Sassy Minxes, enter the Powder Room. A total go-to site where you can shake off the mundane. All you have to worry about is which corset would look best with your new cuban heeled stockings. Or which item of headwear is most complimentary to that beautiful 1940’s reproduction wiggle dress…

So, take a seat over there on the chaise lounge, remove your peep toes and have a mini tea cake as I introduce you to Zoe O’Neill, or when performing burlesque or out for a night in her corsetted best, you may call her Ella Jezebella.

Describe the lady behind the powder room in 5 words?
Fantastic, Dramatic, Sarcastic, Anti-plastic, Retro-tastic!

What is the powder room exactly, Zoë and why did you set it up?
The Powder Room is an online retail boutique (www.enterthepowderroom.com), although we also operate out of markets and via “Powder Parties” in our home city of Perth, Western Australia. We specialize in Vintage, Burlesque and Pin-Up style and stock a range of fashion corsets, pin-up footwear, vintage reproduction clothing, accessories and headwear for all the Ditas, Marilyns and Bettys out there, or for the girls that revel in being female and want to whip themselves up into a living doll for a night! I felt there was a developing scene here in Perth, reflective of the neo-burlesque movement in the rest of the world, but that it wasn’t accessible to enough women whose interest it would pique. So we’re trying to bring it out of the dressing room and onto the stage!

When did you discover you had a love for all things glam and burlesque?
Growing up on a diet of old classic movies like Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, Hello Dolly, Breakfast at Tiffany’s etc, it’s not hard to see where this long harbored love of beautiful and classic styles came from. Add to that my Grandmother being a bonafide 50’s/60’s beauty Queen and my mother being a mod princess, both of whom instilled a love of dance in me – and bingo. (See photos attached of Mother and Grandmother Dearest in their hey-day.) Being a dancer and all out drama queen myself, Burlesque is a veritable smorgasbord of what I love; decadence, costumes, dance, performance, femininity, sexuality, power…

What’s your fave product?
Difficult question! The first item I got in for myself was the Ella Jezebella ankle boots. Their namesake also comes from my own burlesque stage name, so they’re a definite favourite. I also love the Sailor Annie pumps. I’m definitely a shoe addict! I also adored last season’s Frenchie & Mistress Molly dresses though. And anything at all with polka dots!

What do you love about being a woman in the world?
When you are a woman, and aware of the power you can wield, there is no force that can stand in your way. Once you master yourself, and have that confidence and belief in your own abilities and your abilities as a woman, you are a veritable juggernaut! I love that in this day and age I can go head to head with ‘the boys’, on any matter, and know that I can (usually!) best them. And then I can come home, luxuriate, get dolled up, hit a dance floor and wield a totally different type of power that they couldn’t dream of possessing. It’s the best of both worlds!

What’s your secret to success?
Passion, drive, guts and self belief. Do not let the shadows of doubt creep over you. You can be successful doing what you love if you really want to. You will, at some point, have to take a risk. But if you believe in yourself and what you have to offer, it’s not really too great a risk. I’d back my own horse over someone else’s any day!

What 5 tracks would be essential to a Powder Room soundtrack?
Ooh, again, tricky. The list is endless but the first that come to mind right now…
Ella Fitzgerald ANYTHING
Harlem Nocturne (Sam Taylor version)
Funky Blues – Charlie Parker
And, maybe a bit of Ole’ Blue eyes right now!

Zoe’s super glam grandmother – holla!

Zoe’s equally glam-girl mod mum!

Who are your style icons and inspir-o girls?
Lauren Bacall, Grace Kelly, The fantastic mod girls of the 60’s like Edie Sedgwick, The hedonistic, roaring Flapper girls of the 1920’s and my mother and Grandmother.

What are your five-must have life items?
1.    A fantastic pair of heels to dance in,
2.    Music to dance to,
3.    A best friend to dance with,
4.    A dance floor to dance on,
5.    And perhaps a handsome man to dance AT!

Who and what makes you jump in the air happy?
My best friends – particularly those fantastic women that will throw on their party bests with me with no notice and clear any given dance floor; a sense of freedom and choosing my own destiny; a new pair of shoes; an Australian summers day; a challenge; an adventure.

What’s your motto for life?
“Alis volat propriis” – also my first tattoo
“She flies with her own wings”.

The PR Sassy List…

Website/blog: www.enterthepowderroom.com (of course!) also;
www.pinuplifestyle.com
www.etsy.com
www.polyvore.com

Book: Presently, ‘Shantaram’. But generally old school Fairy tales and mythology – with all the grizzly bits left in!
Must-have

beauty item: Heels… or mascara

Movie: Chicago, Cabaret…

Shop: The Powder Room!

City: London – for the theatre, vintage markets, great transport and music scene

Hangout: Deville’s Pad in Northbridge, Perth. Also where I perform weekly as “Zoë Zodiac”, on of Les Sataniques, the in-house 60’s Go-Go dancers! - www.devillespad.com and www.devillespad.com/sataniques

What does the term Sassy Minx mean to you, Miss Zoë?
Be Fabulous. Never Aplogise. Never Explain.