Dita Von Teese

[LittleMsSunshine]

BEST NEWS: Von Teese: Striptease can be elegant

 

[LittleMsSunshine]

Dita Von Teese, Katerina Harbuzava at the Greta Garbo auction
Julien’s Auctions Beverly Hills Gallery

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[bedtimeStory]

My question answered by Dita at

http://www.xojane.com/fashion/dita-von-teese-clothing-advice-xojane

It made my day!

 

[LittleMsSunshine]

Wow good for u, thst would put me on cloud nine too

 

[LittleMsSunshine]

Dear Dita,

I adore your glamour style! However, I personally feel sort of overdressed in high heels, stockings & dress while around people in jeans. Everybody is staring at me & asking “What’s the occasion for that?” Have you ever been in that kind of situation? How to be brave enough to go on with glamour style every day? How do you deal with unwanted attention?

-Malina Kaa


Dear Malina,

In my 20+ years of dressing up in retro style, I’ve certainly had my fair share of stupid questions and criticisms, and I’ve even been flat-out made fun of, especially back in the early 90s before retro glamour became so popular and when my outfits were even more extravagant than they are now!

I recall a moment I had once that really cured me of feeling self-conscious. Two guys made fun of me in passing, who were both dressed in hideously ugly, stained and torn “University of Idiocy” T-shirts with mismatched shorts and some sort of offensive footwear.

I remember thinking, “Wait a minute, the fact that THESE guys think I look silly/crazy/unsexy is actually a compliment!”

I also began to realize that our appearance tells the world which tribe we belong to, or want to belong to. I have absolutely no desire to be a part of the tribe that those two guys belong to, you know? Imagine the hell of being asked out on a date with one of them? Heaven forbid I would fall in love with him and be forced to watch sports on TV while fetching a beer and a Manwich for one of those guys. That sounds like a special kind of hell to me.

I’ve said it time and time again. You can be a juicy, ripe peach and there’s still going to be someone who doesn’t like peaches, so you can either submit to someone’s criticism of you, or you can get on with the business of being your own amazing self who attracts other like-minded people that appreciate you.

I often think about my icons of beauty and style, and I am quite certain that they received their fair share of ridicule, but if they hadn’t dared to be different, there are countless fashion styles that probably would have never made it to the mainstream.

Can you imagine if Marlene Dietrich had merely accepted that hotels in Paris wouldn’t welcome her while she was wearing a man’s tuxedo? Can you imagine the things people might have said as Isabella Blow wafted down the street in a billowing cape and one of her many enormous hats? I’d met her a few times, always astonished by her inspiring style, and I can tell you that she certainly didn’t give a crap what anyone thought of her, and for me and many others, she is highly regarded as one of the most important and most fashionable women ever.

Nothing great comes without risk, and only the very mediocre are safe from being poked fun at. Personally, every time someone makes a snide comment, I feel I am proud to be part of the elite group of weirdos! If you want to read a fabulous and hilarious book about this eccentric “club,” check out Simon Doonan’s “Eccentric Glamour.”

I’ve had all sorts of comebacks to the various “vocal observations” of my attire and my look, but I try to say positive things like, “Why yes, the special occasion is life, thank you for noticing!”

Back in the 90s, before retro glamour was in fashion, I would get asked if I was in a movie and I would say, “Yes, I’m starring in this amazing story of my own life,” with a positive attitude and tone of voice whenever possible. Sometimes people don’t mean to be rude, they just noticed you and they don’t realize that what they say might make you feel uncomfortable.

I really think we just have to forgive them, because they just don’t know, and sometimes, they even fear what they don’t know, and we should have sympathy for them. And, I have to add, that if you are already feeling uncomfortable, it might not even be that they are being rude, but their words are magnified and mirroring what you are feeling, so maybe it’s more about finding ways to find your own comfort zone and working on self-confidence.

I hope this helps, carry on with being the fabulous glambassador that you are, and don’t let them get you down!

xx

Dita

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[LittleMsSunshine]

Dita Von Teese Lounge Shoot

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[LittleMsSunshine]

Dita Von Teese by Ruven Afanador

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[LittleMsSunshine]

Studio Harcourt is a prestigious Parisian photography studio founded in 1934 by Cosette Harcourt, the brothers Lacroix and Robert Ricci. The studio became known for it’s iconic black-and-white glamour photography.

Tania commented with a Studio Harcourt portrait of Dita, so I thought I’d post it, and another, with some information for those curious. If I recall correctly, Dita tweeted about this photo shoot when it was taken 2006. You can view more photos through the members section of dita.net.

More recently, Dita posed with Ali Mahdavi at Studio Harcourt.

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[LittleMsSunshine]

 

[LittleMsSunshine]

 

[LittleMsSunshine]

 

[LittleMsSunshine]

Dita Von Teese Photoshoot (Unidentified)

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[HeaTk]

^ Beautiful but very sad... IMO

 

[Aquila]

She does look very sad in that set, but yes, incredibly beautiful. I love seeing her without the red lipstick, she looks so fragile.

 

[LittleMsSunshine]

when she doesnt wear her makeup makes her look less chic, she is STILL stunning, but in a more natural bohemian way

 

[LittleMsSunshine]

Vogue (India) January, 2013
Photography by David Slijper
Sittings Editor: Hamish Bowles
Hair by Yannick DLS
Make-up by Alice Ghendrih/Jed Root

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[LittleMsSunshine]

The Delicious Cook: Dita Von Teese After-Christmas Gathering
By Ronnie

Celebrity Chef Ronnie Woo and Kitchit present Dita Von Teese’s After-Christmas Gathering

The menu included:

Arugula and Baby Super Greens with Goat Cheese, Roasted Shallots, Sour Cherries, and Asian Pear

Butternut Squash and Carrot Soup with Caramelized Onions and Icelandic Skyr, Avocado, and Lava Salt

Broiled Marinated Hangar Steak with Cheddar Polenta

Roasted Curry Dusted Cauliflower with Pomegranate Seeds

Ile Flottante – Poached Vanilla Meringues with Milk & Honey Crème Anglaise and Caramel Hazelnuts (serve individually) with Roasted Crushed Hazelnuts

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[LittleMsSunshine]

CatWalkQueen.tv: Dita Von Teese talks fashion and shares her tips for a glamorous life
by Gemma Cartwright

Dita Von Teese is one of a kind. A tiny, perfectly polished throwback to a time when ‘making an effort’ involved more than a spritz of dry shampoo, some platform heels and a lick of mascara. She is always perfectly poised and impeccably dressed, with a smart, well thought-out answer to every question.

We were lucky enough to get some time with Dita when she visited London to show off the My Cointreau evening bag, her latest project with long-term collaborators Cointreau. The elegant cream box bag houses a naughty secret – a specially designed interior that holds all the ingredients to whip up the perfect cocktail. Sneaking booze in your bag has never been so glamorous.

After a peek at the bag itself (which is available in the UK at Selfridges Oxford Street) we settled down with Dita to talk vintage style and shopping…

One of the most interesting things to note about Dita is that, though she has a very evident vintage look, quite often her clothes are modern. On stage, her burlesque outfits are custom made corsets that take her already tiny waist down to an astonishing 16.5 inches. Offstage, she will often wear creations by designers like Elie Saab, Vivienne Westwood and Jenny Packham, but by teaming them with her trademark retro hair and makeup, they look like they’ve come straight out of the costume department of a 1940s movie, not straight off the catwalk.

Dita has a unique ability to pick out modern pieces that fit perfectly with her retro aesthetic. “I like modern clothes, but I don’t look for trends. I look for things that will look good on me.” She explains. “I collect a lot of vintage and I love the thrill of the hunt…I started buying vintage because I couldn’t afford designer clothes. Now I can wear both.” Her favourite finds are “authentic vintage, or great designers with a vintage feel,” all teamed with corsets, bullet bras and seamed stockings.

Speaking of seamed stockings, Dita has her own collection of them by Secrets In Lace. Besides being the global ambassador for Cointreau, she’s had a collaboration with Wonderbra, and now has her own lingerie range “Von Follies by Dita Von Teese” which launched at Target in Australia and is now available at Debenhams as well as online for global shipping via ASOS.com, Glamuse.com and Stylebop.com. Dita has expanded her empire even more with ARTDECO Cosmetics, and she’s also created a small range of dresses shipping globally from Shopdecadesinc.com.

It’s clear that Dita favours luxury and quality in her clothing, so how does she feel about the plethora of vintage reproduction brands that are now cropping up, offering the 40s / 50s look with a lower price tag and fewer of those intricate details? “I have a lot of their clothes, they’re really fun to wear during the day,” She explains. “If you want that pin-up look, they’re perfect. But you can’t compare the quality to vintage or designer – there is a huge difference.”

So what does she recommend to shoppers on a budget? “You can invest in quality, or you can buy for fun. I make both of those choices – I love pinup girl swimwear…but when I buy a coat, I’m going to buy the expensive coat to wear for years and years.”

The continued popularity of the ‘vintage’ look means more and more people are emulating a look similar to Dita, and the catwalks are full of 50s style silhouettes and New Look wasp waists. Does this popularity threaten to dilute her look, or does she embrace the trend and use it to her advantage? “I like it when this look becomes trendy, because my favourite designers make things that I can wear.” But she doesn’t feel like her look will ever become ‘normal’. “It takes a lot of effort to look like this, not everyone will want to do it!”

It’s true that Dita cultivates a style that’s hard to copy without time and effort, so it’s even more amazing that she does almost everything herself. She doesn’t work with a stylist and does her own hair and makeup. She considers herself “an expert on red lipstick” and only delegates one element of her beauty regime. “My nails are the one thing I don’t like to do myself.” She admits, showing off a perfect half-moon manicure in signature dark red.

So how do you get the look without the years of experience and the incredible wardrobe? Dita shared with us five ways to make life instantly more glamorous…

Dita’s top five items for a more glamorous life

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[LittleMsSunshine]

“Disintegration” featuring Dita Von Teese by Monarchy
On iTunes Monday, January 14, 2013

Burlesque queen Dita Von Teese dons her signature vintage corsets and gowns to incarnate a woman lost in sensual fancy in this video for electronic outfit Monarchy’s new single, “Disintegration,” directed by Roy Raz. “She’s a 1950s style housewife stuck in a toxic, dry relationship. She’s fantasizing, releasing herself in a dream world of lovers,” says the band’s Andrew Armstong. The fortuitous pairing began on Twitter, and after spending an extravagant Christmas in Paris together—joined by local characters like Catherine Baba and Diane Pernet—a friendship was forged. Soon Armstrong and partner-in-music Ra Black were penning songs for the master of striptease. The result is a synth-soaked track that brings model and author Teese’s inimitable suggestive touch to Monarchy’s soulful dance. “We considered doing an x-rated version of it,” says Armstrong. “Maybe we will some day.” Switching between stark domestic scenes to muscular choreography performed by Israel’s young Batsheva Dance Company, Tel Aviv-based Raz draws us into an imagined erotic world that is part retro, part surreal. “There should be something reserved, unreachable, unobtainable about an ideal muse—close enough to inspire but just out of reach to keep the mystery,” says Armstrong. “We have that in Dita.” Here Von Teese makes some confessions, including ex-husband Marilyn Manson's thoughts on her foray into music.


How did the collaboration come about?
I had done a couple recordings of me “talk-singing” Mae West/Marilyn Monroe style for my burlesque shows, but those songs together with onstage visuals is different to just listening to my voice. Monarchy believed in me, so I did it anyway, and asked them to make me sound good!

Have you always been interested in music?
I love music, of course, but I never had any intention of performing or helping create anything besides the music for my shows. I had a lot of input into things like styling for some of the music videos that my ex-husband [Marilyn Manson] did, but I wouldn’t ever have dared get involved in any other aspect of music. Actually, we played the song for Manson and the first thing he said was, “Why didn’t you tell me you could sing?”

How was it working on film rather than live performance?
I’ve been in a lot of music videos over the years, so I thought it was fun to be performing the lyrics while taking off my clothes for once! It’s nice to let go of the control of all of that and to trust someone. But I’m also a control freak about my hair, makeup, and wardrobe and doing it all myself for the video while also being in front of the camera isn’t so easy. I think I drove them crazy, asking if they could fix that “one hair out of place”!

What was it like working with Roy Raz?
He’s amazing. I loved the video he did for “I Won’t Let Go,” so when they told me they were trying to get him to do one for this song, I was thrilled to have the chance to work with him. We had an amazing time together in Tel Aviv making the video. It was an absolute pleasure, and delightful to be in that amazing city.

click link to view video, she looks stunning
http://www.nowness.com/?icid=overlay_home

nowness.com

 

[LittleMsSunshine]

Dita Von Teese attends the LoveGold Party
The Selma House, West Hollywood, Calif

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