Vintage Vivant

Anita Berber – Priestess of Depravity

Vintage Vivant — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 08:57:13 +0000

“Her face was a somber and vicious mask. It seemed obvious that the strongly curved mouth was not her own but was a bloodred concoction out of a little pot of rouge. The chalky cheeks had a violet shimmer. The eyes required at least an hour of work every day—she talked incessantly and lied terribly.”

A rare photo of Berber at her most beautiful.

“She wore heavy dancer’s make-up, which on the black-and-white photos and films of the time came across as jet black lipstick painted across the heart-shaped part of her skinny lips, and charcoaled eyes.”

“Her performances broke boundaries with their androgyny and total nudity, but it was her public appearances that really challenged taboos. Berber’s overt drug addiction and bisexuality were matters of public chatter. She could often be seen in Berlin’s hotel lobbies, nightclubs and casinos; she would walk around naked except for a sable fur, carrying a pet monkey and a silver brooch full of cocaine, while flaunting her lesbian lovers—removing the barrier between performance and normal life. In addition to her addiction to cocaine, opium and morphine, one of Berber’s favourites was chloroform and ether mixed in a bowl. This would be stirred with a white rose, the petals of which she would then eat.”

One dances hunger and hysteria, fear and greed, panic and horror…Anita Berber—her face frozen into a garish mask under the frightening locks of the scarlet coiffure—dances the coitus.

— Klaus Mann

Anarchists of Style: Anita Berber, Part 2

Sebastian Droste (occasional husband and dance partner of Anita Berber), in 1923.

Her hair was cut fashionably into a short bob and was frequently bright red, as in 1925 when the German painter Otto Dix painted a portrait of her, titled “The Dancer Anita Berber”. Her dancer friend and sometime lover Sebastian Droste, who performed in the film Algol (1920), was skinny and had black hair with gelled up curls much like sideburns. Neither of them wore much more than lowslung loincloths and Anita occasionally a corsage worn well below her small breasts.

“By 1928, at age 29, diagnosed with tuberculosis and her body shot by years of drug use, her last days were spent in the hospital. “She had the mask of a mad old hag” recalled friend Leo Lania. She died on November 10, 1928 and was buried in a pauper’s grave.”

Berlin – Metropolis of Vice

Illamasqua Theatre of the Nameless inspired make-up

Directed by: Annie Sperling – Created & Written by: Michelle Carr

Want to know more about the life of Anita Berber? Read Mel Gordon’s book – The Seven Addictions and Five Professions of Anita Berber: Weimar Berlin’s Priestess of Debauchery

Goddess of the night – a fantastic article on Berber from Strange Flowers

WEIMAR VIVANT!

Angeliska — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 08:40:10 +0000

“And now we come to the most lurid Underworld of all cities –
that of post-war Berlin. Ever since the declaration of peace,
Berlin found its outlet in the wildest dissipation imaginable.
The German is gross in his immorality – he likes his Halb-Welt
or underworld pleasures to be devoid of any culture or refinement.
He enjoys obscenity in a form which even the Parisian would not tolerate.”
Netley Lucas – Ladies of The Underworld, 1927

Please join us on Sunday, January 29th for the latest installment of Vintage Vivant:
Vintage Vivant presents: Hot Girls of Weimar Berlin!

Our tribute to one of the most subversive and decadent eras,
that hotbed of depravity and dark passions that sprang up in
from the ashes of WWI and reveled wildly until it all perished
like Sodom and Gomorrah in March of 1933. Let’s revisit this
dirty little window of time, and pretend for one night that there
are no rules, no taboos, and no regrets! Indulge in your wildest
fantasies in our red-light district nightclub: Do you wish to dominate
or be dominated? Perhaps our boot-girls will whip you for all to see!

Mr Pustra + Joe Black of “Villains – The Show”

All expressions of gender are welcomed: Berlin was famous for being
far ahead of its time, with “hot sisters” and “wild boys” frolicking until
dawn in legendary queer cabarets and gay and lesbian social clubs.

Mistress Stephanie & Her Melodic Cat
will be channelling the ghost of Anita Berber
+ Bertolt Brecht – and just for your pleasure,
have put together a very special set, including
some of our favorite songs originally made
notorious by Lotte Lenya and Marlene Dietrich.

Leave your troubles outside! Life is disappointing? Forget it!
Wilkommen, bienvenue, welcome, im cabaret, au cabaret, to cabaret!

Titillations and naughty Weimar Burlesque from:
The Kit-Kat Cabaret Dancers,
Hipnaughtica
and
Miss Kitty

Hot girls provided (for your delectation) by
Coco Coquette and Charm School Vintage.
Divine decadence darling!

Outside it is windy, but inside it is so hot, every night we have
ze battle to keep the girls from taking off all their clothing.
So don’t go away, who knows? Tonight we may lose the battle!

Blue Angel Nights, dahlink…

My Lili of the lamplight,
My own Lili Marlene.
Out of the silent space,
Out of the depths of the earth,
Lifts me as in a dream
Your beloved mouth.
When the nocturnal mists swirl,
I will be standing by the lamppost,
As before, Lili Marleen.

“As best we can uncover, Josephine Baker performed in Berlin several times in the mid-to-late Twenties,
very much naked and very much the avant garde symbol of jazz music, exotic blackness, and proto-feminist mystery.”
We think her outfit here is very enticing – the perfect androgynous ensemble for an evening out on the town, eh?

Here at Weimar Vivant, anything (and everything) goes!

Weimar Berlin was also famous for getting many of its patrons hooked!
Beware! Drugs are bad, mmmkay?

Make sure you don’t get too carried away, though!
No matter what our girls might tell you, it’s just not a good idea.

Or, you get end up like this! Heels over keester without your knickers, and all bloody to boot! Oh dear heavens.

DJ Shorty Stump will be spinning the hits of the German Cabaret!
Prepare to be immortalized by Devaki Knowles in her fabulous Fun Loving Photobooth!

Dress to transgress!
$7 – in Weimar Republic-era vintage attire
(unmentionables & retro fetish-garb strongly encouraged!)
$10 – in newfangled modern garb

9pm-2am
Sunday, January 29th
Swan Dive – 615 Red River
21+ only please

Artists of Weimar Berlin

Vintage Vivant — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 09:06:32 +0000

Here is a sampling of three of our favorite artists who created groundbreaking artwork in the Weimar Berlin era (1918-1933). While we usually like to present you with actresses and other style icons to emulate at our parties, the art, cinema and music of this era demand their own spotlight! This slim decade was a hotbed of transgressive creativity and culture which we shall be exploring and celebrating in anticipation of our next Vintage Vivant: Hot Girls of Weimar Berlin! We’d loves to see your take on these works of art – let Jeanne, Hannah, Lotte, and Otto inspire you!

“I have always wanted to be just a pair of eyes, walking through the world unseen, only to be able to see others. Unfortunately one was seen.” – Jeanne Mammen, Painter

Jeanne Mammen, She Represents, 1927

“For her pictures of social relationships, Mammen chose to work in the Expressionist style. Her empathy for women shows itself in her choice of subjects: women in clubs or at parties, with men or dancing with other women, smoking, drinking, walking alone at night – in short, testing the outer limits of emancipation. In 1930, the art publisher Fritz Gurlitt offered Mammen the chance to illustrate of new edition of Pierre Louys’ Les Chanson de Bilitis, a collection of erotic prose poems inspired by the ancient Greek courtesan Sappho. Lesbianism and other ‘degenerate’ themes made it impossible for Mammen to exhibit or sell her work after the National Socialists seized power in 1933.”
– The Blue Lantern, JANE LIBRIZZI

Carnival in Berlin

Frau mit Katze

Jeanne Mammen, Boring Dolls, 1920s

“The central motif, subject of her human and artistic concern and empathy, were women of all classes in the metropolis. She depicted them in their socially conflicting roles, also drawing attention to their ambivalence. The spirit of these portrayals originates from her own deep innermost experiences, which she expressed in the finest nuances, something that becomes accessible only when, after having experienced the greatest possible distance, one reaches the greatest possible closeness.”
– E. Roters

Hannah Höch: Collage artist
From Venetian Red: “Of all the practitioners of the photomontage medium, Hannah Höch (1889-1978) ranks as one of the most consistently innovative and clever. Yet, despite a prodigious career that spanned over half a century, for many years, if she was recognized at all, Höch was categorized simply as a minor Dadaist, an unfortunate legacy of her early association with the über-macho Berlin Dadaist group.”

Hannah Höch, Dompteuse (Tamer), 1930
Photomontage with collage elements, 14 x 10 1/4 inches
(Kunsthaus Zürich)

Lotte Reiniger: stop motion animator

“Among the great figures in animated film, Lotte Reiniger stands alone. No one else has taken a specific animation technique and made it so utterly her own. To date she has no rivals, and for all practical purposes the history of silhouette animation begins and ends with Reiniger. Taking the ancient art of shadow-plays, as perfected above all in China and Indonesia, she adapted it superbly for the cinema.”
– Philip Kemp

Otto Dix: painter

His famous portrait of Anita Berber in a crimson gown.

“Otto Dix was a German artist, painter, print maker and watercolorist. His depictions of mechanized warfare and post-war Berlin continue to shape our impressions of the Great War and Weimar society. Along with George Grosz, Dix was one of the more important figures in New Objectivity. While Grosz delved into the shadows of modern society, Dix stared into the abyss. Three themes dominate much of his art:

Modern War: Dix was a veteran of the First World War. He was haunted by the brutality of mechanized warfare long after the guns fell silent. Through his art, he returns to the desolated landscape of military trenches strewn with mutilated bodies. The dead are distorted by decomposition. Human characteristics are indistinguishable in gas masks and steel helmets.

Its Aftermath: His veterans are pitiful figures, disfigured by war and ignored by survivors. War profiteers live with abundance while the wounded toil in poverty. A blind veteran sells matches on the street as people ignore his plight, a uncomfortable reminder of humiliating defeat. Just one living thing acknowledges the veteran. It is a dachshund who urinates on the stumps that were once his legs.

and Femmes Fatales: The painting on the left is entitled Three Prostitutes but only two fit that description. The one on the left walks with her nose in the air and a toy dog in her arm. Each works the system to the best of their ability, some do better than others.His women prowl for money or stare narcissisticly at their own unshapely figures. They are ‘rotten witnesses of a system of unscrupulous exploitation.’”
- The Online Otto Dix Project

More Weimar-era artists we love:
George Grosz
Käthe Kollwitz
John Heartfield

Brigitte Helm

Vintage Vivant — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 00:33:09 +0000

Our first inspirational post about Weimar Berlin, which is the next Vintage Vivant, on January 29th.

Brigitte Helm was a German actress, and perhaps best known as the Maschinenmensch (machine-human) from Fritz Lang’s Metropolis (1927). At first, I wanted to concentrate on images of Helm just from the film, but I found so many incredible studio shots not to share!

I love these curls! She looks like a marble statue.

Secret Society Adventures

Vintage Vivant — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 18:21:39 +0000

Scotch. Cigars. Jazz.

Amber liquid sways behind crystalline glass. Fragrant smoke curls lanquidly toward the ceiling. Dulcet tones and meandering rhythms intrigue the ear. Well-dressed, mysterious figures stroll past the fireplace and laugh with friends.
This is the inaugural event from Secret Society Adventures – an events business that hand-crafts luxurious, exclusive adventures for people who appreciate the finer things in life.
“Scotch. Cigars. Jazz.” will take place upstairs at Opal Divine’s Free House (6th & Rio Grande) from 6-9pm on Thursday, January 12th, 2012 in Austin, Texas
Start your holiday season right- bring old friends and old clients, make new friends and new clients, and treat yourself to an evening of relaxation and indulgence!
Scotch.
Two single-malt specialists will be on-hand to educate and guide you in your selections.
Your admission includes nine tickets, which may be used to sample (1/2oz) up to nine different top-shelf single-malt whiskeys, or you may opt for a range of vertical flights of specific brands for varying amounts of tickets.
Brands represented will include: Glenkinchie 12, Clynelish 14, Dalwhinnie 15, Glenmorangie Original, Oban 14, Talisker 10, Cragganmore 12, Singleton 12, Ardbeg 10 and Caol Ila 10. Other guest single-malts will be available at the brand ambassadors’ discretion.
Cigars.
Heroes & Legacies will be in-attendance, handing you an Alec Bradley Tempus torpedo as you enter, and will have cigar specialists at your disposal to discuss and recommend more cigars, which will be available for sale.
Jazz.
Enjoy live jazz during the evening from some of Austin’s finest talents, David Jellema & Reese Gray of The East Side Dandies.
Food.
Graze on marinated olives, hummus, fine cheeses and canapes.
Dress.
Dress sharp. Monocle is optional. Men & women are invited to this fabulous event. Valet parking service will be available.

Tickets are $75, and are available for purchase here. A limited number of tickets will be released for this exclusive event.

For questions or further information, contact Will Sherman at w@secretsocietyadventures.com

A suggested lookbook for this event:
John Galliano – bowler hats, slate gray suits, dress shoes John Galliano – a wintery mix of creme and white, with black accents
John Galliano
John Galliano – a beige palette with polkadotted accents

Hedy Lamarr – Fur (faux or real) stoles, dripping in jewels (faux or real) A perfectly coiffed moustache and a white bowtie.
Dita Von Teese leaving a signature red lipstain on her cigar
Dita Von Teese peeking out from netted lace
We’ll see you there!

Mele Kalikimaka Photobooth Frolics!

Angeliska — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 15:02:49 +0000

Your hostesses for Vintage Vivant’s Hawaiian Holiday, serenading each other on their ukes…
“If you like-a ukulele lady, a ukulele lady like-a youuu…”
This ended up being one of our favorite themes yet, somewhat surprisingly!
The entertainment was superb, the atmosphere warm and cheerful, and we
all had such a good time! In fact, we’re already getting excited to do it again next December!

Devaki Knowles, our photographer extraordinaire, went extra-wild for this month’s theme!
She’s the original beach bunny, and used her magic to whip up a tropical paradise scene
for the Fun Loving Photobooth. Everything came out so beautiful and vibrant, you’d swear
we were in Tahiti! The full set is up on Devi’s Flickr, and you can buy prints here!

Kitty Buick of Kittenille Vintage made sure all the ladies went home with their bags bulging
full of fanciful new frocks to wear out to the next Vintage Vivant! Check out her shop!

Becky VanZandt & her adorable gal-pal hamming it up island nymph style… Delightful!

Who says you can’t be glamourous while stranded on a tropical island?

Combo Mahalo entertained us all with their classic vintage Hawaiian tunes!

Anthony Locke, pedal-steel maestro + Pohina, from Island Rhythms Hula Company

Hula Queen + her King! What amazing dancers!

The Grass Skirts came down to play for us all the way from Houston – what sweethearts they are!
Christopher Daniello and Olivia Dvorak make the cutest couple, and play such wonderful music.

Double Uke Westen!

Whoa, dude.

Dana Bordwell (aka. Miss Mostess) blew us all away with her exceptional decor – tiki magic galore!
She also made a fabulous spread of luau delicacies: the pineapple upside-down cake was fabulous…
If you need help making your soiree extra-marvelous, hire this woman – she will amaze you will her talents!

Fashionably tropical in vintage garb!

Sweet sailor-girl smooches, ahoy!

Wouldn’t mind being trapped on an island with these two! Hotcha!

Land, ho!

Believe it or not, I think this is the only coconut bra we saw that night! He wears it well, no?

I like the view from here… Ooh la!

Marley Marosy is a perfect Christmas beach angel – by way of Paris! Joyeux Noël!

Muumuu magic! J’adore.

Lobster horrors!

Aaron + Norah = adorableness.

Fish kiss!

Natalie Ribbons + Jason Chronis have spotted a rare breed of flying fish!

Colin + Angeliska = love in paradise!

Mele Kalikimaka from Vintage Vivant! May your holidays be warm and bright!

Driskill Hotel Photoshoot

Vintage Vivant — Sun, 18 Dec 2011 04:06:37 +0000

Photographer John Leach took our portrait for the front of The Chronicle this fall for the “Best Of Austin” edition. The out takes from the photoshoot at the historic Driskill Hotel downtown were just too good not to share!
Here’s our cover, and our award, “Best Reason to Learn the Charleston” took us by surprise! The Austin Chronicle is very secretive about covers… we were both under the impression that we were doing a shoot for John’s portfolio for a photo contest. Imagine my surprise when I went to get coffee on Thursday morning and saw us grinning from the cover!

The Driskill Hotel was built in 1886 and is one of the most gorgeous places in Austin. Marble floors, elegant antique furniture, and a glass domed ceiling create a perfect backdrop for a vintage photoshoot.

The Driskill is rumored to be haunted, and a naughty ghost paid us a visit during the shoot. While we were posing at this window, a glass flew off an antique wooden hutch and loudly smashed into a million pieces on the floor. Spooky!

Come play with us… forever and ever and ever…

Ukulele mania!

Vintage Vivant — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 07:53:17 +0000

Ukulele Lady, 1925

ukulele sweeties in 1926!

Buster Keaton with uke & wooden statue

The Boswell Sisters

Johnny Marvin sings “Crazy Words, Crazy Tunes,” a song about how he hates his neighbor’s ukulele playing.

This is one of my most favorite songs, and favorite performances ever! Watch for the musical saw!

Shirley Temple and ukulele about to board the good ship lollipop!

Cliff Edwards, a.k.a. Ukulele Ike, a.k.a. the voice of Jiminy Cricket!

From ‘The Hollywood Revue of 1929′, This short clip features the talented musical stylings of Cliff Edwards, (Ukulele Ike) performing “Nobody But You.”

Cliff Edwards and Annette Hanshaw perform “Singing in the Rain,” 1929

Some more ukulele songs, just for fun.

You know this one, it’s from “The Jerk!”

Janet Klein shows us how to play “Tonight you Belong to me”

Portishead, “Deep Water,” 2008

Amanda Palmer covers Radiohead’s “Idioteque” on ukulele

Ukulele Orchestra playing “Ride of the Valkyries”

“Somewhere Over the Rainbow” as performed by Israel “IZ” Kamakawiwoʻole

Hawaiian Holiday!

Vintage Vivant — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 07:01:09 +0000

Vintage Vivant presents:
Hawaiian Holiday!

Join us for a warm tropical night of grass skirts swaying,
couples pitching woo to the tune of a ukulele,
and grilled pineapple & rum cocktails!

Make sure to tell your `ohana and we’ll have a Mele Kalikimaka! We’ll make sure the makahiki goes on and on…

Combo Mahalo
playing authentic Hawaiian tunes

Hula dancin’ from
Island Rhythms Hula Co.

Ukulele contest!
Contact us at angel@vintagevivant.com
to sign up!

Tiki ambiance &
luau yummy delicacies provided by
Hostess Miss Mostess

Vintage fabulousness
available for purchase
from Kittenille Vintage

DJ Shorty Stump will be
spinning tropical vintage tunes
starring slide guitar and ukulele!

Prepare to have your ensemble immortalized in the fabulous
photobooth from Fun Loving Photos! $5 gets you a 4×5 black and white polaroid – for keeps!
www.funlovingphotos.net

Lovingly hosted by Amelia and Angeliska.

$10 – vintage attire or tropical fanciness
$13 – deadly dull
21+ only please

Vintage Vivant presents
Hawaiian Holiday!
Sunday, December 18th
Swan Dive – 615 Red River
9pm – 2am

Forbidden Vices Photobooth

Vintage Vivant — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 06:37:44 +0000

Colin demonstrates that the bear skin rug is ready for heavy petting.

Photographer Devaki of Fun Loving Photos & her sweetheart, Justin!

Curious creatures of all variety graced the curtained panels of the opium den.

Allyson of Coco Coquette (our favorite wig shop!) & Devaki

Coco Coquette was instrumental in dressing our Tableau Vivant of opiumed, perfumed ladies. Read her blog post about the beautiful transformation!

Charm School Vintage and Black Swan Theory helped style all things below the neck.

Electric hair pop!
Two classy gents and one fine dame!

Miss Frannie Brown danced Snow White burlesque

She’s your cocaine…

Angeliska as Madame Dragon Scale.

Billy Beasty of Busy Town & his glittery mink!

Drew had a heroin IV drip attached to a stand!

Raven as the golden dragon

Absinthe fairies all in a row

Dr. Sick performed songs about drugs, booze, and doin’ the do.

Lay off the sauce, DJ Dennis Campa! We see you!

Whose that in Mary Jane underthings? It’s Kitty of Kittenille Vintage!