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She has the hands of an old lady

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Many know her as the fiance of Marilyn Manson but Dita von Teese is not just a pretty face. She is a world renowned burlesque artist, performing her infamous martini glass routine at some of the most exclusive events across America and Europe. She has been a fetish model for over a decade but only recently has she been featured more in the mainstream as people have begun to appreciate the elegance and vintage looks of this delightful woman.

Laura Nixon: What led you to first deciding you wanted to be a model and how did you get started?

Dita von Teese: I have been a fan of 1940's musicals since I was a very young girl, and I always wanted to dress like the women I admired in these films.... Hedy Lamarr, Betty Grable and Gene Tierney, Rita Hayworth to name a few. Later on as a teenager I started looking for vintage pinup images in books and old nudie magazines, and when I was 18, I began recreating some of these types of nostalgic photos for fun, and around 1992, near the start of the internet, I began a website with these photos.
I wandered into a fetish store sort of by accident in 1990 in search of a Victorian corset, and that's how I became interested and motivated to become a fetish model.
I was shocked that at that time there wasn't anyone emulating Bettie Page, although she clearly had many many fans, so that's another reason I started taking fetish photos. I liked the fact that the nudity wasn't what fetishists were after so much as the exotic clothing.

LN: How did you get involved in burlesque?

DvT: As I said, I loved pinups from the 30s and 40s, and I had all of these mens magazines from the era, and they were filled with racy photos of burlesque dancers. I started working in a strip club when I was 19, and I was the only dancer around wearing seamed stockings, corsets and actually undressing onstage rather than simply strolling out in a spandex dress and bikini! People generally thought I was a little crazy, but I had a great time dressing and undressing, planning costumes for the stage. I began developing more of a real act, and once I had become more visible in the fetish scene and known from my appearances in Playboy's Newsstand specials, I had some recognition as a magazine model and so I began touring as a headlining act in strip clubs all over the US. This was a bit before the big "burlesque revival" took off, around 1994.

LN: Do you prefer intimate photo shoots or the thrill of live performance?

DvT: Both are fun in their own ways...I love live performance because I get to meet my fans, and performing is where my heart is.
Most of the photo shoots I do aren't very intimate, there are usually between ten to twenty people on the set.....but I've been having a good time doing these fashion shoots and having the opportunity to wear these extraordinary couture gowns and millions of dollars worth of diamonds!

LN: Looking back, did you ever think that youd be where you are today when you first started?

DvT: Not at all, it's pretty surreal.... I am grateful every day for the success I've had, and for how lucky I am to have such amazing opportunities.
I grew up wanting to be a 40's starlet...a showgirl, and somehow it all worked out better than I could have hoped. It's unbelievable to me! It seems like I'm always on a set saying, "I can't believe I'm here. I can't believe they are letting me wear these clothes and these jewels!" I'm really a small town girl from Michigan who has a good laugh that being a fancy-pants stripper got me here!

LN: You have worked with some of the worlds most famous photographers, have any of them managed to capture you in the same way you perceive yourself?

DvT: I like to see the differences between each photographer; each has a different style and obtains a different end result.
I liked the photos that were taken of me for Vogue in Paris earlier this year; they were taken with one of those big antique 8x10 sized cameras. I was also very happy to be the subject of three Pierre et Gilles portraits, which was a great experience, as I have been a longtime fan of their work.

LN: Having traveled all over the world, you must have seen many beautiful places but is there one that has been particularly breathtaking/inspirational?

DvT: Paris. I go there four to six times a year and I always feel as though I could stay there forever. I love its beauty, its history, and also the Parisians' appreciation of elegance, art and fashion, and their pride in their city. I live it in the wintertime, when the Eiffel Tower is lit with twinkling lights! It's a magical place.

LN: What do you do to relax after a long photo shoot or performance?

DvT: I have a huge, deep spa bathtub, so I sit there for a good long time, usually with all four of my pets sitting near the edge of the tub!
It takes a while to unwind after a show, so I am usually up until four or five in the morning.

LN: In recent years you have received a lot of mainstream media coverage. Do you feel this had made the modeling industry become more accepting of more alternative styles?

DvT: I am flattered that you would say so, I don't know. For many years I thought I was never going to be on any covers except fetish and alternative magazine covers, and that has changed.

LN: How do you feel about the increasing number of burlesque troupes that are performing across the world and do you feel you have played a part in this revival?

DvT: In 1993 when I started performing burlesque there were only a handful of other performers, and now there are countless acts and troupes, and beyond that, all of Hollywood is jumping on the bandwagon! I remember doing burlesque shows in the fetish scene around 1997 in the midst of fire and piercing shows, and some people criticized my act as not being "fetish" enough, and now burlesque is a standard thing to have at every fetish party. They finally get it! I think it's great that there are burlesque acts all over the world for people to see, and I think that with more and more performers getting into it, the shows get better and the bar is raised for the quality of the shows.

LN: What do you feel has been the key to your success?

DvT: Remembering that everyone can be replaced by someone younger, more beautiful, and more talented...so it's important to not take anything for granted, and to continue to work hard, evolve, and above all, be pleasant to be around. It's also key to be unique, and not just to copy what makes someone else successful, but to realize that it comes from being your own person.

LN: Do you particularly admire anyones work (past or present)?

DvT: Of course. I look up to Gypsy Rose Lee, Lili St. Cyr, Sally Rand....and I admire my best friend Catherine D'Lish. She's got terrific shows, and she makes all of my stage costumes.

LN: What are your favorite pastimes?

DvT: I have two classic cars, a 1939 Chrysler and a 1965 Jaguar S-type, so I love to spend the day or evening out and about driving them.
I love to go to antique flea markets on weekends to shop for art deco collectables. I collect all sorts of things...rare antique hats with real birds on them, vintage powder compacts, bakelite jewelry, vintage dresses and burlesque memorabilia. I have this funny item that Sally Rand, the fan dancer, used to sell as a souvenir at her shows. It's a knit penis cover! It says something like, "men's winter underwear for chilly nights!" and it's a perfectly shaped knit penis cover, still in the gift box with a note from Sally to a fan. That's a pretty racy bit of merchandise for 1939, no?

LN: You seem to have a very unique style. Is there anywhere you look for inspiration whilst creating this look?

DvT: I always look to films and photographs from the 30's and 40s, and I collect books and catalogs full of vintage fashion. I love the old Frederick's of Hollywood catalogs, which have wonderful dresses and the best lingerie! There is a woman who reproduces these things for me, as authentic vintage in good condition is getting harder and harder to find.
I also love modern designers like Jean Paul Gaultier, Galliano, and Marc Jacobs. I recently went to the shows at Paris fashion week and thought I'd died and gone to heaven!
LN: Have you got any major projects lined up for the future?

DvT: I've just shot two major fashion ad campaigns for spring 2005. I recently shot a cover and pictorial for Style Monte Carlo which was on location at The Crazy Horse in Paris, which is one of my favorite burlesque revues; it's been running every night since 1951 and it has such an amazing history and unique style.
I have a fashion story coming out in the UK's Tatler magazine, and another for W magazine. This winter I am doing a lot of parties for the fashion set, and planning a special event for the Los Angeles area at the Queen Mary to debut my two new burlesque acts.
A DVD series of my striptease acts is being released this winter, along with a re-release with bonus footage of the 1930's style bondage serial Dita in Distress.
My book "The Art of the Teese" will be out spring 2005, and my pinup style cookbook also published with Harper-Collins is due for publication in fall 2005.
There are lots of other big projects are in the works that I can't yet disclose!

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