Dita Von Teese is the modern-day answer to unabashed femininity, unapologetic sensuality and glittering glamour. She hits the mark of 'va-va-voom' without lowering herself to trailer-trash sleaze.
Born in a small town in Michigan and raised in a historic antique-filled home, Dita Von Teese's longtime fascination with 1940s cinema and classic retro style has made her name and image synonymous with classic vintage glamour.
As a very young girl, Dita became enchanted by the films and stars of Hollywood's Golden Age and spent her childhood dreaming of the high pastiche elegance of 1940s glamour and it's stars like Hedy Lamarr, Rita Hayworth and Betty Grable. It's no wonder that her childhood fondness for the beauty of yesteryear led her to be revered as the most celebrated modern-day vintage pinup model and burlesque star.
At age twelve, she moved out west from Michigan to Orange County, California with her parents and two sisters. She trained in ballet throughout her teen years, idolizing 50’s star Cyd Charisse, famous for using classical dance in risqué dance numbers. A collector of vintage clothing from the 1920s - 50s, she studied historic costuming in college, and eventually found a niche as a model specializing in cheesecake.
Having admired the look of corsets in the films and photos set in the 1800s, she would have no idea at that time that her desire to tight-lace at age eighteen would lead her to a fetish boutique specializing in this type of exotic apparel. It was during one of her many visits to this fetish shop when she first saw an image of Bettie Page by famed artist Olivia. In 1991, Dita set out to recreate some of Bettie's intriguing images in an effort to bring back nostalgic elegance to the pages of fetish magazines.
Since then, Ms. Von Teese has often been compared to Bettie not only for her spirit and for her enduring image, but as the premiere fetish supermodel with countless magazine covers and as one of artist Olivia's favorite art muses. Her career as a glamour model skyrocketed, and it wasn't long before she gained worldwide mainstream press for popularizing retro style and vintage eroticism.
Dita's career in burlesque began in 1993 as she made a hobby of collecting men's magazines from the 1930s and 40s. In these magazines, there were not only cheesecake photographs of her favorite sex goddesses, but also pages and pages of the burlesque dancers from the era. Dita first began performing her tribute to Sally Rand's feather fan dance at one of the biggest fetish events in the US in 1993, and in 1996, she tipped her hat to striptease icon Lili St Cyr by taking a champagne bath in a crystal-clear glass bathtub. Her unsurpassed showmanship earned her the spotlight as the headlining performer at all three years of Teaseorama, the most highly publicized and attended showcase of the burlesque revival and she has since toured the United States and Europe as a solo performer. In 2002, Dita was singled out with rave reviews from Variety and The Los Angeles Times for her "girl in the glass" solo performances with Carmen Electra's Pussycat Dolls, and the film Charlie's Angels II features a nightclub scene that pays tribute and gives acknowledgment to Dita's trademark act. During a run of performances in Hollywood, Dita caught Hugh Hefner's eye and put her on the cover of Playboy's coveted Holiday Gala issue showing off her astonishing sixteen and half inch corseted wasp-waist and a featuring a fabulously luxurious ten page pictorial of her signature 40's style.
Whether lounging on her sparkling crescent moon, riding a brilliant rhinestone-encrusted carousel horse, bathing in a decadent jeweled clawfoot bathtub, or spinning around in a giant filigree sparkling heart, fans of the burlesque resurgence delight at the sophisticated and lavish spectacles that reflect her devotion to details and dedication to the time honored tradition of classic striptease. Dita regularly performs at The Playboy Mansion's special events, and toured the country for their 50th Anniversary tour.
She drives a restored original 1939 Chrysler New Yorker and is an accomplished ballet, swing and Argentine tango dancer. She even has a cocktail named after her!
Tart, located in the newly refurbished Farmer's Daughter Hotel, has a fun and creative drink list which includes cocktails named after femme fatales.
The Dita Von Teeser
3 sections blood orange
1 ½ oz. PAMA (pomegranate liqueur)
½ oz. Pomegranate molasses
Champagne
Muddle blood orange or tangerine juice, PAMA and pomegranate molasses. Strain and pour into Champagne flute. Add Champagne. Garnish with citrus wheel and mint.