Bianca's RED SHOE DIARY B&D BALL at MANRAY CLUB (Boston) (Translated from french by our dear friend KosmikKreeper). JUNE. 2003. As announced recently in the forum, Martin and I went to the annual B&D Ball at the Manray (www.manrayclub.com) Club in Boston. This year’s MC was none other than Dita von Tesse. As some of you might already know through Skin Two or my website, I was supposed to be the hostess last year but Martin and I couldn’t make it through customs. Being MC at Manray means changing outfits many times during the evening. Having about 10 of them with us, we had to declare them in case of loss. The customs officer thought we were going to the States to sell them not wear them, and without a working visa. That’s why we couldn’t be present last year and Manray had to find an MC at the last minute. So we told ourselves that we would compensate for last year’s absence by coming down and meet the fans that had missed us. Not taking any chances, we crossed the border by car instead of by plane. It’s not as stressful, I might add. Everything went smoothly. Even if we would’ve been stopped, we had just a few pieces of latex with us anyway. We drove for about 4 hours and stopped in Concord for the night. The following day, April 25th, we only had an hour to go for the big night. We arrived in Boston at around 1:00 pm. We had lots of time to meet up with Shaun, the event coordinator. Shaun is a terrific person and I have to admit that he manages stress quite well. Since Martin wanted to take photos of people during the evening, we were looking at ways to create a small temporary studio on the floor. That way, Martin wouldn’t have to run around looking for good shots. Even though it was late in the afternoon, Shaun helped Martin build his “studio” and even came with us to buy the backdrop. What a great help he was! Thanks again Shaun! The photos never would’ve been as good without that little private area. And this is how Martin got his little kiosk in one of the 3 big rooms of the club, beside a leather outfit vendor and one specializing in body products. In one of the other big rooms was a huge dance floor with music different from the other area. And finally, in the third room there was a stage for the shows and a small dance floor where people could unwind in between shows. The evening schedule was packed. From 10:00pm until 1:30 am, shows popped up on the stage every half hour. Even when there wasn’t any shows there were performers dancing away or doing bondage. The evening was very animated. The choreographies were amazing and the costumes superb. For instance, we had the pleasure of seeing a show from FANTASY FACTORY all dress up in the Louis XIV period! A visual orgasm! Miss Dita, for her part, was a charming MC. She had a varied array of costumes. At one point she wore a green dress completely laced in the back reminding us of a corset. She also wore a long, red latex dress, and purple lingerie… her burlesque strip-tease at 12:30 am was amusing, wearing a scintillating white and blue dress. Unfortunately, for all of you who wanted to see a photo of Dita and me, we don’t have any on hand. Lack of time maybe… As for me, I wore my long purple transparent gown (see at top of this page, or check out the “Fetish-Shoes” photoshoot in the member area for more photos of this outfit.) with my opera gloves and underwear of the same color. I had my hair styled the night before by my good friend The Richard (thanks again for the lovely work! It was tough sleeping with it but it was worth it!). I had them up Elvira-style with added black extensions. With the collar that I had on, I looked like a witch or a great priestess. People were actually surprised to see a dress this color and it also changed a lovely transparent yellow under the black lights! Not considering that my new black platform shoes were just killing my feet, I was pretty happy with my outfit. As for the guests, the crowd was very dynamic, colorful and in great spirits. I was really impressed to see just at what point latex was becoming more and more popular. I remember just a few years back when leather was worn more often than latex. And the plethora of latex designs, from basic black to transparent, to stripes and different motifs, were really original. I don’t have to tell you that the guests looked their best for the occasion! I have to admit that I was envious of a couple of outfits there. ;-) I had the chance to meet wonderful, polite and interesting people prepared to listen to what others had to say. Nothing to do with the machos that you usually find in regular clubs! There were so many interesting people with whom to talk with that I didn’t have the chance to see all the shows. Speaking of which, I would like to say hi to the “white tuxedo man” as I like to call him; a charming gentleman with top notch gallantry and refined manners. We’ll surely see each other next year! And to all of you who were there and are reading this diary entry, a big HELLO and lots of kisses! Voilà! All in all a not-to-miss evening next year. To all of you living in or around Boston, it’s worth the extra driving time to take part in one of the many Manray evenings! xx Bianca Do you have questions/comments regarding this Diary Entry? We'd love to hear your feedback in the FORUM! .. .. .. .. .. .. Do you have questions/comments regarding this Diary Entry? We'd love to hear your feedback in the FORUM!