Get your quiff on, Barberette is hiring!

BARBER/HAIRDRESSER

Barberette is a unique hub, based in East London, offering gender-neutral approach to hair, where the price is based on the style not the gender. There are no hairstyle boundaries and my clients feel comfortable to ask for any hairstyle they wish to have.

A large number of my clients are from the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgendered community.
Barberette offers very distinctive hair styles from sharp and tidy to quiffs, flat tops, sculpted and decorative clipper work – as well as traditional cut throat razor shave.

I am very keen to help the right person develop their skills in a specific niche of barbering. You need Level II NVQ Barbering/Hairdressing and a commitment to high customer care.
Part time/full time position for the right candidate.

Send CV, covering letter outlining why you are interested in working for Barberette, and some pictures of your work.


Applications accepted by email only – barberetteklara@gmail.com

Please note I cannot field enquiries in the shop or by telephone.

The deadline is Monday 7^th April 2014.


Short listed candidates will be asked to attend an interview and practical assessment.

See our photos of Barberette's exciting shop! 

The Dinah 2014 - it's HUGE!

TEGAN & SARA, MARY LAMBERT, EVE AND
IGGY AZALEA HEADLINE THE EPIC

CLUB SKIRTS DINAH SHORE WEEKEND 

THE BIGGEST LESBIAN EVENT OF ITS KIND IN THE WORLD!

More than 15,000 women from all over the world are once again expected to gather in Palm Springs, CA, to attend the biggest lesbian event of its kind in the world, Club Skirts Dinah Shore Weekend -  the original Dinah Shore Weekend - slated for April 2 to April 6, 2014 (www.thedinah.com).

Celebrating this year its milestone 24th Anniversary, The Dinah is a one-of-a-kind destination where women of all ages, interests, ability, relationship status, cultural background and profession come together for one big giant celebration of the community.  A life changing experience offering lesbians the opportunity to express themselves, to be who they truly and gain a tremendous amount of self worth. 

The Dinah is also a unique five-day affair of lesbionic luxury and fun complete with epic pool parties, unique high-profile nightlife events, celebrity appearances, live performances, a famous celebrity Dodgeball game, a film festival, a Celebrity Poker Tournament, philanthropy, the hottest women, the best DJs, and so much more.

Turning this year again the city of Palm Springs into the ultimate entertainment hub, the 2014 Dinah Entertainment Roster delivers an epic slate of Top Ten Billboard headliners that make up one hell of a line up - one of the greatest in The Dinah's history.

Headlining this year is Lesbian cult favorites Tegan and Sara. The pop sensation duo will bring their “Heartthrob” world tour to The Dinah with an exclusive concert on Saturday, April 5 at "The Black Party" at the Palm Springs Convention Center. The twin sisters have been on an unstoppable meteoric rise since the release of their 7^th studio album “Heartthrob” and the massive success of their lead single "Closer". Their Dinah performance marks the first time the pop stars perform at an all lesbian event.

 

Also headlining the "Black Party" is female rap titan Eve. The Grammy-Award winning rapper will perform her slew of music anthems including "Satisfaction," “Who’s That Girl”, "Gangsta Lovin’”, and "Let Me Blow Your Mind". Also set to top the bill at the epic lesbian party is hip-hop’s biggest revelation Iggy Azalea who will take center stage at the iconic "White Party", Friday, April 4 at the Palm Springs Convention Center.

The Dinah 2014 will also be rocked with special performances from 2014 Grammy nominee Mary Lambert, the voice behind Macklemore & Ryan Lewis’ VMA award-winning pro-equality  “Same Love”; Grammy Award-Winning R&B diva, Evelyn "Champagne" King known for her multi-million selling classic old-school smashes  “Shame” and ”Love Come Down”; Thea Austin, the legendary voice of "Rhythm is a Dancer" by Snap!; and power, pop/punk band and stars of “The Real L Word” Season 3, Hunter Valentine, to name a few.

On the comedy front, “The Dinah Comedy Night” hosted by Suzanne Westenhoefer will be headlined by Fortune Feimster of E! "Chelsea Lately". The loveable Southern comic will be joined by Last Comic Standing alumni, British comic Gina Yashere and stand up’s fastest rising star, Erin Foley.

Returning this year is the “Celebrity Poker Tournament” with all proceeds going to the Human Rights Campaign (HRC). Celebrities joining the poker tables include Jill Bennett ("Second Shot"), Chef K (ABC "The Taste"), Guinevere Turner ("American Psycho"), Ari Fitz ("MTV The Real World Ex-Plosion"), Gloria Bigelow ("Wanda Sykes Presents Herlarious"), Tracy Ryerson ("The Real L Word"), and Brittany Wiener (Bravo "Millionaire Matchmaker") among many others.

Also coming back is The Dinah Film Festival presented by OML, held on Friday, April 4, at 8:00 p.m at the Hilton Hotel. Produced by award-winning filmmaker JD DiSalvatore  (the producer of Shelter, Marine Story and Elena undone, to name a few), the Dinah film Festival will showcase a variety of quality lesbian films including “Little Horribles”  "Nikki & Nora", "Kiss Her I'm Famous", "Dyke Central", and the short film "Secrets & Toys", among others.  

New this year is the "Battle of the DJs" hosted by Dinah's resident DJs Lezlee, Asha, Lisa Pittman, Saratonin and Amara. The competition held over two-days will feature some of the best DJs on the West Coast!

If that weren’t hot enough, did we mention the exclusive L Word Pool Party? 

Hosted in association with Showtime, The L Word Pool party will be held on Saturday April 5 at the Hilton Hotel. 

L Word iconic stars, Leisha Hailey and Kate Moennig will, respectively, step back one more time into their famed Alice Pieszecki and Shane McCutcheon shoes for an exclusive meet and greet hosted from 2:30pm to 5:00pm in the grand Ballroom.  

Joining the Dinah’s exclusive L Word cast member reunion is Laurel Holloman, aka Tina Kennard, who will be showing and selling her prints of a series entitled “Written on the Body”, poolside at the Palm Springs Hilton Hotel, all day, Saturday, April 5 during the L Word Pool Party and Sunday April 6 during the “Wet & Wild Pool Party”.

Holloman’s appearance at the Dinah will mark her second exclusive private showing for Club Skirts, something she wanted to give to her fans and art lovers for their continuous support. Dinah attendees will be able to purchase posters of her pieces and meet with The L Word star that will be on hand to personally sign each copy.

As this year marks the 10^th Anniversary of the official television debut of The L Word, Club Skirts and SHOWTIME are proudly commemorating the nostalgia of a memorable era in lesbian culture that celebrated out loud our “girls in tight dresses who drag with mustaches”!

The epic five-day world-renown weekend is already making a lot of noise and is well on its way to be the biggest Dinah EVER. 

You'd never seen anything like it yet … this is going to be an unforgettable year!

 

SHE4ME and Nicole Conn...

Nicole with Jen Foster Nicole Conn is the visual mastermind behind the video that accompanies Jen Foster's 'She' in the SHE4ME PSA video. Nicole is the heralded and award winning director of classic lesbian films Clare of the Moon, Elena Undone and A Perfect Ending. 

What Marriage Equality would mean for Nicole and indeed "all of us", is "humanity acknowledging we are humans with the same rights as straight people". As Nicole puts it,
"love between any two people is acceptable and society – every soul deserves that right."

This isn't the first time two massive creative minds have worked together, Jen supplied the track Broken, written especially, for Nicole's Elena Undone soundtrack. Jen introduced Sue Melke "the most awesome producer and person on the planet and the heartbeat of the project", and after a long session at West Hollywood's iconic The Abbey, SHE4ME was borne.

What started out as just a nominal music video to the new version of the song became the PSA it is today. During conception, Sue and Nicole came up through storyline using different artistic devices such as dance to represent women's love. 


Nicole with lead Brides Gaby Christian (left) and Nicole Pacent (right)

The aim was to create a story and story telling that makes the message accessible to the mainstream. Using the "incredible gift from Jen Foster" to try and pay forward an "international gift of civil liberty". 

Nicole and Sue pulled out all the stops to make the video happen in the large scale, celebrity endorsed way it has, calling in favours and friendships to get the all rolling.  




As the cast and supporters came on board it became possible for Nicole to conceptualise fully how to hit mainstream audiences and to created a shared understanding of the "purity and innocence of love" and to start the story with a familiar childhood "best friend concept"the Used best friend concept. Once shooting began, the segments of the story line came in to place. Who couldn't champion the basic idea of "soul mates who end up marrying". 

Nicole played with the idea of the traditional wedding to represent what everyone is familiar with. Self-confessed "purveyor of love and romance", for Nicole she wanted to take the story where typically the end goal is that of true love – in a union and celebrated publicly. 

Once it began, Nicole was quick to realise that the project would become a special event. All the creatives took part in great spirits and everyone left their egos at the door for the greater good. Key LGBT actors and community to come together for a shared cause. 

Nicole is quick to give much credit to the crew and actors, she says "Barbara Niven perfect in every way I know". Nicole emphasises Jen [Foster] as "so giving and willing, gracious and generous", allowing Sue and Nicole manifest on the project and go where their creativity took them – whilst being easy to work with and contributing creative ideas ensuring the three women worked well together. With the addition of Kim Rocco Shields, a "very talented and on the up" Director, the creative input was set. Altogether combining to create a "Company of people dedicated to the issue and allowed everything to be what’s best for the project."

It wasn't all smooth sailing, and whilst the rest of the cast and crew have said filming was a pain free process, much of this was down to Nicole and Sue's planning as well as keeping check of things on set to not disturb the actors. 

Nicole worked with a new crew (described by Nicole Pacent and Jen Foster as a "tight" outfit) and unusually mostly "on the fly" which presented in some challenges in the tight time scales available, non consecutive shooting days and the need to capture as much footage as possible on the shooting days - following a pragmatic decision to fit logistics around availability of actors and locations. 

The favourite on set day, unanimously, was the day SHE4ME shot on location at Andaz West Hollywood.  (AC) Agustin Cruz, head of Marketing at Andaz, helped the filmmakers secure free access to the ballroom and multiple hotel rooms along with other benefits.  

It was the day that all the personalities supporting the cause came together and resulted in a "room filled with lots of love, creative and wonderful giving.

The elaborate wedding set up was a deliberate mechanism to "escalate the beauty of the love in the relationship, to show the world who we are" alongside the excellent performances to portray a wonderful reality and wholesomeness that the mainstream will understand.  [Editor's note: it was at this point in the conversation, I recalled my wonderment that it took a fair few viewings for me to realise I had watched a whole short movie with no dialogue whatsoever and yet completely understood the meaning without questions.] Nicole puts this down to the editing process and Sue's contributions to the story building in the edit suite. 

Somewhat unanticipated, the project has become a much larger manifestations it forrays into the mainstream. It's been teen tested and parent tested and received a heartfelt response. Nicole has the utmost thanks to the Love Warriors working hard to spread the word about the video (now at 149,000 views!) They are "so dedicated and devoted and committed", and their actions are "humbling, lovely and touching". Getting the word out there about the campaign to the mainstream is the key to influencing change, all involved agree. Nicole can't thank the supporters enough and says their "devotion and dedication so inspiring – truly the icing on the cake."

Our discussion ends with a final thanks to cast and crew, and the US organisation Marriage Equality, led by Bryan Silva, who provided organisation backing to the campaign.

By Katie
 

SHE4ME and Jen Foster

Jen Foster is the voice and generosity behind the music video at the heart of the SHE4ME campaign. In partnership with Sue Melke, Executive Producer of the PSA, Jen adapted a fan favourite track, the 2004 'She' into an upbeat dance tune, with the help of music producer Eve Nelson. 

'She' has been performed in all of Jen's tours since, and used a many commitment ceremonies, so it clearly resonates with the lesbian and bi women's community. From there, Sue introduced Jen to Nicole Conn who came on board as the director of the video, and from there it "snowballed".

Jen and Sue took the decision to align with Marriage Equality, the organisation, and also to be patient in waiting for things to come together to make a special video that would really be a "statement". It was not always a straightforward process to get supporters on board and keep them on board and wait for things to fall in place, but well worth the wait in our opinion. 

Jen says that once Nicole Conn was signed up, she was so easy to work and a team player who brought along some familiar names with her.

It was Jen and Sue's "persistent approach" and determination and perseverance "to make it happen"  and that now is the time to turn the video into a real campaign. 

Jen felt that after talk of gay marriage and bullying in the media over the last twelve months, that perhaps the public are ready to hear what we have to say. "It's a different time" and we need to seize the opportunity to be heard.

For Jen, Marriage Equality in every US state would be the "ultimate freedom" but there's still a "long way to go until we get there". Jen says that after making a lot of progress, "projects like this really important to keep it in the forefront" and the message within SHE4ME is one of inclusivity and that same-sex love is the same as heterosexual love, with similar goals and journeys. SHE4ME "focuses on the similarities, not the differences". 

The filming experience was one of the best says of her life, and filled with energy. A massive orchestration of 160 cast and crew, and thanks to the generosity of the Andaz Hotel in West Hollywood, rooms were provded for breaks and preparation, as well as the ballroom for the filming of the wedding scenes.
 
There was a shared experience of everyone on set, everyone giving up their time for the day, but there because they wanted to be, and having fun too. Jen and director Nicole Conn both found themselves watching the action through a camera lens with tears in their eyes as the visuals emerged. It was a moving experience that didn't escape the cast either, and the extras fell to the same experience. This proved it was "really something special".

In particular the sense of collaboration and "team" felt strong and that everyone was working together for the "greater message and the greater good". Jen said she was "blown away" at how smoothly the filming went - the production team took care of problems and kept smiles on their faces the whole time. 

If Jen could predict her own dream wedding, it would be focused on making the other person happy and enjoying that experience - even if that means skydiving out of a plane! 

Jen, and everyone behind the project, are amazed and overwhelmed by the love and support and the collective action the video has inspired. The Love Warriors are sharing the message with 20-30 people a day each. And there's been some great press too, incredible mentions in the likes of Huffington Post, She Wired and Curve. It's not just the sharing the link that has mattered, it's also creating the space for people to share their own personal stories and express their situations, creating a sense of love and validation.

Jen's celebrity aim for the Love Warriors include retweets from Bono and Bill Clinton... and may be even Kate Middleton or the Queen! However with names like Melissa Etheridge and Suzanne Vega already retweeting the video, she's not complaining! Jen is very clear to say that she is "So deeply grateful for everyone who has related to the message and taken it to the next level" and for relating "their personal experiences relating to the video, with the struggles to be openly gay and own the love they have with their partners... Please know the continued help is very welcome"

Jen is already thinking about the next project that could become a part of the campaign – perhaps other songs, new songs. It's a new passion for Jen that is not just to put out an album but to align songs with causes she is passionate about.  She's also going to undertake some on the ground volunteering to remain "inspired and re-fuelled". 

By Katie

The latest on SHE... it's one month old!

We can’t quite believe it’s only just been a month since SHE opened!
 
To the delights of many women SHE has filled a gap with this classy, varied & friendly venue.
 
Re-inventing and hosting some of the already much loved events such as Laughing Labia & BOI Box, SHE has introduced new events such as ‘Speed Dating’ in connection with Pink Lobster. Many more events are due to be  announced over the next few weeks from burlesque to some special shows from the infamous ‘Short & Girlie Show’.

March continues and grows with our listings. We have the continuation of comedy, drag king nights and our weekly indie night ‘Chick Habit’ featuring two major live acts. 6/3/14 brings a special stripped down set from ‘Kill It Kid’ and then BBC Radio 1’s DJ, Jen Long on the 20/3/14.
 
We are delighted to have the ladies from Pink Lobster back with a speed dating event as well as the group ‘Monthly Mingle’. This group will now host a monthly event at SHE, which is aimed at people new to the scene, new to London or just girls wanting to meet new friends.

Keep up to date with all the SHE listings on the Planet London events calendar. 

Read our opening night review here.

TEGAN AND SARA, MARY LAMBERT, EVE AND IGGY AZALEA HEADLINE THE EPIC CLUB SKIRTS DINAH SHORE WEEKEND THE BIGGEST LESBIAN EVENT OF ITS KIND IN THE WORLD!

More than 15,000 women from all over the world are once again expected to gather in Palm Springs, CA, to attend the biggest lesbian event of its kind in the world, Club Skirts Dinah Shore Weekend -  the original Dinah Shore Weekend - slated for April 2 to April 6, 2014 (www.thedinah.com).

Celebrating this year its milestone 24th Anniversary, The Dinah is a one-of-a-kind destination where women of all ages, interests, ability, relationship status, cultural background and profession come together for one big giant celebration of the community.  A life changing experience offering lesbians the opportunity to express themselves, to be who they truly and gain a tremendous amount of self worth. 

The Dinah is also a unique five-day affair of lesbionic luxury and fun complete with epic pool parties, unique high-profile nightlife events, celebrity appearances, live performances, a famous celebrity Dodgeball game, a film festival, a Celebrity Poker Tournament, philanthropy, the hottest women, the best DJs, and so much more.

Turning this year again the city of Palm Springs into the ultimate entertainment hub, the 2014 Dinah Entertainment Roster delivers an epic slate of Top Ten Billboard headliners that make up one hell of a line up - one of the greatest in The Dinah's history.

Headlining this year is Lesbian cult favorites Tegan and Sara. The pop sensation duo will bring their “Heartthrob” world tour to The Dinah with an exclusive concert on Saturday, April 5 at "The Black Party" at the Palm Springs Convention Center. The twin sisters have been on an unstoppable meteoric rise since the release of their 7^th studio album “Heartthrob” and the massive success of their lead single "Closer". Their Dinah performance marks the first time the pop stars perform at an all lesbian event.

Also headlining the "Black Party" is female rap titan Eve. The Grammy-Award winning rapper will perform her slew of music anthems including "Satisfaction," “Who’s That Girl”, "Gangsta Lovin’”, and "Let Me Blow Your Mind". Also set to top the bill at the epic lesbian party is hip-hop’s biggest revelation Iggy Azalea who will take center stage at the iconic "White Party", Friday, April 4 at the Palm Springs Convention Center.

The Dinah 2014 will also be rocked with special performances from 2014 Grammy nominee Mary Lambert, the voice behind Macklemore & Ryan Lewis’ VMA award-winning pro-equality  “Same Love”; Grammy Award-Winning R&B diva, Evelyn "Champagne" King known for her multi-million selling classic old-school smashes  “Shame” and ”Love Come Down”; Thea Austin, the legendary voice of "Rhythm is a Dancer" by Snap!; and power, pop/punk band and stars of “The Real L Word” Season 3, Hunter Valentine, to name a few.

On the comedy front, “The Dinah Comedy Night” hosted by Suzanne Westenhoefer will be headlined by Fortune Feimster of E! "Chelsea Lately". The loveable Southern comic will be joined by Last Comic Standing alumni, British comic Gina Yashere and stand up’s fastest rising star, Erin Foley.

Returning this year is the “Celebrity Poker Tournament” with all proceeds going to the Human Rights Campaign (HRC). Celebrities joining the poker tables include Jill Bennett ("Second Shot"), Chef K (ABC "The Taste"), Guinevere Turner ("American Psycho"), Ari Fitz ("MTV The Real World Ex-Plosion"), Gloria Bigelow ("Wanda Sykes Presents Herlarious"), Tracy Ryerson ("The Real L Word"), and Brittany Wiener (Bravo "Millionaire Matchmaker") among many others.

Also coming back is The Dinah Film Festival presented by OML, held on Friday, April 4, at 8:00 p.m at the Hilton Hotel. Produced by award-winning filmmaker JD DiSalvatore  (the producer of Shelter, Marine Story and Elena undone, to name a few), the Dinah film Festival will showcase a variety of quality lesbian films including “Little Horribles”  "Nikki & Nora", "Kiss Her I'm Famous", "Dyke Central", and the short film "Secrets & Toys", among others.  

New this year is the "Battle of the DJs" hosted by Dinah's resident DJs Lezlee, Asha, Lisa Pittman, Saratonin and Amara. The competition held over two-days will feature some of the best DJs on the West Coast!

If that weren’t hot enough, did we mention the exclusive L Word Pool Party? 

Hosted in association with Showtime, The L Word Pool party will be held on Saturday April 5 at the Hilton Hotel. 

L Word iconic stars, Leisha Hailey and Kate Moennig will, respectively, step back one more time into their famed Alice Pieszecki and Shane McCutcheon shoes for an exclusive meet and greet hosted from 2:30pm to 5:00pm in the grand Ballroom.  As this year marks the 10^th Anniversary of the official television debut of The L Word, Club Skirts and SHOWTIME are proudly commemorating the nostalgia of a memorable era in lesbian culture that celebrated out loud our “girls in tight dresses who drag with mustaches”!

The epic five-day world-renown weekend is already making a lot of noise and is well on its way to be the biggest Dinah EVER. 

You'd never seen anything like it yet … this is going to be an unforgettable year!

For all the latest updates, the full Dinah 2014 schedule of events, entertainment line-up, as well as hotel information, tickets and VIP package options please go to: www.TheDinah.com

Follow us on Twitter: @dinahshore

Connect with us on Facebook: Club Skirts Dinah Shore Weekend

To book your place on this amazing weekend, check out our deals and packages

SHE 4 ME & Nicole Pacent

We chatted to the beautiful out bisexual actress Nicole Pacent, a lead Bride in the Nicole Conn directed SHE 4 ME music video, describes what marriage equality in every state, and every country would mean to her.  

After many years fighting the struggle and progress happening at a slow pace, in waves and troughs it's now happening at a faster pace than ever but there's still a "long way to go". There's a lot of "emotion" about Proposition 8 being legalised but there's a real need for the cause to reach an international level as well.

Nicole talks about her "inspiring" fan base and some of the horrors LGBT people face around the world, with homosexuality  being illegal, let alone a fight for equal marriage.

She describes the realisation of full equality as an "unspeakable triumph", when it happens, and is very "proud to be a part of the cause" making it happen. She say's "it's so hard to picture there not being a lot more work to do, despite lots of wonderful triumphs".

Nicole's involvement in SHE4ME came about as a result of a meeting of many creative minds, sparked initially by Sue Melke, a "tour de force", whom Nicole met following her involvement in Tello's I hate Tommy Finch". Through Sue Melke, Nicole eventually met Nicole Conn (director of the SHE4ME video) and got involved in the project.


The experience on set was full of "synergy and energy" for Nicole. The shoot was special, despite long hours standing in bridal heels, and the tight crew and direction made it an easy project to work on. In particular, Nicole bonded with co-stars Gaby and Mike, playing the other leads, which helped created respect and chemistry between them all very quickly. 

I asked Nicole about her dream wedding celebration. She pragmatically responds that it would of course depend on the right person, but something that brings together nature and spirituality, family and loved ones perhaps on the Malibu cliffs and fairy lights, would probably feature. 

As with all the talent taking part in the project, Nicole has been blown away by the support. Her favourite messages have been where family and friends have got behind the campaign. Nicole's parents have posted the link - a big deal for them to publicly get behind the campaign - as well as her childhood pastor and babysitter. Add this to the support received from people all over the world and it's something to be really proud of. Nicole's ideal gay celebrity supporter/Love Warrior would be Ellen. However mainstream support is really key to the success of the campaign, so if Brad and Angelina want to get behind it, Nicole would be very happy indeed. 

Nicole has a special message of thanks to all the Love Warriors out there sharing the links...

"thank you for being in support of what is one the most important causes of our time, thank you for not just sitting back. Thank you for all the beautiful messages – life is good and I appreciate on every possible level. You are on the right side of history."

Nicole is currently preparing for a return to the Shakespearean stage as well as actively supporting the SHE4ME campaign.

By Katie