Tanqueray – I’ve Always Been Different, Part 1: Podcast 163

Tanqueray – I’ve Always Been Different, Part 1: Podcast 163

From The Rialto Report by Ashley West

May 31, 2026 · 39 min · Episode 163

About this episode

The episode features an interview with Stephanie, a designer of erotic costumes and former burlesque dancer, sharing her fascinating life story in the adult film industry.

Back in 2014, a woman called Stephanie contacted me at The Rialto Report . She described herself as ‘a designer of erotic costumes’ and shared some memories of the old days when she said she’d made garments for many people in the early adult film business. Vanessa del Rio , Gloria Leonard , Bambi Woods , and others, she said. I must admit I didn’t follow up very quickly – after all, I reasoned, isn’t the point of erotic films just to take your clothes off? A dumb reaction, I know, but a little while later, I did pick up the phone and called her, and the conversation we had was as surprising as it was entertaining. Yes, she had made extravagant costumes for porn stars and sex films, and strippers, sex-club members, cross-dressers, hookers, and drag queens – but that was just the tip of the iceberg. She told me how she’d emerged from a difficult childhood to become a successful, Black burlesque dancer in the seedy Times Square bars and theaters of 1960s and 1970s New York. In fact, she’d used the stage name, Tanqueray. She’d been part of numerous illicit schemes to sell stolen goods. She’d had a regular column called ‘Tattle Tales’ in the men’s magazine, High Society that detailed…

People in this episode

Host: Ashley West

Guest: Stephanie

Topics covered

  • erotic costumes
  • burlesque
  • adult film history
  • New York nightlife
  • personal stories

Keywords

  • erotic costumes
  • burlesque
  • adult film
  • New York
  • personal history

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: High Society

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