Dita Von Teese | Page 269 | the Fashion Spot

Dita Von Teese

she says she has her makeup application down to a science. she's used the same routine and can be done in 20 minutes.
 
and her way of dressing is her style i doubt it's really that exausting to pick some dress or skirt and shirt combo to feel comfy and nice.
 
and her way of dressing is her style i doubt it's really that exausting to pick some dress or skirt and shirt combo to feel comfy and nice.

She did say once that it is much easier and comfortable to pick out one dress for the day and get it over with as opposed to picking a jeans/shirt/jacket combo, which is true. I'm a guy but I imagine a skirt is much more comfy than a pair of jeans, specially right now when mine are bugging me like crazy. :yuk:
 
Metro.co.uk: Dita Von Teese: I won’t be on stage in a G-string when I’m 70
Dita Von Teese talks about being shy, stripping for Playboy and why she doesn’t feel objectified on stage.

By Vicki-Marie Cossar

There is something doll-like about Dita Von Teese. Perched on a chair in the library of The Dorchester hotel in west London, her hands folded in her lap, the burlesque beauty is the epitome of femininity.

She’s wearing a figure-hugging black dress, her hair coiffured in her trademark 1940s style and her make-up topped off with blood-red lips, but confesses her bold style hasn’t always matched her personality.

‘I’m in a very different package now,’ says Von Teese, who recently turned 40. ‘When I first started dressing extravagantly and dyeing my hair black, I was really shy and going for an unapproachable look was a way of counteracting the shyness.’

It’s hard to imagine she was ever a wallflower. This is the woman who has made the art of burlesque (performances in a variety show format, which included a form of tongue-in-cheek stripping, that were popular from the 1860s to the 1940s) so mainstream that it seems every gym in the country offers classes in it.

She has a formidable reputation as a seductress, with roles ranging from fetish p*rn to a stint on America’s Top Model, and was previously married to US shock-rocker Marilyn Manson. But when you meet Von Teese, her soft, gentle voice hints at the blonde girl-next-door she once was.

Born Heather Renée Sweet, Von Teese grew up in the farming town of Rochester, Michigan. As the daughter of a machinist and a manicurist, she lived a quiet life but says ‘it was a charming way to grow up’. It’s no secret her image is based on the vintage Hollywood movies she watched as a girl but she admits this isn’t the only reason for her dramatic look.

‘I’m the middle child of three sisters and when I was growing up I always felt like I would disappear,’ she says. ‘I felt like the ugly duckling. I make jokes about having classic middle child syndrome but I definitely think that has a lot to do with why I am the way I am today.’

Whatever the formula for her success, it’s working. Von Teese has become a brand – besides acting and modelling roles, she is also an author, a clothing and lingerie designer, and a style icon. And she does look good, which is why her shows always sell out. Last month, she gave a performance for 60 people at The Dover Street Arts Club to rave reviews. Now there are plans to bring her show Strip Strip Hooray! to Britain.

‘We’re just planning the logistics,’ says Von Teese, ‘but we’re looking at theatre-style venues with a 400 to 600 capacity. They need to be glamorous and have good staging ability to hold my biggest sets and props.’

Her stage career hasn’t always been so glamorous. Von Teese started out in a strip bar in Orange County, California. ‘I was an 18-year-old girl and lived my own life,’ she says. ‘I worked six days a week for hours a day and I paid my own rent.’

So how did her parents feel about her taking her clothes off? ‘There wasn’t a lot they could do about it,’ says Von Teese. ‘My mother always had faith that I was doing the right thing and taking care of myself. She trusted that I would be professional and make the right decisions.’

It was during these shows that Von Teese started building her burlesque routine. Although there’s some debate over the difference between burlesque and stripping, she maintains they are the same thing. ‘I love the word “stripper”,’ says Von Teese. ‘From the beginning, my goal has always been to change the way people see strippers. I think there’s an amazing history of striptease and entertainment, especially in America. I’m a stripper and I’m proud of it.’

Von Teese got her big break in 2002 when she was asked to pose on the cover of Playboy. ‘At the time, it had a real cache,’ she says. ‘So many great women had graced the cover, such as Drew Barrymore, Sharon Stone and Naomi Campbell. It was a great era of Playboy. There weren’t reality stars on the cover.’

That was when Heather Sweet became Dita Von Teese. Having adopted the stage name Dita (after silent film actress Dita Parlo), she was asked for a surname for the Playboy cover. She searched the phone book and chose the name ‘Von Treese’ but the magazine misspelt it.

All eyes may be on her half-naked body when she’s on stage but she denies feeling objectified. ‘My audience is about 80 per cent women, the other 20 per cent comprises husbands and boyfriends of those women, and gay men, so it’s hard to say I feel objectified,’ says Von Teese. ‘I feel more objectified when someone comes up with a camera phone and takes a picture without asking, or introduces themselves while I’m mid-sentence in conversation or eating my dinner.’

Despite reports of Von Teese claiming she will strip until she’s 70, she says she was quoted out of context. Although there’s a few more years of striptease in her yet, she says the comment was about a hologram made for a Christian Louboutin show. ‘Don’t worry,’ she laughs, ‘I won’t be on stage in a G-string when I’m 70.’

Dita’s party tips
Dita Von Teese loves to entertain. ‘I don’t like parties where everyone sits around doing nothing, so I have these parties we call “garden arts” and everyone brings an artistic project,’ she says. ‘One of my friends is a great mixologist, so she showed us how to make the perfect cocktail.’

Cocktails flow in abundance at her parties and Von Teese enjoys mixing up a MargaDita for her guests. ‘It’s a glamorous spicy rose twist on the classic and I drink it straight up or on the rocks,’ she says.

Von Teese has recently launched the vintage-styled My Cointreau Evening Bag, which has removable compartments containing everything you’ll need to whip up the perfect cocktail. It includes a bottle of Cointreau, spices, mixing spoon, measuring cup and cocktail book with Von Teese’s secret recipes.
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pocketvenus.wordpress.com
 
The black velvet dress in post 106 is just stunning! Is it Mugler or Westwood? Anyone know? I love the simplicity of it and the neckline is gorgeous.
 
photos from Bette Midler’s annual Halloween NYC party

As usual she looks beautiful and perfect!

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celebitchy.com
 
Just catching up on this thread - that Guardian interview is one of the best I've ever seen with her. She's been interviewed on her beauty routine etc. so many times that I feel like I could answer the question for her! That interview was really interesting because he was mostly interested in her as a pop culture icon and her views on feminism etc. Although I don't agree with a lot of what she says towards the end of the interview it was still really insightful and made me wish I could sit with her and have a cocktail and discuss it further!

And that tux is pure perfection on her.
 
“Dita Von Teese looks incredible even as a woman playing a man in drag. She hit the New York Restoration Project‘s (NYRP) Halloween Benefit Gala dressed in a top hat and tails: Victoria Grant/Count Victor Grazinski from the 1982 film Victor Victoria. Perfect for the evening’s French theme, plus I just love the contradiction of Von Teese, so über-feminine fabulous, dressed in a gender-bending costume.”

pocketvenus.wordpress.com
 
Entertainmentwise Interview Part 3: Dita Von Teese Talks Striptease & ‘Womanly’ Fragrance

pocketvenus.wordpress.com
 
dita von teese recreates the golden age of strip tease
By Anneliese Cooper

Dubbed a “burlesque superheroine” by Vanity Fair, Dita Von Teese is one of the biggest proponents of the art form’s recent comeback. Born blonde Heather Sweet in a mid-size Michigan town, Von Teese quickly transformed herself to match the 40s movie stars and pinup girls she idolized—from her iconic dyed-dark hair and bright red lipstick to her cultivated collection of corsets. Now a published author, accomplished designer, sometimes actress, and soon-to-be perfumer, Von Teese is still bring vintage sexy back with her touring burlesque show, “Strip Strip Hooray!” The Eye talked to Von Teese about her tour’s upcoming New York stops, the importance of a good perfume, and how to top “the Marquis de Sade’s corseted sex slave” on her roster of past Halloween costumes.

How has reception to “Strip Strip Hooray!” been since the tour’s start in May?
The reception for the West Coast and Southern parts of the tour was incredible. We sold out every show, and thanks to the support I have from Live Nation, we played the kinds of venues that big rock bands usually play. The only changes I’ve really made to the show are little refinements to my costume: new Louboutin shoes custom-made for a couple of the shows, and one of the corsets had been in and out of the “Swarovski crystalling” workshop in Paris with Mr. Pearl all summer to have the tiniest crystals available meticulously applied. Every show, it had a little bit more and a little bit more, and now, finally, five months later and after much tedious work with tiny tweezers, it’s finally ready to be seen in it’s full glory!

How has it been working with your co-performers? Does their style of burlesque mesh well with yours? How did you all come together on this bill?
I had been planning the show and doing small runs in Los Angeles for a couple years now, trying out lots of different support performers from all over the world until we felt we had a cast that represented several facets of neo-burlesque, diverse beauty, and most importantly, each and every act is an absolute show-stopper. This is a show that keeps the spirit of classic burlesque alive, yet shows the possibilities of burlesque seeing a second Golden Age. Burlesque legend Tempest Storm came to the show in Las Vegas and said that there was never a burlesque show with the level of production we have. That was a feather in our cap, to have such a fine compliment coming from someone who was one of the greatest stars of the 1940s and 50s. We have Dirty Martini, Catherine D’Lish, Lada from The Crazy Horse Paris, Selene Luna, the incredible Perle Noire, plus my favorite Boylesque star, Monsieur Roméo from France.

You’re often cited as a champion of the neoburlesque movement. So, why burlesque and why now? What makes this seemingly vintage art form relevant for women today?
I think a lot of women see it as inspiration to see these shows that have a diverse selection of performers. Many of the burlesque fans see it as a way to feel beautiful and sexy without fitting into the typical modern day standards of beauty, where the emphasis seems to be on natural, bikini-model, so-called healthy-looking, tanned, slim bodies. Burlesque embraces artifice and fantasy, and it’s an image that can be emulated by anyone who puts their mind to it. It’s about sensual freedom, and the enjoyment of sex and fun of a playful nature! Seduction and feminine prowess!

You’re coming out with a new perfume—“Rouge.” What inspired you to go into the scent business?
Fragrance is one of the most powerful tools of seduction; it strikes directly to the source of emotion in the brain. Sex goddesses have always used scent throughout history. Being attracted to one’s scent is of the utmost importance in the quest for love. For me, perfume is a vital part of the story I have created of who I am, and how I want to be perceived. I love fragrance that weaves a web of mystery. I prefer to wear a unique fragrance that those around me can only associate with me, so I’ve always sought out special, rare perfumes. Scent also affects memory, and I always believe in creating new memories in love rather than trying to evoke old ones. My desire for being unique together with having the opportunity to create my own signature scents is an absolute dream. My perfumes are always meant to appeal to women who know themselves, and aren’t trying to conform to some standard of beauty.

How do you project glamour and sex appeal if there are ever days on which you’re just not feeling it?
It’s definitely not always easy, because I don’t feel like I can live up to my image sometimes. But I just put on my lipstick, stockings, and heels, pull myself together, and work it out! Things could be a lot worse; it’s better to be called on to talk about glamour and sensuality than to have to do real manual labor.

I caught your recent appearance on Top Chef as a guest judge for the aphrodisiac challenge. Do you actually have any favorite aphrodisiacs? Or do you find the concept at all overrated?
I love exotic foods. I love trying new things. But aphrodisiacs? I’m not sure that they really work like that, apart from just being sensual to taste. And anyway, I don’t need aphrodisiacs. I’m in my sexual prime.

When it comes to Halloween pageantry, do you ever go for the spooky looks—fake blood and the like—or do you tend to stick to high glam? Do you have a past Halloween costume of which you’re especially proud? A fantasy outfit you’ve always wanted to try?
When I was in my early 20s, I was always coming up with these outrageous risqué costumes. One year, I dressed my boyfriend as the Marquis de Sade, and my girlfriends and I were all his corseted sex slaves. And another year, I wrapped myself in an Italian flag, wore a long blonde wig with wreath of flowers, and went as La Cicciolina. No one ever knew who I was meant to be! The past few years, I dress up as a “normal girl” in jeans, a tan, and beige makeup. No one ever recognizes me, so this is what I do every year. This year, with ten costume changes for my shows, I won’t be dressing up. It’s just too much work after two shows in a row.

Marry, boff, kill: Bettie Page, Josephine Baker, or Lili St. Cyr?
I have no idea how to answer that question. None of them were the marrying kind, you know.
pocketvenus.wordpress.com
 
Dita Von Teese attends The Painted Lady debut

Dita is wearing her showcase dress, Christian Louboutin shoes, and a Lulu Guinness clutch

pocketvenus.wordpress.com via just jared
 
Her outfit at The Painted Lady debut is perfection. I adore the ruffles around the bust, she looks like a sexy secretary. The lulu guinness handband is a nice touch too.
 
some random images id never seen before

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pepperspray-stark.tumblr.com

the top one, is seriously divine, when i hear the word sexy, she is the first woman that comes to mind
 

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