MISS LASH! Alejandra Guerrero pictured at the first Eyes Wide Shut party she co-hosted in 2013 (photo: Glitter Guts)
Lash! Alejandra Guerrero cohosts Chicago’s new ‘dark fetish soirée’
AUGUST COVER STORY: LASH! is a major new fetish party launching in Chicago on August 9. This ‘dark fetish soirée’ is being co-hosted by Chicago photographer Alejandra Guerrero and DJ Grant Mayland, the man behind Sanctum events. Lash! marks Guerrero’s move upwards after hosting smaller parties since 2013. Here, she tells Tony Mitchell about combining event-hosting and serious photography, and her plans for Lash!. These include multiple kinky performances, a DJ line-up headed by Megan Louise of Desire, and a Blacklickorish Latex fashion show. Our article includes galleries from Alejandra’s earlier events, and from the hot new performer shoots she’s done to promote Lash!. One of the latter, featuring Honey Bee (top), has provided us with our cover/banner image above
Alejandra Guerrero, Chicago’s premier purveyor of sophisticated, fashion-conscious fetish photography, is set to co-host a major new fetish event called Lash! in the US city this August.
After hosting private parties for some years, Guerrero — whose photography is the subject of two acclaimed Circa Press monographs, Wicked Women and Auto Erotica (with a third to come) — finally makes the move into large scale fetish events with the debut of Lash! on August 9.
The event is a collaboration between Guerrero (through her Corporate Vampire brand) and Chicago event organisation Sanctum, run by DJ Grant Mayland.
Since 2022 Sanctum has been hosting major dark music events — such as Halloween’s multi-day Sanctum Fest and April’s Vampire’s Ball — featuring goth-industrial music and transgressive performances.
Lash! — described by its hosts as a ‘dark fetish soirée’ — promises to be a memorable evening of kink delights: ‘a night brimming with provocative performances, intoxicating fashion, seductive sounds and visuals’.
BANNER MODEL Honey Bee in another Lash! promo shot by Alejandra Guerrero
“Honey Bee (aka Bee Rice) has modelled for the Lash! party’s promotional materials, including videos and the party’s flyer, and is also a performer at the event,” says Guerrero.
“I chose her because she’s involved in many different aspects of kink. For instance, she is a domme who runs kink events through her company, Temple. These are typically members-only events.
“However, she also performs, and that’s how I initially met her — when she was modelling for me.”
Taking place at venue Morgan MFG, Lash! will offer pervy performances and demos featuring members of the modelling and domme communities, a kinky cabaret, and music from local and guest DJs — the latter from California, NYC and Detroit.
It will also feature a fashion show from Alyssa Norman’s renowned LA brand Blacklickorish Latex. You can find full details of the event in the panel on page 2 of this article.
I’ve come to know Alejandra pretty well since Circa published her first two books, as this involved her making London visits to promote them — also giving her the chance to shoot with some UK-based models while here.
So when she sends me an excited message in July tipping me off about her upcoming debut in the world of ‘big party’ hosting, I’m keen to find out what prompted her move in that direction.
Not entirely your ‘usual photographer’
After all, I suggest, it is relatively unusual for fetish scene photographers to also be party hosts, as the hosts generally like to focus on hosting while the ’togs like to be free to get the shots!
So it would be interesting to learn how she ended up having a high heel in both camps!
“I’m not entirely a ‘usual photographer’,” she explains. “I wear many creative suits. I’m a bit of a stylist, I’ve modelled some, and I suppose you could also add ‘event producer’ to my list of non-photography pursuits.
“What makes my role as a photographer unique is the many people I meet through modelling for me — particularly those involved in performing arts and kink.
“This allows me to bridge these different worlds, bringing my photography alive for my friends. Much like I produce scenes in photo shoots, I also curate talent, spaces, and the crowd (especially when the parties were private) for my events.
“In creating these events, I also enjoy producing images and videos to promote them, making them truly art-driven.”
And loyal to this ethos, Alejandra has shot some wonderful promo images for Lash! featuring artists booked to appear at it, such as our cover/banner star Honey Bee, Kink
Kabaret duo Mila La Machina and Psyche De Lick, performer Sally Marvel and DJ Megan Louise of Desire.
Alejandra’s been doing further promo shoots while this article has been in production
“My plan this week,” she reveals, “is to finish shooting the remaining performers for the promos, so I can continue to promote the party via my work, and get people excited about who they’re coming to see and why I chose them for this event.”
‘Blown away’ by her first fetish party
And, she explains, the story behind why she’s throwing this party ties directly into her world as a photographer.
“Early in my career, when I was new to Chicago, I met a chess player at a goth night who took me to my first fetish party (circa 2000-2001). I was completely blown away by what I saw.
“It made such a huge impact that it helped lead me into shooting fetish erotica. At that time, I was studying photography, so my eyes and subject matter were fresh.
“From that scene, I attended various fetish events, including parties at dungeons, fashion shows and art shows (there were then two erotic art galleries in Chicago — one just a block from my house!).
“I also modelled in two fashion shows, one for Paul C Leather and another for Vex during the years 2002-2003. In that era I also met my first models, who were dommes.
“Many years later, in 2012, a friend told me about a guy he’d met on FetLife. This man was the caretaker of a very unusual home that he’d found through a Craigslist ad for a room rental.
“It turned out to be for the entire house, which — the family of the deceased owner had discovered after he passed — was a secret home where he held kink parties. Little did they know: the caretaker was also into kink!
“I became friendly with him, and he invited me to a party held in my honour. It was a very odd combination: women dressed scantily as bunnies and guys playing the card game Euchre!
“The house was decorated in Louis XV style, giving off to me major Eyes Wide Shut vibes. So, I asked him if I could host a small party there and invite a few of my friends.
“A few months later, I did. I wanted everyone to dress up (in fetish fashion, of course) and wear masks.
“My first party of this kind had 12 people. It turned into a fun play party, as my guests included a few domme friends and other kink-oriented friends. I eventually also did a photo and video shoot in that house.”
Art lover proposes sponsoring parties
About a year later, Guerrero recalls, she was showing her photos of that party to a close friend (who would later become an art patron and collector of her work).
“He proposed to me sponsoring a party like that and paying me to organise it. So I thought, why not? The first party I did in my event partnership with him was held at a dungeon.
EYES WIDE SHUT MC Red Rum at the Dec 2014 edition of the event (photo: Alejandra Guerrero)
“I called it Eyes Wide Shut: A Fetish Masquerade — keeping the vibe of the original one, which was held at the Flores Mansion.
“I recreated the circle scene from the movie, featuring the master of ceremonies and women shedding their cloaks. After the MC performed, we had a few burlesque performers.
“The MC, Red Rum, was (and is) a well-known artist in the local burlesque and performance scene, renowned for her cool horror and glamour acts.”
READ MORE – GO TO PAGE 2 OF 2BELOW: Alejandra’s snaps and other photos from earlier parties she hosted, in date order from 2012 to 2018. Click/tap either preview to open gallery and click/tap any thumbnail to start slideshow
Tags: Parties, Performers, Photographers
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