girl next door to this sexy vixen!! I remember even trying on her high heel shoes when she would leave the room so I guess the seed had been sown all the way back then.

When I was not studying my mom I was in front of the television fascinated with the family film festival on Sunday mornings.I loved watching the black/white and Technicolor films as the dancing was inspiring and the women so glamorous. I always wanted to be a Zigfield girl! As a consequence I begged my mom for tap dance lessons which I started aged just 5 years old. I continued to tap dance for 10 years and also went through acting school. One of the highlights of that time was meeting John Caradine!

At 12 years old my mom sighed me up for my first beauty pageant. The pageants were great for learning poise & smooth walking and I ended up doing the pageant circuit until I was 18. That was the year I won 'Miss Teen San Diego County U.S.A. 1988 From there I went to Miss Teen Calif. U.S.A. where I was placed in the top 15. The transition to pinup model

After the pageant circuit I got into the rockabilly scene and still love it to this day. The music and dancing and of course the fashion style are all so exciting to me.

As far as my career goes I went to cosmetology school and found it was easy for me to pick up hair dressing. The next thing I know I am doing all my friend's hair & makeup before we would go out to rockabilly shows. I really think studying my mom and all those movies paid off.

My first job after the schooling was in a salon on Melrose. i loved it so much. this is where i learned all about hair styling. Soon after i was told about a job with M.A.C. Cosmetics. I was so lucky as I got the best training in the world there! Finally I decided to freelance & that is were all this pin up modeling comes in. I was working on shoots with a few pinup style photographers doing hair, make up, set design and wardrobe.

I have had the privilege with working with some of the most beautiful women in the world. I have worked on Dita Von Teese ( i did not even know who she was), Holly Madison, and tons more! and never in my wildest dreams thought I would get a chance to be in front of the camera. However, one night it happened. Danielle Bedics needed a test model & i volenteered and there was some real magic in the room. I submitted the photos to a pin up contest on the web and got a lot of great feedback. Tons of Job offers came flooding in! I was so afraid they would be disappointed when they met me, but nope they were always thrilled!!

Why Pinup?

Well apart form the obvious connections with the rockabilly scene I simply love to dress up in 1940's/1950's clothing and lingerie whether it's genuine vintage or simply inspired from that era. I have been collecting clothes and accessories for as long as I can recall and I can even remember going to the thrift store with my mom when I was a little girl and sifting through everything to find amazing glamorous cat eye glasses & 1950s prom dresses! I even wore a pink 1950's prom dress & vintage pearled mules to my jr high school sweetheart dance in 1983!!

I have always found myself buying the dresses and shoes even with no real knowledge and then finding out that "Oh that is a great vintage dress!!" I guess I'm lucky enough to just have an eye for it. I have had a lot of fun buying and selling on Ebay since 1999 when i got my first computer. To this day I still have an Ebay store.

On top of all that I have always been inspired by the women from the golden age of glamour so putting all these factors together and it's not hard to see that classic pinup is where my heart lies. From then to now!

Since that first fateful night in front of the camera I have shot with many different photographers and modeled for many different websites, Big thank you to What Katie Did who was one if the first to ask me to model & has helped promote me since the very beginning=) it's been like a whirlwind. I started a Yahoo Group which grew steadily and the majority of the feedback I have received has been really positive.

I love champagne especially with potato chips!! Red is my favorite color! I love lingerie, Corsets, high heels, rockabilly music, film noir, Oh and diamonds of course! Of course there are thrift shops & Ebay (here's a link to my Ebay store).

As for those who inspire me chief among these is my mom. I only wish I had more photos of her and the old lobby cards, sadly our house went up in flames in the early 90's and we lost so many of our photos. I hope you will enjoy a collage of her that I will put together soon from what we do still have.

Other inspirations include John Willie,Levi Dexter,Tempest Storm, Tana Louise, Jean Harlow, Lana Turner, Marilyn Monroe, Mamie Van Doren, Anne Miller, Anne Margaret, Jayne Mansfield and Myna Loy.

XXX Bernie Dexter

www.berniedexter.com



 
 

ADVERTS

ADVERTISE HERE
$20 US per month











Forum

Annette Betty

DIVA 7 FOOT STAR BURLESQUE PROP FOR SALE!! 1 Reply

Gorgeous burlesque 7 foot diamante STAR prop for sale (unfortunately I am moving house…)- This diva signature prop is a great bespoke signature prop for any burlesque artist/circus act and has interc…

Started by Annette Betty in Costuming and props. Last reply by Starlight the Immortal 16 hours ago.

Flaming Aces Ltd

Huge Pin-Up Sale at FlamingAces

www.flamingaces.com Crazy prices reduced on

Tagged: flamingaces, sale, clothing, up, pin

Started by Flaming Aces Ltd in General News Mar 9.

POP Fizz Burlesque

POP Fizz Burlesque Online Burlesque E-Course

Registration is now open for POP Fizz Burlesque's online Burlesque E-Course POP Fizz Burlesque 6-Week Online (E-Course)"Learn the Art of Burlesque from Home"Term dates: May 23-July 4th, 2010Price $8…

Tagged: online, news, classes, burlesque

Started by POP Fizz Burlesque in General News Mar 6.

Ashley Salas

Help!

Anyone who can help me get exposed and get some gigs, please respond back to me. Oh and any one who can recommend me too.

Started by Ashley Salas in General News Mar 4.

Femme Ferale

Massive Cake Prop For Sale!!!

message info@femmeferale.com for more details, based in London xx  

Started by Femme Ferale in General News Mar 2.

Femme Ferale

Massive Cake Prop For Sale!!!

message info@femmeferale.com, based in London xxx  

Started by Femme Ferale in Costuming and props Mar 2.

Oh My God! I Miss You

Prison Burlesque from Trixie Malicious this fri!

At Jailhouse Jam! It's a prison party! Look at www.myspace.com/ohmygodimissyou for more info

Started by Oh My God! I Miss You in General News Mar 1.

Oh My God! I Miss You

Prison Burlesque next fri at BGWMC!

Prison Burlesque next fri at BGWMC! ------------------------------------------ miss the launch of Jailhouse Jam next friday at Bethnal Grn Working mens Club! Chain gang Burlesque from Trixie Malici…

Started by Oh My God! I Miss You in General News Feb 26.

Shelley Murray-Hill

Getting involved in Burlesque

I live in Northumberland and would really like to be involved in Burlesque, not just lessons but part of a group that does shows etc... Please help

Started by Shelley Murray-Hill in General News Feb 25.

Vivienne Mansfield

New York Glamour Girls for an Event? 2 Replies

Hello all my darlings - this Community is fabulous! (How did I not know this existed??)   I am attempting to put together a themed-event here in NYC on May 29th, 2010 - and thought to ask here if any…

Tagged: Event, Retro-Glam, NYC

Started by Vivienne Mansfield in General News. Last reply by Ruby Solitaire Feb 25.

Blog Posts

Pin Up Perfection Magazine

Military Issue

Posted by Pin Up Perfection Magazine on March 13, 2010 at 11:12am

Little Miss Risk

Strange Days Ahead...

Posted by Little Miss Risk on March 12, 2010 at 5:43pm

What Katie Did

Peek magazine launch party

Posted by What Katie Did on March 12, 2010 at 5:00am — 1 Comment

Little Miss Risk

California - On Hold During The Oscars

Posted by Little Miss Risk on March 8, 2010 at 2:40pm

Pin Up Perfection Magazine

In the Kitchen - NOW ON SALE

Posted by Pin Up Perfection Magazine on March 6, 2010 at 11:57am

Retrotease

Burlesque Baby Tshirts available on EBAY

Posted by Retrotease on March 6, 2010 at 4:18am

Little Miss Risk

I Want To Be Elected!

Posted by Little Miss Risk on March 1, 2010 at 9:21pm

D.oli Photography

Need Pin Up Models for a few events!

Posted by D.oli Photography on February 28, 2010 at 11:30am — 2 Comments

What Katie Did

What Katie Did- Spring Summer 2010 New Ranges

Posted by What Katie Did on February 26, 2010 at 8:48am — 1 Comment

 

© 2010   Created by Retrotease

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Privacy  |  Terms of Service