Bizarre Magazine by John Willie
images via Google
We're taking a bit of creative license here in that although we're a luxury lingerie blog, we are stretching our coverage base to include a bit of erotica. And come on, we know that lingerie is next-door neighbors to the land of erotic adventures. Nonetheless, in true Frou Frou style, we are keeping it clean and have selected some fun vintage illustrations from Bizarre Magazine. Between 1946-1959 bondage artist John Willie created photographs and illustrations for a publication that may have been quite scandalous back in his day, but nowadays comes across as cheeky (or at least with regards to the pictures we're showing). He often depicted women in compromising sexual situations, and had a tendency to show women tied up or in various restraints...he especially had a thing for spanking. You probably get a sense of that with the whips and ties you see in this very post. What's interesting is that to this very day you see models re-creating the look and poses you see in many of his pictures (for instance Bernie Dexter, Mosh, photographs by Ellen von Unwerth, etc.).
On a completely separate note, the more we look at these illustrations, the more we think shoe designer Christian Louboutin may have been influenced by John Willie. What do you think?
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4 fabulous comments:
A post for Pinupmania ;+)))
I love John Willie's drawings;
xoxo
Olivier
Oh, yes, yes, YES! This genre has almost always featured some exquisite examples of the finest corsetry, hosiery, an vintage style lingerie, not to mention fine footwear and accessories which add to the intrigue of the lingerie itself.
I apologize for not commenting more often, as you write one of the premier lingerie blogs and I am a lingerie addict myself. I do follow and love reading your blog.
I would not be surprised if you were correct in speculating that they may have had an influence on shoe designer Christian Louboutin (among others). I also remember seeing gorgeous lingerie and footwear fashions like these worn in the personal ads of a magazine titled: "Aggressive Gals who want to meet you" many decades ago. They are fabulous.
Willie himself was clearly influenced by Enoch Bolles' shoes from a decade before. Check out the May, 1934 Film Fun magazine for a less extreme version of Willie's #4 1946 shoe design.
I am currently looking for a buyer for 9 of his covers that I had custom framed. If anyone is interested in this vintage art as I took them off my wall because I am a mom now. Let me know. I love them and appreciated them, would love for them to go to someone that would treat them the same. Email me at charlene.beeston@gmail.com.
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