Angel Rouge

I recently had the pleasure of working with burlesque starlet, Miss Von Vamp who also agreed to be the angel on my Christmas card this year.

Apologies if you haven’t received one, the chances are I don’t know your old-fashioned postal address, but please feel free to print out this blog entry and stick it on top of your mantelpiece.

It’s another of Mr Spivey’s creations and beautifully works in the two Rs of the Raquel Rouge logo while the Vamp makes for a suitably sassy Christmas angel.

I first met with Miss Von Vamp when she came in and modeled at Pencils and Pin-ups in May, though rather than take a fee for her appearance she requested a shoot with me instead. It has taken a good while, and I hope she thinks her final set of images are worth the wait.

That's why the lady is a vamp

Once the easy shot for the Christmas card, (and a delightful team lunch) was out of the way, we found the time to take a few slightly more sensuous pictures away from the plain background. I’m really happy with the film noir look we managed to achieve. The black and whites look ace, but there’s also something nice about Von Vamp’s red hair against the red velvet curtains.

One dangerous dame

Miss Von Vamp is quite the rising star of the burlesque scene and manages to fill her diary with lots of appearances around the country alongside studying for degree. She’s a great gal – really positive about everything and lots of fun to be around – although we did go all out to create some moody images that lived up to her name.

She’s also a much more prolific blogger than I am and wrote about her experience in the boudoir here.

Lovely shot taken in the mirror

It’s nice to be winding down for Christmas now. I’m really looking forward to the break (although I do have a wedding on the 29th!) and having a bit of breathing space to reflect on the year just gone.

And plan for the next one.

To say 2011 has been hectic would be an understatement. I’ve done more weddings than ever and, although the burlesque scene has marched even further into the mainstream and brought more competition jumping on the bandwagon, the boudoir business has been as busy and enjoyable as it has always been. Even the commercial side of things has taken an upturn this year. Landing the Nokia job was great and I can’t wait to tell you about a some cool packaging work I have done with Jump To that will hit the shelves in the Spring.

Big love to everyone I have worked for and alongside this year. It’s been an absolute blast, though if you don’t mind I’m now going to retire with a glass of mulled wine and the telly remote.

Merry Christmas and all the best for the new year!

RS x