Gentry Lane: Burlesque Queen

I was invited by Gentry Lane to attend her Gentry de Paris Burlesque Review. With a movie star /see-it-on a marquis name like that, how could I resist. Gentry designs a line of luxury lingerie called Gentry de Paris, of course, and is obviously an expert in the art of the strip tease. I later found out she was a professor, meeting one of her students who told me she had taught a course about Paris in the 1920’s.

Gentry Lane, the Lady of the Evening

I arrived about 9PM with my good friend Irene Albright from New York to the Divan du Mode, a surprisingly elegant club in Pigalle. I immediately ran into two of my fellow Paris bloggers who I never physically met before: the legendary Elisabeth Fourmont of La coquette, and the new kid on the Paris blog block, Alice from The Late Bloomer. They were both delightful and just as personable as their writing on their blogs.

The show started and Gentry, looking adorable in a classy & sassy gold lame and satin showgirl outfit, came on the stage with the handsome, debonair Monsieur Nicolas Ullmann to introduce the dancers.

The next 30 minutes the stage was filled with beautiful voluptuous women slowly shedding their divine costumes down to their pasties, gently bumping and grinding to the brass heavy music. Each one had her own gimmick, from the blonde-haired, blue-eyed Carmen Miranda act throwing bananas to the audience to Lady in Pink. They demonstrated the true art of the strip tease, by being naughty but never vulgar. Gypsy Rose Lee must have been smiling from heaven and proud her tradition lives on.

Carmen Miranda reincarnated with blonde hair & blue eyes

Take it all off

At one point, two dancers, lovingly mauled Monsieur Nicolas Ullmann, and they stripped him down to his black silk boxers. In a hilarious turn, he followed their lead, and next appeared bare-chested with red pasties, fish net stockings and leopard print 5-inch stilettos. I take back debonair in describing him earlier.

Master Mistress of ceremonies,Nicolas Ullmann

For the last part of the evening, the fantastic Django gypsy jazz Caravan Palace, a group of 4 talented & sexy young musicians, serenaded us with their rousing music.

This was one of the most unusual and fun evenings I’ve had in a long time and my hat is off (but not my clothes) to Gentry for producing such a terrific show.

To browse and buy her fab lingerie, go to her site www.gentrydeparis.com

A special thanks to Sharon Haver @ www.focusonstyle.com for putting me in touch with Gentry.

And we'll have a real good time, yes sir

I am pleased as punch to announce the launch of Eye Prefer Paris Tours, which are 3-hour walking tours I will personally be leading. The Eye Prefer Paris Tour
includes many of the places I have written about such as small museums & galleries, restaurants, cafes & food markets, secret addresses, fashion & home boutiques, parks, and much more.

I look forward to meeting you on my tours and it will be my pleasure and delight to show you my insiders Paris.

Check it out at www.eyepreferparistours.com