Dita Von Tease – Art of theTease – Burlesque show tour

BB

1) After watching you perform in Vegas I was blown away; such a fabulous spectacle.  I felt like we were taken on a journey.  Approximately how long, from conception to execution, does it takes to come up with such with a routine?

DITA

Each act presents different challenges, some take longer than others and much of it also has to do with deadlines versus creating acts at my leisure. Some have taken three months and some have taken three years. Admittedly, I sometimes even draw things out a bit in order to soften the blow of the expenses.

DITA

That sounds like a question we’d have to ask Catherine D’Lish….my guess is that she’d say the Diamonds costume or the Cointreau costume, but quantity is also a tricky question, because sometimes we use the tiniest Swarovski crystals, and that obviously takes a long time compared to the large fancy cut crystals which cover more area, but then again the fancy cut stones are more labour intensive to work with. The Opium Den gown is an absolute feat, I wore it for a show in Paris at The Casino de Paris and Jean Paul Gaultier was gobsmacked by the crystal work on it, with the long train and sleeves covered in Swarovski. He asked if he could come backstage specifically to see it, because it was electric onstage. We’ve also completely covered my martini glass and champagne glass in Swarovski crystal, so that’s a major job.

BB

3) I have your Beauty Mark book, and actually take it away with me on trips. I love that it is a large book, jam packed with beautiful hair and beauty tips for all women. It’s a book that I see as a positive inspiration, and is so glamorous to visually look at. What is your personal inspiration that keeps you going every day?

 

DITA

 I’m glad to hear you like it, I’d say my inspiration is relative to your kind words above; I am motivated by inspiring other people. I spent five years on that book because I wanted to do something more elaborate than the simple beauty guide originally slated for by the publisher. It was meant to be a simple little guidebook that turned into a 400 page tome. A year and a half later I can see the effects the book has had on others.

I see pinup models and burlesque dancers wearing the hairdos and makeup I demonstrate in the book and it makes me feel accomplished, it’s a nice reward. When I was first starting my career in 1991 I wanted so badly to look like a silverscreen glamour girl, and I couldn’t find any books that taught modern techniques for doing those looks, so I had to teach myself, and created lots of shortcuts. I tell my story about my belief in glamour, with both confidence and vulnerability. I can honestly say I left no stone unturned, I kept no beauty secrets from the reader.

 

Dita’s cult-fave “Madame X” lingerie in dreamy aquamarine (available at Glamuse @glamuse_lingerie and Bare Necessities @barenecessities)

BB

 

4) I love your lingerie brand – It is so pretty and sexy; especially Madame X.

What was your inspiration for these designs ?

 

DITA

I want the collection to be both glamorous and functional for moments of beauty and luxury in everyday life.  Ever since I was a little girl I’ve been in love with lingerie as a symbol of femininity and womanhood.  My lingerie collection is for those of us who revel in being a women.

I believe a woman should honor herself with nice lingerie that makes her feel sexy and confident; it shouldn’t be something to be put on for a man. I believe in the everyday cultivation of  sensuality… If you want to be a seductress of the highest level you have to understand what it really is to be sexy… it’s not about aiming to please other people, or thinking about what pleases another.

A great seductress surrounds herself with beauty and pleasure, and others are seduced by this world that she creates and long to be invited into her world. I have always believed that lingerie can be a great tool of seduction, but the wonderful thing is that we are living in a time where we don’t have to choose between everyday lingerie and lingerie for seduction. The lingerie is at bloomingdales.com, nordstrom.com, glamuse.com, figleaves.com, journelle.com and barenecessities.com

I like nice bags for sure, but I would say the past few years I care less and less about having the latest bag…I look for styles that are classic, things I’ll use over and over, year after year. I love my Dolce and Gabbana Miss Sicily bags, I love their consistent reinvention of that classic granny bag. I have a couple of special edition Christian Louboutin bags that are both sentimental because he’s a friend, but also they are like works of art, conversation starters. I haven’t bought a new handbag in quite some time, these days I’m more interested in beautifying my home.

BB

6) I saw online you had these gorgeous Glamour girl vases that sold out in a minute. Is there a possibility these beauties will come back out?

DITA

Yes, we are creating a series and will restock the original with the red rose soon too. (shop.dita.net)

BB

7) What you do has inspired all women of all ages and sizes and backgrounds – What advice can you give to women who feel pressure in today’s society to look a certain way?

DITA

Well, I always say “You can be a juicy ripe peach and there’ll still be someone that doesn’t like peaches”, so you’ve got to work with what you’ve got and try not to compare yourself to other women… every one has their own struggles,  and feeling the ups and downs are part of life. I think we all have our self-criticism, but instead of dwelling on what I don’t like about myself I try to be grateful every day for the way my body serves me instead of saying “ugh I hate ______”, I replace that with something positive.

BB

8)  Can you tell us more about your exotic cat, Aleister Von Teese?

DITA

Well, he’s got an incredible personality, but I don’t think Devon Rexes are exactly exotic cats… he’s very doglike, loves to travel with me, I even bring him backstage to hang out in my dressing room sometimes. He’s up to about 90K followers on instagram these days!

www.instagram.com/aleistervonteese/