For those who may have thought Dita Von Teese’s celebrity would die out soon after her divorce from controversial rock star Marilyn Manson, they’d better think again.
Born Heather Sweet in Rochester, Michigan, Dita describes her younger self as “a painfully shy blond girl from a small farming town”. A past so hard to imagine once you’ve watched the raven-haired beauty swish around giant martini glass like its most sensual experience on Earth.
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Dita in her famous martini glass act.
But in recent years 41-year-old burlesque star has proven she is much more than a fancy dancer with feathers and has created a mini-empire of endorsement deals ranging from perfumes, makeup, drink deals, hosiery and of course, sexy underwear.
Dita has brought her latest underwear offering to Australian shores as department store Myer sizzles up its summer stock with Von Teese’s sexy eponymous lingerie label, Dita Von Teese.
Dita stars in her eponymous labels lingerie campaign alongside a diverse cast of models she hand picked.
The vaunted beauty kindly Took Five with The Weekly to tell us a little bit about her range, her iconic style and her thoughts on what is sexy…
How would you describe your personal style?
“I’m very influenced by the art of John Willie…my look is very Mysterious Countess and Sweet Gwendoline inspired. I love combining retro style with fetishistic elements – for instance, I love a 1940’s style dress paired with opera length leather gloves and seamed stockings, and I love lingerie peeking out from under a blouse or low-cut neckline.”
Whose style do you admire? Do you have any celebrity muses in mind when you get to work designing a collection?
“From the start, I have been designing the collection with real women who want to experience my aesthetic of glamour in every day life. I like to create unique, retro-inspired pieces that are functional and wearable in a woman’s wardrobe. I have many celebrity friends that love to wear the line, such as Amber Heard, Pamela Anderson, Naomi Campbell, Debi Mazar, and Lily Allen.”
Body image is such a hot-topic right now and you used a variety of models of all sizes in your recent shoot for the Dita Von Teese collection. Do you believe you can be any size and be sexy?
“I don’t think sexiness is about size, or even the concept of what society thinks is beautiful. Beauty is a subjective experience, never objective. Historically, some of the most legendary seductresses of all time were not even considered ‘great beauties’.
“Sexiness has more to do with confidence, wisdom, cultivation of sensuality and wit – these are just a few of the truly sexy traits that would linger in the mind and seduce someone. A clueless cupcake of a woman that counts merely on her beauty remains an armpiece for a man and meanwhile she might wonder how that ‘not even very pretty’ other person stole her man! I knowingly smile with satisfaction when I hear someone rant that someone ‘older’, or ‘fat’ or ‘less pretty’ landed the guy.
“Sometimes, not being born ‘beautiful’ forces us to cultivate other traits. As a painfully shy blond girl from a small farming town, I grew up feeling very ordinary and plain, and I created a style that made me feel exotic and confident.”
What has been your most memorable fashion moment?
“Hard to say, but I think I have had some very nice moments wearing Jean Paul Gaultier haute couture on the runway and on the red carpet.
“Jean Paul Gaultier’s obsessions with corsetry and bullet-bras is a reason I first started collection vintage lingerie when I was very young. I would try to get the Gaultier look by wearing corsets and circle-stitched bras. I showed him some pieces from my lingerie line and he loved it and was amazed at the accessible prices. It meant a lot to me that he liked it.
“I also wear a lot of Zac Posen, and he made a me a beautiful ball gown corset-skirt which I wear with various bras from my lingerie collection.”
The burlesque star on the runway for Jean-Paul Gaultier in January.
What are your favourite pieces from your collection?
“Right now I am loving my newest pieces, like my Black Dahlia balconet bra. I wear my Her Sexcellency dress all the time, and the Parisienne bustier has become a wardrobe staple that I pair with tuxedo pants or a pencil skirt, it’s super chic!
“The Mancatcher is my go-to bra for seduction, I love the lift it gives but it has no padding so it feels sexy to the touch, and the lace is exquisite. My Sheer Witchery bra is another bra which creates gorgeous uplift with dramatic wide-set straps, and it comes in fuller figure sizes. It looks fabulous on every woman!”
Dita’s new range features the Marlene (L) set and the Parisienne Blue bra and knickers (R).
The super sexy Dita Von Teese lingerie range is on department store floors at Myer across the nation now.
