Trapped In The Black Lodge: Why I Love Twin Peaks

If you know me, you know I have a love affair with the 90's television show, Twin Peaks. I got hooked, and I got hooked fast. I can't tell you how many times I've watched the pilot, how many slices of cherry pie I've eaten, or how many black and white chevron items I own, but just know its a lot. This years marks the 25th anniversary of the show I'm obsessed with and here are a few reasons why...

"She's dead....wrapped in plastic." Laura Palmer, the prom queen, had been found dead and murdered and it was our job as the viewer to try to figure out who did it. "Who killed Laura Palmer?" was pretty much the slogan of the first season. The quirky town of Twin Peaks lost its teenage beauty and everyone was a suspect. At its core, this offbeat show that included a but of scifi and horror started out as a murder mystery and I loved trying to play detective.

The unconventional, handsome, FBI agent Dale Cooper. Always talking into his tape recorder, coffee in hand, and appreciator of cherry pie, Cooper quickly became my favorite television character. His attention to detail and eccentric methods, such as Tibetan philosophy and being visited by a dancing dwarf and a gentle giant in his dreams, I was confident that this well put together detective would solve the case.

The mysterious Black Lodge, which is an extradimensional place that Cooper first visited in a dream. It is said to be a sort of waiting room; a parallel universe where you meet your shadow self. Weird, right? The red room is my favorite visual aspect of the series. The black and white chevron floor and the vibrant red curtains are perfection.

Audrey Horne. She was gorgeous and had that 90s pinup vibe about her. She was only 18 but loved Agent Cooper but didnt we all? A bit of a trouble maker but she got herself involved in Laura Palmers case and tried to help Cooper anyway she could. Her sense of style was everything. Need I say more?

David Lynch created quite the list of characters. Twin Peaks had some very odd locals. For instance, you had the Log Lady who carried around a log and communicated with it. Nadine Hurley wears an eye patch due to a hunting accident and has an obsession with silent drape runners. Lucy Moran is the sheriff departments receptionist who is a bit clueless but still loveable. These are just to name a few...

No matter how many times I watch it, there will always be those unexplainables. Maybe thats whats so intriguing about Twin Peaks. Its not all straightforward. Everything can be interpreted differently. Just like many other fans, I'm looking forward to next years Season 3.

 I'll leave you with a photo from I shoot we did last year...my ode to Twin Peaks.
Photo: sTOrM Photography
Model/Wardrobe: Bettie Krueger
Make Up Provided by 13th Moon Creations
Shoot for Sinister Rouge Pin Up & More

Bazaar Baltimore

Being that I live in Baltimore, there a tons of hidden gems in the city to visit. One of my favorite shops to frequent is Bazaar; a place filled with oddities, unusual antiques, and all the kinds of creepy things that I love. The owners, Brian and Greg, have sold me bats, doll parts, and lots of other little odds and ends. Greg was nice enough to chat with me about the shop.

For those who have never been to Bazaar, explain what the shop is like.

We're a curiosity gift shop in the Hampden neighborhood of Baltimore.  We carry taxidermy specimens, antique and vintage medical equipment, unusual jewelry, skulls, anatomical charts, air plants, and weird home decor.  The shop itself is very small, but we try and pack it full of strange items.

How did you guys meet and decide to open Bazaar?
We met several years prior to opening the shop.  We had both always been into the strange and unusual, and opening a shop was the perfect excuse to buy a lot of really cool stuff, haha.  Hampden is a really great neighborhood for shopping, and so when the space became available, we jumped on it.  And everything sort of fell into place rather quickly from there.

What's the most unusual item you have had in the shop?
That's a tough question, but it's probably the horse-woman sculpture made from pig intestines, gold stitching, and glass beads.  Artist and date are unknown.  It was found in the attic of an old farmhouse when they were cleaning it out, and it's about as creepy and unusual as it gets.

Favorite items?
One of my favorite items just sold - it was the severed head of fortune teller from a penny arcade automaton.  But at the moment, I'm really into our raccoon skull planters.  These are made from craft-grade skull tops of raccoons and stuffed with moss, dried flowers, and a live air plant.  The skulls are recycled from roadkill that would otherwise be incinerated or thrown away, and It's a really cool combo of both fauna and flora.  Because each one is unique and they are only $24 each, it's kind of like a no-brainer gift idea for anyone into natural history.

Has anything totally grossed you out?
Occasionally we will get specimens in that are too far gone to do anything with.  Too much rot to salvage anything.  At that point, all you can really do is clean it for the bones.  And that tends to be a stinky and unpleasant maceration process.  But other than that, I am not grossed out by anything on the shelves for sale.  You get accustomed to it, for sure.

How do you find the items you have in the shop?
Some things, like our incense, gag gifts, books, etc., can just be ordered wholesale like a normal retailer.  Some other items we make ourselves, like our greeting cards, soaps, and bone jewelry.  Sometimes we get really lucky and people bring us awesome stuff right to the shop.  But mostly, it's a lot of auctions, flea markets, private collections, picking through junk, etc.  We basically have to follow every lead we get.  Sometimes it's pure luck and we strike gold, sometimes it's a bust and we'll see a lot of things that are interesting, but not quite a fit for the shop.  We don't have a lot of space, so we have to be very discerning.

Anything new and exciting in the works for Bazaar?
Always!  We are putting together another taxidermy workshop on May 31st.  This time around, the class will be mounting European starlings.  It will be our first ever bird taxidermy class, and we are stoked!  We're also working on a very special event in September in conjunction with The Walters Art Museum, and it's going to be a blast!  More info on that very soon, so stay tuned.  Anyone who wants to keep up to date with our events and also see pictures of new items in the shop can follow us on Facebook - www.facebook.com/bazaarbaltimore - or on Instagram, Twitter, and Tumblr - @bazaarbaltimore.  We also have a small online store at www.bazaarbaltimore.com.

Where the MAGIC happens...for a pinup

One of the best parts of my job is that I get to go to trade shows and help buy new merchandise for the boutique that I manage. Last month I had the chance to go to the WWDMAGIC show in Las Vegas. Magic is THE show to go to if you sell clothing. I had no idea what a big deal it actually was until I got there! First off, the place is huge. Overwhelmingly huge. Its held in the Las Vegas Convention Center and it only runs for a few days. So you need to cover as much ground as you humanly can!
    What I also did not know is that there is an ‘Alternative’ section. My eyes lit up at the sight of such a word. For a girl that dresses like I do, loving all things pinup, punk, retro, vintage inspired,  this was the section I had been waiting for. I got to see brands like Sourpuss, Kreepsville 666, Folter, H&R London, Too Fast, and Steady Clothing. 

 

My absolute favorite brand is Sourpuss and of course I came decked out in one of their dresses. I had the most fun in their booth; pointing out what I already own and what is on my wishlist. Why do I love them so much? They are independently owned, they have everything that I love rolled into one...cute, kitschy, and creepy, and they are super affordable.

Now, in all fairness, the shop I work for isn’t very pinup inspired but it is a bit country/gypsy/rockabilly, so luckily some of this stuff DOES fit in AND in most cases these companies let me order things for myself as well. Lucky me! Here is just a small sampling of what we did order.

 Best moment of the show….meeting Tess Munster! She happened to be at the show modeling for Steady Clothing. If you don’t know who this amazing lady is, you definitely should. Tess is a plus sized model, makeup artist, and body positive activist. She started an amazing movement on instagram called #effyourbeautystandards were women of all shapes and sizes can feel beautiful. Shes gained tons of press recently as she has just been signed to Milk Model Management, making her the first plus sized model of her size to be signed to a mainstream modeling agency.

Needless to say, I was a total fan girl. She was gorgeous and so down to earth and she just seemed so happy! We chatted about tattoos (hers are just the coolest!), John Waters, and how she would be meeting Ricki Lake for the first time and how she was so excited about it! Now if thats not a gal after my own heart, than I don’t know what is.