Weekly Burlesque: Got Pollys?

The longer I’ve performed, the more serious I’ve gotten about dedicating a pair of shoes to a costume and not wearing them with anything else, no matter how strong the temptation.

Once you cannibalize a costume for another costume, you begin the descent into costume hell — “Is the whole costume in the bag?” is not a question you want to be asking in a dressing room right before a show, or even on the subway on the way to the venue.

I dedicated a pair of very special shoes to my Sherry Britton tribute, and even though they were wrong for the era, I knew that Sherry would approve.

When I very first started dancing in strip joints (1981? it’s all so fuzzy), I saw some of the dancers wearing amazing wood- and metal-heeled mules. I loved them, but the heels weren’t high enough for me.

I was, in my late teens, excruciatingly self-conscious about being only five feet tall; plus, I drank a lot, which meant I could wear excruciatingly high heels without feeling the excruciation.

I now could care less about my height, and I don’t drink, so my feet hurt pretty much all the time. I am so willing to rock those shoes now, and thank goodness, they are still available.

These are Pollys, and they have a history.

“These mules, with their laminated plywood platform and high heels, were first advertised in Frederick’s of Hollywood catalogs in the Spring of 1961, selling for $15.99.”
From Polly of California Glamour Mules.

The inspiration for my newest incarnation of my Pollys fixation is Bambi the Mermaid, who wears Pollys almost constantly.

Buy Pollys at Patricia Field

– Jo Weldon

Jo Weldon is Headmistress of the award-winning New York School of Burlesque and is a regular burlesque performer. Visit burlesquedaily.blogspot.com to read her daily blog.