Picture the scene: Its a beautiful Sunday afternoon and the sun is beaming down from above, warranting the first brave attempt of the year at leaving the house without a coat or umbrella. I’ve got a huge smile on my face because I am on my way to Dalston to spend the afternoon with brand ambassador Madame St Germain and the Cabaret Rouge girls as they treated some of London’s top female bartenders to an afternoon of cocktails, brunch and burlesque – and what an exciting event it turned out to be!

Oui Madame is a wonderfully quirky French bistro that stole my heart the second I walked in. The walls of the venue are lined with stunning black and white erotic photography, whilst the basement is adorned with Alice In Wonderland inspired playing cards painted onto the staircase. Absolutely perfect for location photography!

Before the guests arrived, I stole a few moments to myself to capture the finer details of the venue, including the beautiful flower arrangements and glassware adorning each of the tables. No detail had been spared by Madame St Germain on this occasion, with every place at the table featuring beautiful vintage postcards and a St Germain pin badge to take away with them after the event.

On arrival, each guest was greeted by Madame St Germain, whilst the Cabaret Rouge girls, dressed in bespoke French maid outfits, kept the delicious elderflower and champagne cocktails flowing in full character. The girls went down a treat with the guests as they mingled around the room with their feather dusters, as did the cocktails! Before long, all the guests had arrived and brunch was being served: an array of delicious goodies inspired by French cuisine.

To accompany the brunch, Cabaret Rouge had been booked to perform their French Maid routine, involving some cheeky audience interaction and climaxing with a tantalising striptease down to Dolcie Follie lingerie and bespoke pasties made by Holloway Smith Noir (who featured on the blog earlier this week) The routine was greeted by noises of delight from the all female guest list, who were delighted to find out that the girls would be returning for more burlesque fun later that afternoon.

After brunch, the guests were treated to a second St Germain cocktail served over a trio of desserts, which I was offered the chance to try. Named Belle Epoque, it came with a wild Hibiscus flower on top and tasted incredible!

After a few quick sips, it was time to head down into the basement where the Cabaret Rouge girls were waiting, armed with an eyeliner pencil to draw on a beauty spot for each of the guests as they descended into the Alice In Wonderland inspired haven. Presenting each of the ladies with a pair of gloves and an umbrella, they were shown a range of classic showgirl moves, which would eventually be strung together to for a short 30 second routine.

To finish the afternoon in true showgirl fashion, Cabaret Rouge took to the stage one final time, with a classic fan dance in their signature range of pasties and merkins by Holloway Smith Noir.

Need an Event Photographer? Get in touch and enquire about my corporate photography services. You can reach me via the contact page and I’ll get back to you as soon as humanly possible!

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