preservation of Lili

(originally published January 13, 2011.)

(originally posted by) vintagegal:



Burlesque dancer Lili St. Cyr 1950’s

^&^

Lili St. Cyr, famous in two very different directions for the same thing. Being a burlesque dancer, she needed a way both to shape her form attractively, and to get out of the thing that shaped it, relatively easily. But in the 1950s, support undergarments were just that–-supporting, rigid, entirely unflattering constructions that she couldn’t strip in or remove with any degree of grace.

Frustrated by the lack of options, finally, she decided to make her own. And that turned into the Lili St. Cyr corset, a supporting, attractive shaping garment that could be removed via a series of hooks down the front, or hooks down the back. Et voila, she made a minor fortune selling to other burlesque artists, and eventually, to the public at large.

Fast forward to London, where a man named Richard O'Brien was writing the end of his 70’s-era play on modern morality, drugs, epic fifties sf, and gender-bending horror. He tossed in a throwaway line to the burlesque queen–-"God bless Lili St. Cyr"–-into the end song, as his private little homage to the development of modern lingerie as they knew it then.

Fast forward a little bit past that, to the early 80’s, where a horror hostess named Elvira searched in vain for a means to hold her in an extremely low-cut gown night after night hosting her show, which featured a trademark couch, her patented blend of sensual looks and sarcastic quips, and several near-misses whenever she’d shift position. Finally, she tracked down an old Lili St. Cyr corset, and located the number for the last remaining plant. They had just closed–but she struck a deal with them to sell her every single size of every single remaining corset in stock. Turned out to be about forty in all, and as each one wore out, she’d have the next one sized up or down, and go about her work.

One burlesque dancer ties in to the most famous work of cult cinema and the Horror Hostess herself–-all because she couldn’t find a corset that fit right. Go Lili!