Big ones, small ones, round ones, teardrop shaped ones. Some are elegant, some are funny, some have half a Swarovski shop attached to them. Whatever your style, there’s a whole world of nipple pasties and tassels out there to choose from and can make a great addition to a burlesque act or photo shoot if chosen well. For many performers, nipple tassels are the ‘big final reveal’ of their act, which means that although they might be the smallest part of your attire for the evening, its worth putting some though into them. For some performers, this might mean colour co-ordinating rhinestones, fabrics and feathers, whilst for other performers their pasties might be the punchline, opting for something more humorous or themed to fit in with the act like my skulls were. Over the years I’ve seen some fantastic sets, most notably Siren Stiletto (pictured below) who I came across at London Burlesque Week 2010 with this incredible pair. When I started burlesque last year the options were overwhelming, and after a week of indecisiveness I opted to make my own with a little guidance from Trixi Tassels and some resource sharing with fellow burly graduate Kitty Crimson. However, now that I’ve finally got my head around the tassel-tastic market I though I’d share with you some of my favourite UK based sellers. This list will be ongoing, so if you’d like to be considered for inclusion, please leave a comment below this post:

Sellers / Bespoke Makers

Adora Belle – The bare mention of the word nipple tassels today sent a flurry of recommendations for Adora Belle via Facebook and Twitter. Although her blog may not be constantly updated, rest assured this is because she is constantly making bespoke creations for the burly community!

Bulletproof Bespoke Showgirl Accessories – Designed and made by the bulletproof blonde Banbury Cross, these pasties are apparently ‘indestructible’

Gaby’s Tassels – A firm favourite with The Cheek Of It burlesque school, Gaby makes some fabulous glittery pasties as well as offering a custom design package.

Red Sarah – As well as a selection of great bespoke pieces, Red’s shop may be of particular note to fire performers as she is one of the only people I know making fire tassels.

Holloway Smith Noir – As well as offering bespoke creations, they have some of the best ready made pasties I’ve seen on the market.

Tassels and Trinkets – I’ve not heard of them before, but there are some really nice bespoke pieces in their gallery

Pleasurements – Although they really specialise in other things, Pleasurements have a collection of ready made pasties too. (I really do recommend exploring the rest of the site by the way!)