Dita Von Teese, Burlesque and Fetish Star

Profile

Dita Von Teese (born Heather Renée Sweet on September 28, 1972) is a popular American burlesque artist, model and actress.

Dita Von Teese was born in Rochester, Michigan and raised in an historic, antique filled home. Her mother was a manicurist and her father was a machinist.

Her fascination with 1940s cinema and classic retro style began at a young age and was fostered by her mother, who would buy clothes for Dita to dress up in. Her mother was a fan of old, Golden-era Hollywood films, and it was from her that Dita developed a fascination with the actresses of that day, especially Betty Grable, an actress that she frequently cites as her favorite.

She was classically trained as a ballet dancer from age five, and danced solo at age thirteen for a local ballet company. Though she originally wanted to be a ballerina, Von Teese states that "By 15 I was as good as I’d ever be". She was later to incorporate this element into her burlesque shows, where she frequently goes en pointe.

At age twelve she moved from Michigan to Orange County, California with her parents and her two sisters. Shortly after, her father left her mother. She later re-married.

As a teenager, Von Teese's mother took her to buy her first bra, made from plain white cotton, and gave her a plastic egg containing a pair of wrinkly, flesh-coloured tights. Von Teese says she was disappointed as she had been hoping to receive beautiful lacy garments and stockings, of the type she had glimpsed in her father's Playboy magazines. This fuelled her passion for lingerie. She worked in a lingerie store as a salesgirl when she was fifteen, and eventually as a buyer. This was where she got her first corset.

In college Von Teese studied historic costuming and aspired to work as a stylist for period films. She is a trained costume designer.

Von Teese began her career in a local strip club when she was nineteen. Disappointed with the lack originality in all the other strippers' acts, Von Teese created a vintage-inspired look, with bee-hive hairstyle and elbow-length gloves, confusing and fascinating the clientele. She later became a fetish model and finally a burlesque star. Her retro pin-up look, frequently emulating Bettie Page in photo shoots, set her apart from most other fetish models.

Her official website, often referred to as one of the first model sites on the internet, was created in 1992.

Von Teese was featured in Playboy magazine in 1999, 2001 and 2002. It was her Playboy cover in December of 2002 that gave her her last name. Originally known simply as "Dita", a tribute to silent film actress Dita Parlo, Playboy insisted she use a last name. She picked "Von Treese" out of the phonebook, but it was misspelled "Von Teese". Dita, preferring the typo, adopted it as her name. Dita says that it is her appearances in Playboy that finally won her father's respect for her profession.

Von Teese has been fond of wearing elaborate lingerie such as corsets and stockings from a young age, and in her words, "puts the tease back into striptease" with long, elaborate dance shows with props and characters, often inspired by 1930s and 1940s musicals and films. Some of her famous dances include a feather fan dance, inspired by burlesque dancer Sally Rand, and numbers involving a carousel horse, a giant powder compact, a filigree heart and a claw-toe bathtub with a working showerhead. Her signature show features a giant martini glass.

She is also an actress. In her early years she appeared in fetish-related movies, such as Romancing Sara, Matter of Trust, in which she is billed as Heather Sweet, and also in a film by Andrew Blake: Pin Ups 2. Later, she appeared in more mainstream features, such as the 2005 short film, The Death of Salvador Dali, written by Delaney Bishop, which won best screenplay, best cinematography, and best Actress for Von Teese at recent festivals, including SXSW, Raindance Film Festival and Mill Valley Film Festival. She is also due to appear in the upcoming feature films Saint Francis and The Boom Boom Room, due in 2007.

Dita frequents the front row of fashion shows, particularly Moschino and Marc Jacobs, labels she is often seen wearing. She has also done various catwalk work. During Los Angeles Fashion Week, Spring 2004, she modeled for former-club kid Richie Rich's fashion label, Heatherette. In 2005 she appeared in the Autumn/Winter Ready-to-Wear Giambattista Valli show in Paris. In the 2006 Milan Fashion Week, Von Teese was on the runway, opening for the Moschino diffusion label, Moschino Cheap & Chic, autumn/winter 2006/7 show. In 2007, she appeared twice in the Jean Paul Gaultier Haute Couture show during the Paris Fashion Week. Additionally, she became the face of Australian clothing range Wheels and Dollbaby for their 2006/7 Spring/Summer advertising campaign. Currently, she is a spokesmodel for MAC Cosmetics. Von Teese has appeared in Vanity Fair, Vogue, Elle, and international issues of nearly every fashion magazine.

In spite of this, Von Teese states that she never uses a stylist. "The one time I hired a stylist, they picked up a pair of my 1940s shoes and said, "These would look really cute with jeans." I immediately said, 'You’re out of here.'" She does her own make-up, and dyes her naturally blonde hair black at home.

Von Teese's first book which consisted of her opinions on the history of burlesque and fetish, Burlesque and the Art of the Teese/Fetish and the Art of the Teese, was published in 2006 by HarperCollins. Vanity Fair called her "a Burlesque Superheroine."

Personal Life
Prior to her marriage, Dita had been romantically liked to guitarist Mike Ness of Social Distortion and to actor Peter Sarsgaard.

Marilyn Manson had been a long time fan, and was a member of her website. They first met when he asked her to dance in one of his music videos. Though she was unable to, the two kept in contact. On Manson's 32nd birthday, in 2001, she arrived with a bottle of absinthe, and they became a couple.

Manson proposed on March 22, 2004 and gave her a 1930s, 7-carat, European round-cut diamond engagement ring.

On December 3, 2005, they were married, in a non-denominational ceremony at Gurteen Castle in Kilsheelan (County Tipperary), Ireland, the home of their friend, Gottfried Helnwein. The wedding was officiated by surrealist film director and comic book writer Alejandro Jodorowsky. They reportedly exchanged vows in front of approximately 60 guests, including burlesque sensation Catherine D'lish, Keanu Reeves, Lisa Marie Presley, Eric Szmanda, Jessicka of Jack Off Jill and Christian Hejnal of Scarling. She wore a royal purple silk taffeta gown, made by Vivienne Westwood plus a tri-corned hat designed by Stephen Jones and matching Mr. Pearl corset. Moschino designed an additional wardrobe for the rest of the weekend, exclusively for Von Teese. The reception music was provided by the retro German band "Palast Orchester mit Max Raabe". Guests were invited to participate in skeet shooting, archery and falconry in the days following the wedding.

The wedding pictures appeared in the May 2006 edition of Vogue under the heading "The Bride Wore Purple".

The couple lived in Laurel Canyon with their four Devon Rex cats, Lily, Aleister, Edgar and Hermann, and two dachshunds, Greta and Eva.

On December 29, 2006 Von Teese filed for divorce from Manson citing "irreconcilable differences." It is rumored they broke up on Christmas Eve, and that Von Teese was not able to get in touch with Manson to inform him of her intentions of divorce. It is also rumored that the split was due to Manson's alcohol consumption. Von Teese is not seeking spousal support and seems to have no interest in his assets. The news broke for the public and for Manson on his birthday on January 5, 2007, when he was served the divorce papers.

Trivia
She drives a 1939 Chrysler New Yorker and a 1965 Jaguar S-type
Her measurements are, and her waist can be pulled down to 16 1/2 inches with a corset]
She states in her book that she stands at 5'6" and weighs 105 pounds.
She has appeared in a Green Day music video for the song "Redundant"
She also appears in the video for "mOBSCENE" by Marilyn Manson.
In the Computer Game "Playboy: The Mansion" she appears to host a party for Hugh Hefner
She was a featured guest on the sixth episode (original air date: October 25, 2006) of Cycle 7 of America's Next Top Model.
She appears on the cover of Midori's book: Midori, Craig Morey, The Seductive Art of Japanese Bondage, Greenery Press, 2001. ISBN.
She admitted to having several lesbian experiences including a long-term relationship with a woman when she was 20. (Credit: Wikipedia).

Richard Branson and Dita Von Teese (Virgin Media launch)

Website

Dita Von Teese official website

Profiles

Burlesque

Media Man Australia does not represent Dita Von Teese, however, Media Man Australia associate, Jac Bowie PR & Events are in liaison with Dita Von Teese's office