Walk on the wild side

The annual MoonWalk has become as well known for its participants' lavishly-decorated bras as for the millions of pounds it's raised in the battle against breast cancer. And this year, event organisers are going one better - and are handing hundreds of walkers a saucy burlesque challenge.

They've taken inspiration from the massive pink tent that's become a regular landmark for the Edinburgh MoonWalk trek, and given this year's marathon walk a colourful, sensual and dazzling Moulin Rouge theme.

To help launch it, three leading city fashionistas have revealed their personal take on the Moulin Rouge idea - by taking three identical basques and giving them their individual style stamp. The result is three eye-popping outfits - saucy, pretty, lavish and glittery, yet each dazzlingly different, to reflect their creator's unique tastes.

Evening News fashion writer Lynne McCrossan, lingerie and swimwear boutique boss Sarah Connelly and Emma Dixon of vintage-inspired burlesque boutique Miss Dixibelle each spent hours stitching, gluing and tweaking plain Marks & Spencer tartan basques to help inspire this year's MoonWalkers.

It was a labour of love for Sarah, who runs Odyssey in William Street, for despite creating a stunning, glittery effort, she admits she can't even sew.

"I know nothing about dressmaking so it's probably taken me longer than it should have," she says. "I've been working on it for at least a couple of days and every night for the past two weeks. It's been exhausting but hopefully worth it."

She took inspiration from her shop's hot pink colour scheme and covered the basque in hundreds of coloured gems and sequins. It will go on show at her shop, but Sarah admits she won't be wearing it when she strides out for the MoonWalk with the shop's beauty therapist Rachel Connerton and two friends.

"It might be a little bit too restrictive for power-walking," she says. "I'll be in a bra - but I'm going to give it a similar look."

Emma, who plans to do the 'half moon' walk with friends, says she took her cue from her store's sensual burlesque style, covering her basque in a red coating and trimming it with black sequins.

And for extra 'wow' factor, she's had two pasties created - little slips of fabric designed to be strategically placed over the nipples - emblazoned with 'MoonWalk'.

Evening News fashion writer Lynne, who is pregnant and won't be joining in the walk, threw her skills into creating a modern metallic dazzler - using paint she found under the kitchen sink.

"I had planned to use mirrored tiles, but they didn't arrive in time," she confesses, "So I had to improvise. If anything it shows that you don't have to spend a lot of money on decorating what you plan to wear - anything goes!"

Her effort will go on show in Jenners' shop window, while Emma and Sarah's will take pride of place at their boutiques.

Entry forms for this year's walk, on June 11 at Inverleith Park, have been released by the charity organisers, Walk the Walk.

The walk is split into The Half Moon which is just over 13 miles long and the Full Moon, 26.2 miles, and kicks off at midnight.

Nina Barough, the founder of the charity, says: "We think this year's event is going to be the best ever."

Entry forms are available at www.walkthewalk.org