Starting with a selection from the Saturday night Tournament of Tease, enjoy this deeper dive on just some of the wonderful costumes on display at the Burlesque Hall of Fame Weekender 2026, from repurposed and evolved ensembles, DIY triumphs, and atelier-fresh couture creations. Get a closer look and learn how they were created – as well as the snags and challenges along the way.
Gin Minsky (Miss Exotic World 2026)
The first iteration of this act was inspired from the Nicholas Brothers’ performance in the Great American Broadcast, where they are train conductors tapping on suitcases. All of my acts in the first half of my career had some sort of costume reveal. I started in a dowdy 1920s inspired seersucker dress, to reveal the fabulous rhinestoned set underneath which would then just become the main costume for this sword fan act. The costume was based off images of Myrna Loy and showgirls from the Zeigfeld Follies. I wanted something simple but also glamorous in that 20s silhouette.
The costume was made by incredible NYC designer Garo Sparo, who also started me off with an outline for the rhinestoning, which I then finished over the course of several months. My feather shrug was made by Deity Delgado and sword fan was made by Donna Touch.
That skirt took SO LONG to rhinestone. It can be a little unruly in tight spaces, because the second I do any sort of spin, all of the rhinestoned fringe fans out. I have cleared cocktail glasses off of tables and smacked people in the face, so there are certain floor shows – like Bathtub Gin – where I don’t wear this costume anymore!
Sugar Vixen (MEW)
Aesthetically, I felt drawn toward creating an act that married high-fashion and club kid looks, but wanted to find the right concept or vehicle where those choices would really have legs. With time, I found that somewhere between my training in feminist studies and my love of horror films and iconography.
Inspired by vagina dentata imagery and the Venus Fly Trap plant, I wanted to portray a beautiful woman who is, in actuality, an abject monstrous-feminine character. I’m inspired by the plight of the monstrous female villain in movies like Carrie, Ginger Snaps and Teeth. My aim was to create a fantasy in which these types of characters embrace their bodily functions as superpowers and rise up to unparalleled heights!
The goal for me here was to find innovative ways to ‘reveal’ that monstrosity. Perhaps paradoxically, achieving an embrace of the bodily, the monstrous and uncontrolled ended up becoming my most arduous technical venture to date!
After explaining my concept to my friend Sandra Chirico, she created my ‘teeth’ bra and panty in 2020. After many trials and errors to make it work, she finally got the stroke of inspiration to harness the functionality of window blinds, and successfully engineered the mechanism to have the teeth open and close. Sweet Carousel, another incredible Canadian costumer, made the glorious corset dress in 2023. I did all the embellishment, really trying to play with tones and patterns that would emphasize the shapes of the costume and its themes. That same year, my friend Honey Dynamite revised the mechanism of the bra and panty to simplify the ‘teeth’ reveals, so there were less chords to pull on for the mouths to open. I also swapped out the initial ‘teeth’ because I had consistent feedback that the reveal wasn’t super legible. I laid awake at night and finally had a eureka moment: acrylic, stiletto shaped nails would make for an impactful teeth upgrade!
The zipper on the corset dress broke THREE times! The first bust was on stage during my performance debut. The second time, I was on tour in Europe and had to quickly find a seamstress to swap out the zipper so I could bring the act back on stage that same week. I was sick of prying off the large prong set stones to extrapolate the busted zipper and subsequently gluing them all back down again once the new zipper was installed. The material of the corset dress began to tarnish, and then the third zipper broke on stage two weeks before BHoF.
By this point, I truly had tried every zipper trick in the book. All three zippers had been ‘sturdy’ YKK zippers and we tried plastic, metal, big teeth varieties with every break. We had even cut some of the length at the bottom of the zipper so as to alleviate some tension from the knees, because the zipper always busted from the bottom up. So I said ‘enough is enough’ and contacted Honey Dynamite to install the looping and stave-pull method closure. All this to say, practicing with a new corset closure so close to the BHoF date was extremely stressful!
This costume is extremely technical and the whole choreography is dependant on the costume, even down to my choice in hair (a careful long braid I would continually hand dye and replace). I pride myself on my attention to detail, but certainly put it to the test here. ‘Venus Dentata’ has been one of my most ambitious acts/costumes to date, which has required constant nurturing, care and attention.
Valerie Veils (MEW)
With this NASA Astronaut inspired costume, ‘Astro Glam’ was the goal. It was originally made by J Von Stratton and has gone through many changes over the last 10 years.
As the vibe of the overall act changed, the pull string on the skirt and shrug were added, replacing a zipper that just lacked the magic I was ultimately looking for. I also added the light up hips and helmet later. Because the pull-string reveals were added after the original build, the skirt has no zipper to get in and out of, so I literally have to wiggle it up my body inch by inch, which also causes the LED wiring to break every now and then. Two weeks before BHoF the lighting completely broke and had to be repaired (cry). I was just happy it was before BHoF and not during!
The helmet has to fly in its own special damage proof case; every time I fly with it, it usually gets inspected by TSA and they have broken pieces off it multiple times (more crying). The veil was made by Silk Electric.
Underwear base by Manuge et Toi and everything else by me! It’s by far my most challenging but most unique costume to date.
Alyssa Kitt (MEW)
‘The Gilded Birdcage’ costume began development in 2019 as a dedication to my Grandma Edna, Mama Kitt, and Australia’s Legend of Burlesque, Elizabeth Burton.
Made by none other than Manuge et Toi, every piece is meticulous in its construction top to bottom – a monumental emerald, orange and gold sculptural birdcage costume with a corset, wide hip fins, ornate birdcage arches over the bust, emerald lace, bright orange-gold beaded fringe, orange and red beaded droplets, a spiral peacock-eye neck detail, and a green tiara.
I rhinestoned the costume and shoes myself, adding old faceted crystals that I had torn from costumes I’d worn since 2011 and sewn into this new work. There is also a tiny golden fairy wren double illusion pastie inspired by my Grandma’s garden that flies free as the final reveal. Big thanks to Looking Glass Gems for the last minute BHoF stone hookup.
We started designing her in 2019, began making her in 2020, and I received her in 2021, just one month after I experienced facial palsy and was misdiagnosed before eventually being diagnosed with a rare facial cancer. When I was diagnosed, I wrote out my will the evening before my 15-hour surgery and didn’t know where this masterpiece would end up. I’m thrilled I persevered.
I didn’t want the same done-and-redone Gypsy fringe dress, so Christina made the skirt a teardrop and exaggerated the corset shape. The shape of the costume and the beads are intended to create and fill the space around the body, extending its line, weight, and motion.
There is such weight to this costume. Not just physical weight, though there is plenty of that, but emotional and historical weight. Working with the finished costume meant learning how to let her stop being a relic and become a living thing.
Petra Liyahn (Debut)
The traditional look, made by Gail John from Toronto in 2024, was originally for a Tribal Carnival Band Launch dance piece I was in. I rhinestoned it to help elevate it more into a burlesque look. My reveals into the Carnival costume was designed by Solange Govia, a designer from Trinidad, and was my costume playing Mas in Trinidad with Tribe Carnival in her section called Hikaya.
Mas costumes are so beautiful and have so much love put into them that whenever possible I try to recycle them into any of my burlesque acts.
Travelling with the big feather backpack presents its own struggles as it doesn’t come apart, so depending where I perform this act it will be done with a smaller one that I can pack in a large suitcase. I have a special case for the large backpack from Carnival Capsule, somewhat like a tutu bag.
Vita Devour (Debut)
My goal for this act was to craft the illusion of who we all think we become when we’re in the safety of our own bathrooms – the showgirl we become in the shower.
I wanted to start with a rather pedestrian – albeit campy – pre-shower look: robe and shower cap. As the music picks up, my goal was to transport the audience from the bathroom to the fantasy taking place in my mind; I become my own pop princess dream diva. My loofah unfurls to become an XL boa, my curls explode out of my shower cap, and I’m dripping in crystals.
Fun Fact: My robe was purchased from a Moroccan spice market! I saw it hanging in the window every day as I passed the shop on my way to work. I went in to inquire about it and they said it was for rental, not for sale.
All the small bits – the bra and harness, accessories, and pink accoutrements were made by yours truly. It was my first costume where I made most of the pieces myself, so it was a huge learning curve, and my good pal Arabella Boop helped me troubleshoot some of the pieces. The boa was made by Charismatico.
All things considered – especially since this costume was my first solo build – things went shockingly well! It’s impressive what can be done with a minimal yet clever design. I’ve been consistently using the first iteration of this costume since its debut in 2023, but I’ve upgraded some pieces to make the whole costume look even more larger-than-life.
Beaded fringe + horse hair + aggressive floorwork truly can be a recipe for disaster. The number of times I’ve got my fringe caught in the coarse fabric of my boa is criminal, and the times I’ve ripped beads off my costume by dropping to the floor from a handstand. I’ve restrung beading onto this costume and readjusted the placement and style of beads more times than I would like to admit. I’ve learned the hard way that my fringe, floorwork and boa will never fully get along.
Kitson Sass (MEW)
I wanted to embody what I envision SPAM personified to be: a slimy ham in a classy can! I purchased the can, base bra/panty set and corset, then – as we all do – highly customized everything and embellished.
The loaf was entirely made by me – it’s foam wrapped in vinyl and drizzled with hot glue. It needed to be large enough to fit over my body, but also small enough that it would be stable on my head. There is a mouth guard buried inside which I bite to help keep it attached. In the end it barely fits over my body and it’s slightly stable on my head; we do what we can right?!
It’s a little harder to fully dance when the loaf is involved – my balance is affected and breathing is inhibited – but that’s what rehearsal is for!
Hot Blonde Slvt (Debut)
I wanted my whole act to revolve around the trumpet playing at the start (I used to play trumpet and wanted to parody that personal history), and so the costume had to belong to a world in which that made sense. That starting point brought me to marching bands, and I found vintage uniforms for baton twirlers and majorettes.
From there I commissioned Stitch Witch to create the core outfit – including the jacket, vest and skirt, and I finagled the hat/s and matching shoes. The rhinestones were done by Haus of Sparkle and I sewed on the larger crystals myself.
My mentor for the act, Bettie Bombshell, suggested it’d be amazing if the skirt turned into pom-poms. But since the skirt had already been fully constructed and not wanting to compromise the shape, Stitch Witch and I thought up the idea of adding an extra petticoat so that it would come a part as two layers instead, which gave the whole silhouette that beautifully full bell-shaped appearance.
Bettie also noted the ending had to come full circle (pun unintended!) and so building off her idea to wear a hat under my hat, I decided to repurpose the tiny hat as a drum. Querencia Designs sealed the deal by making the glorious drumstick pasties so I could pa-rum-pa-pum-pum away!
The biggest challenge costume-wise has been trying to get that tiny hat-turned-drum to stay on and come off my head exactly when I need it to! Previously it was clipped into my hair but always got caught, but since introducing a trio of magnets and a wig, that issue has been remedied entirely.
Charlie Quinn Starling (Best Debut 2026)
I wanted a way to do the pussy/pearl pull trick that I could book in regular venues, and this is where I landed. The rococo theme followed the shape of the wig.
The costume is pieced together from lingerie from a local stripper store, a pannier from an Etsy seller, a plain corset I dyed and a g-string made by Hazel Honeysuckle. I embellished everything with Looking Glass Gems rhinestones.
The wig is by Annie Hardt, a Vegas based wig maker whose work has featured in Spiegelworld and Cirque du Soleil shows, and Ru Paul’s Drag Race All Stars. Making sure the pearl strand didn’t fall out or get tangled inside the wig was kind of a process! More spandex added to the front and a few different methods to be able to find the end.
The pearl strand itself is stressful! I’ve tried a few different cord materials and experimented with knotting between the pearls to stave off the ‘Showgirls effect’. They’ve broken in rehearsals and techs, and on stage once. (Many thanks to the stage crew at Albert’s Schloss Liverpool – they found EVERY SINGLE PEARL.) Knotting the strand to stop them flying everywhere in cases of breakage causes it to stretch out and look messy because I swing them so hard. Recommendations welcome! I’ve been experimenting for over a year and still haven’t found the perfect method. I make a new strand for every show; it’s tedious…
See also: Highlights and Photos: Tournament of Tease (Burlesque Hall of Fame Weekend 2026)