New pin-up promo image thanks to artist Inkstasy, who based the image off of a costume set I made for Stella Darling!
Available on stickers and on tote bags this year.
Happy Holidays from the Sweet Carousel team!
This year was incredible. Eternally grateful that we were able to adapt from the various small business pressures we have had. Especially since my mobility was limited all year. And grateful for these three for keeping me company and believing in our work!
From the left: Zyryll, Victoire, Elise, Phoenix! Staff Christmas dinner at Dolly’s Cocktails.
Van Goth Canada’s Drag Race s6e4
During the Roast episode of Canadas Drag Race season 6 episode 4, Van Goth debuted her outfit we made on the main stage.
This chartreuse and emerald green metallic gradient jacquard is just stunning and I was excited to get to use this on Van- just perfection as it’s their signature colour scheme. We made a cup overbust with a matching center slit skirt. It was then painstakingly rhinestoned throughout in a combination of green and fuchsia rhinestones.
Here is a close up. Look at that gorgeous texture. I feel like this costume really showcases our corsetry and love of interesting materials. Good luck to Van Goth for the rest of the run!
Van Goth for Canadas Drag Race Season 6
Congratulations to our client Van Goth (Toronto, ON) for being part of the sixth season of Canada’s Drag Race! We had the amazing opportunity to make her two looks for the show early this year. After keeping the secret all year, the season finally debuted this week and we are excited that the first episode showcased our first look!
This head to toe look was made with the girl group challenge in mind. Van Goth wanted something neon and easy to dance in (yes she’s one of those queens that can do flips, dips, and splits in a corset!). I went with a bright yellow, neon pink pleather and deep blue organza shrug, bullet bra and underbust with thigh high boots. A bra and underbust corset is always my suggestion for dance costumes cause you get more flexibility in the chest and ribs. The highlight of the costume is the liquid organza I used for the deep blue that gives the costume a really cool sheen. and additions of transparent pink vinyl accents in the strapping, hips and top of boots. I was excited that she wanted to order my signature bullet bra, this is the first time a queen got to showcase my bra style on the show!
Van did incredible in the challenge and ended up winning the episode, which ended with an epic lip-sync battle with host Brooke Lynn Heights. Crossing our fingers that Van makes it through far! Especially to showcase our second look ;)
Here is the Girl Group challenge video!! Look how our outfit stands out! Van Goths solo in the costumes comes on 1:39 into the video.
House of Hush: Bump and Grindhouse at Fringe Festival!
House of Hush burlesque is back at the Edmonton Fringe Theatre Festival August 14-23rd!
“House of Hush is back at Fringe with a show that goes bump in the night. From scream queens to marvellous monsters to real life scares - this thrilling burlesque show celebrating horror is sure to give you chills. Join the award-winning Belinda Cornish and some of Edmonton’s best burlesque dancers, but beware... it may haunt your dreams.
Written and hosted by award-winning actor and playwright Belinda Cornish, the show’s cast features: 2023 Gerald Osborn Playwright Award Winner and Reigning Duchess of the Panama Burlesque Festival LeTabby Lexington/Delia Barnett; award-winning titleholder from the Burlesque Hall of Fame and the 2023 Monarch of Imperial Burlesque Canada Violette Coquette; high femme, subversive showgirl and crowd favourite Jezebel Sinclair; hauntingly beautiful ecdysiast storyteller Sharpay Diem; the award-winning, musical and devilish Vaudeville Vixen, Vivian Vanguard; and emotive Indigenous performer and poet, Fanny LuPhine.”
I've been lucky to work with so many of these amazing performers on solo costumes over the years here in Edmonton. They've become more than clients, they’re dear friends. Collaborating with them has pushed me creatively in the best ways, and it’s that shared passion that comes through in what we create together. There’s something incredibly special about being in the audience in the Varscona Theatre for the debut of these acts, witnessing the magic unfold and feeling the audience’s reaction in real time.
Photos coming soon, but I made the costumes for the following acts: LeTabby Lexington’s “The Birds” (bird puppet by Kiki Quinn), Vivian Vanguard’s “Lizzie Borden”, Violette Coquettes’ “Lady Sherlock”, Jezebel Sinclairs’ “Vampire Bat” and Fanny Luphine’s “Magpie”.
These shows are already over 50% sold out so act quick!
Photography by Brendan Roy Photography
Violette Coquette - World's Duchess of Burlesque 2025!
I’m so incredibly excited to announce that Edmonton burlesque performer Violette Coquette, someone whom I have costumed for almost a decade and is a dear friend, competed at the 34th Annual Burlesque Hall of Fame Mx Exotic World competition in Las Vegas, and placed 2nd Runner Up! This is huge news for our local community and we couldn’t be more proud!
Violette competed last year in the Best Debut category and won 1st runner-up, along with Most Classic and Most Dazzling awards for her “Least Naked Woman” act. We created the costume for this act during COVID-19, one of the only costumes I took on during the height of the pandemic while I was on hiatus. From the initial sketches, to the online pandemic shows performers did to keep the art alive, to seeing her travel the world performing this act, and then seeing it on that Vegas stage, it was an absolute pleasure to see how the act evolved into a world-class performance.
(Thanks Violette for having the best website with these amazing highlight reels lol)
Being part of the Best Debut category allows her to apply to compete in the Mx Exotic World competition in subsequent years- which she did this year and was accepted into with her Deitrich Rose act. This act was one of the first I costumed for her, and it is an act that holds special meaning because she performed it at my wedding. I included her Instagram post's quote about it, as it describes her experience with it.
“It was such a dream to share this love note of an act for all of you on the Burlesque Hall of Fame stage this year! It wasn’t a perfect performance, or the best I’ve ever performed it (those BHoF nerves are REAL, all!!! Nothing like performing for 800 of your peers, in front of iconic judges, live-streamed for the whole world, lol) but I still made a few people cry, so mission accomplished 😘
I first debuted this act in early 2019 (my first concept for the pop-up skirt appeared in a Snowflake act I did in 2015?!). It has never stopped evolving in its 6-year life, a tribute to all the work and love that go into our burlesque offerings 💐
This act is my tribute to Marlene Dietrich, who famously wore a men’s tuxedo on screen in the 1930s, in a scene where she took a flower from a woman’s hair and then kissed her on the lips, all of which was impossibly scandalous for the era!
Every time I perform this act I go hunting for the most beautiful pink rose I can find, to gift to someone in the audience. It’s like a spiritual tradition for me at this point. I never know who will get it until the moment it happens - if you’re lucky enough to get such a rose from me, know it’s a gift to keep 💝
”
Several fellow local burlesque pals and I watched the live stream, which was just an emotional ride. We cried when she won her award. So well deserved. Congrats Violette for all your success- the Worlds Duchess of Burlesque 2025! We seem to always have a new costume on the go- excited to continue alongside each other’s journeys, maybe we will see her on that stage once again!
Hazel's Haze 2.0
New drag client Hazel from Vancouver has a newly updated show and commissioned me for a corset and skirt for the promo and debut. The imagery was gorgeous so I thought I’d feature it!
Photography by John Bello, Wig by Jon Roxas
She wanted a red and black fire set to go with the themes of the poster. I went with an metallic red overbust corset with asymmetrical bust line and rhinestoned a gradient pattern on the corset. Topped off with a faux fur high slit skirt. We already have a new costume in the works- this is going to be an exciting artistic collaboration!
Poster edit by Meqans Art
This show runs every Thursday for the rest of 2025 at The Junction Pub in Vancouver, BC
Bridal Orders and Online Shop
I’ve noticed a surge of interest in our bridal, which we stopped taking awhile back because the old studio was simply ill equipped to handle them. One focus we had with moving to our new space was to hopefully be able to bring back the ability to offer bridal. I’m glad to announce that that goal was made and we will be accepting limited bridal orders! I have brought back our bridal portfolio page, where you can also submit an inquiry and get a quote for what you would like. Many of the gowns featured were made before 2019, so I’m excited to share the upcoming wedding dresses I have in the works this year!
Another exciting piece of news is that our online shop is almost re-opened! You will be able to order our classic corset styles and some merchandise on the spot. We are expecting to open in August 2025.
All Tease All Shade at Edmonton Fringe Festival
I had the pleasure of costuming four of the performers at All Tease All Shade: Sloppy Seconds at the Edmonton International Fringe Theatre Festival.
The producer Beau Creep has been running this queer rotating cast themed show for about 10 years and this show has been one that’s very close to my heart. When I was more involved with local burlesque I would dress up with the crew and occasionally even stage kitten the show. It’s been an important outlet for local queer performance arts and it’s just amazing to see it thrive.
We had some fun rhinestoning and prep nights at my studio with the entire cast to get ready for the run. This is the second year this production has been brought to Edmonton Fringe Festival and it was clear that the performers challenged themselves to level up their acts.
I wanted to first and foremost thank Brendan Roy Photography for the following photos in this post- what a gift to have after a few months of pure hustle to get this show together!
This is Beau Creep in their new costume for their act to Rufus Wainwright’s “Zing! Went the Strings of my Heart”. They wanted something classic but over the top and absolutely queer af. The costume highlights are all the amazing textures I was able to put together and developing the very specific character Beau was dreaming up. We got them to a 24” cincher, custom made with interesting style lines and I added black eyelash lace with metallic gold to mimick patina. I feel like this is a new era of Beau’s burlesque style and I’m so happy I was able to pull off a costume style that reflects that.
Next is a costume I’ve been chipping away for the last several months for Stella Darling. Stella made my new logos and graphics to trade for costuming- a perfect match since our styles are so similar. We wanted high glamour showgirl with classic polkadot and bow motifs. What a dream! Highlights are the hand pleated detailing on the corset and gradient black-to-pink tulle. It’s one of the kinds of costumes that if you look up close you’ll find so many small sweet details. She’s worked so hard getting the act together and my heart grew three sizes seeing its debut.
I was so excited when Ladonna Stone contacted me to do this costume for her- she’s been a wishlist client for a long time. I’ve always envisioned doing something gold and with one of my bullet bras for her. She presented me with and idea of a gold chained showgirl to the Cher song “Prisoner” and I couldn’t believe the vision was going to come true! We had a lot of fun getting the pieces together and figuring out the rhinestone patterns- we really put her rhinestoning skills on overdrive! Completely worth it because she came out just GLISTENING!
Lastly, Jizz Elle in her Patent Vinyl costume. This one is not new to this show- it was a set I made for her production “Cumchella”. It was the first costume I made her and the act was instantly one of my favourite local drag acts ever and it was a great challenge to make something that matched Jizz Elle’s ferocious attitude on stage. It was exciting to hear that it got picked up for this Fringe show. Highlights are the teenie waist the cincher gives and the silver spike details. Jizz Elle and I have a new costume design brewing up for the Fall!
I wanted to give a shout to the rest of the cast.
Callmekeeks is one of my best burlesque pals. She helped get me through these months of costume production and it was fun to watch her put together the details of her costume for her Break These Chains angel/demon act. We keep each other surviving in ebb and flow of artist life with the best convos and endless laughs. Excited for the day we finally get to put together our dream costume!
Rae Ricochet is someone I’ve gotten to know more of during this Fringe run. It’s been so cool to see their dive into sideshow clowning. I was so impressed by their work on their blue and green vinyl costume- every detail was so perfect. It was so sweet that they were also the first beaming face that showed up to my Open Studio.
and Jay Flair- such an incredible person I’ve also gotten to know more of this year. She brings so much joy every time I see her, especially when she graciously shares a new magic trick she’s been working on. She performed at my wedding and has a really sweet friendship with my mother who alters a lot of her magic costumes. The act she presents in this fringe run is pure fun and chaos and is not to be missed!!
This production is a great example of the diverse and wildly talented performers in our city. I heard about some of the exciting future projects in the works and they are not to be missed! Make sure to add their instagram page to keep updated!
Open Studio!
On August 19-24th (1-5pm daily) we are having our first open studio in our new space!
We are open in conjunction with the Edmonton Fringe Festival shows we costumed, House of Hush: Golden Grind and All Tease All Shade: Sloppy Seconds.
We moved into this new space February of this year and have worked on hard on setting up the showroom part of the studio in anticipation of being able to open to the public one day. There’s still a long way to go because we are a really small operation but come visit during this first open studio and celebrate this small milestone.
We will have a run of corset samples available for people to try on or purchase and order corsets on site. There will also be Sweet Carousel t-shirts, tote bags, upcycled scrunchies, and a small selection of locally made goods by Glow Beauty (custom press on nails), and Bang Bang Bijoux (unique jewelry made with vintage parts). We also have burlesque nipple pasties available from Sugar Vixen (Montreal), Kitty Kinevil (Ottawa), and Canova Studio (New York).
Come on by! Google Maps
The studio is also open by appointment early and late each day, contact us to make a private appointment.