Dita Von Teese | |
|---|---|
 Von Teese in 2018 | |
| Born | Heather Renée Sweet (1972-09-28)September 28, 1972 (age 52) West Branch, Michigan, U.S. |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 1990–present |
| Spouse | |
| Partner | Adam Rajcevich (2014–present) |
| Website | www |
Heather Renée Sweet (born September 28, 1972), known professionally asDita Von Teese, is an Americanvedette,burlesque dancer, model, actress, and businesswoman.[1] She is credited with re-popularizingburlesqueperformance, earning the moniker "Queen of Burlesque".[2][3][4][5]
Von Teese has been seen inCSI: Crime Scene Investigation,RuPaul's Drag Race,The Masked Dancer,The Curious Creations of Christine McConnell, among other television productions. She is also known for her short marriage to singerMarilyn Manson as well as performing in his music videos. Von Teese has released two books onburlesque history,fetishism and beauty. She has toured the world with her burlesque shows in cities like London, Berlin, New York and Paris. Among her special guests on the tours areDirty Martini, Perle Noire, Ginger Valentine, Jett Adore andPlayboy model Gia Genevieve. Von Teese has been a special guest at the Parisian venueCrazy Horse several times. From 2007 to 2013, she was a global ambassador forCointreau and in 2010–2011 she was the face ofPerrier. She has also created four perfumes under the brand Dita Von Teese Perfumes. She also has her own brand of lingerie, as well as stockings under the name Secrets in Lace and luxurious cardigans for Australian online store Wheels & Dollbaby.
Von Teese was born inWest Branch, Michigan,[6] the second of three daughters.[7] When describing her hometown, she says, "It's a universe away from the coloredKlieg lights ofHollywood andParis. But on weekend afternoons, my mom and I had a front seat on a rocket ship to those faraway worlds by way of the old movies starring the most glamorous creatures –Betty Grable,Mae West,Carmen Miranda,Marlene Dietrich... They were our muses."[8] Her father was amachinist and her mother amanicurist.[7][9] She is of English, Scottish, Armenian, and German heritage.[10] Von Teese has stated that one of her grandmothers was half-Armenian and adopted into an Anglo-Saxon American family.[11] Von Teese is known for her fascination with1940s cinema and classic vintage style. This began at a young age and was fostered by her mother, who would buy clothes for her daughter to dress up. Her mother was a fan of old,Golden Age-era Hollywood films, and from her, Von Teese developed a fascination with the actresses of that day, especiallyBetty Grable.
She was classically trained as a ballet dancer from an early age, and danced solo at age 13 for a local ballet company. Though she originally wanted to be aballerina, Von Teese states that "by 15, I was as good as I'd ever be."[9] She was later to incorporate this element into her burlesque shows, where she frequently goesen pointe. The family relocated from Michigan toOrange County, California, when her father's job moved.[7] Von Teese attendedUniversity High School inIrvine, California.[12]
When Von Teese was a teenager, her 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-coloredpantyhose.[12] 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'sPlayboy magazines. This fueled her passion for lingerie. She worked in a lingerie store as a salesgirl when she was 15, eventually as abuyer. Von Teese has been fond of wearing elaborate lingerie such ascorsets andbasques withfully fashioned stockings ever since. In college, Von Teese studied historiccostuming and aspired to work as astylist for films. She is a trained costume designer, often designing (and copyrighting) her photo shoots herself.[13]
At 18, Von Teese had her famousbeauty mark tattooed on her left cheek. She originally intended to have a star tattooed but the tattoo parlor refused.[14][15] In her first book, she states that she visited a strip club for the first time at age 19 and was soon hired alongside her job at a beauty counter. She was stunned by the other strippers' lack of originality and wanted to incorporate vintage and fetish style to her performance.[citation needed]
Von Teese chose her stage name by adopting the name Dita as a tribute to silent film actressDita Parlo. For her breakthrough December 2002Playboy cover, she was required to have a surname, so she choseVon Treese from the phonebook.Playboy misspelled itVon Teese, a name which she then kept.[16] Von Teese is known for her signature painted eyes, heavily penciled brows, swipe of crimson lipstick, and blue-black locks. She says, "I have my signature look and I'm sticking to it, because it's the look that is one hundred percent me, and one hundred percent created by me. I might be a one-trick for it. But it's a pretty good trick!"[17]
Von Teese achieved some level of recognition in the fetish world as atightlacer. Through the wearing of acorset for many years, she had reduced her waistline to 22 inches (56 cm), and can be laced down as far as 16.5 inches (42 cm).[18]
Von Teese appeared on numerousfetish magazine covers, includingBizarre[19] andMarquis.[20] It was around this time when she appeared on the cover ofMidori's book,The Seductive Art of Japanese Bondage.[21] Von Teese was featured inPlayboy in 1999, 2001, and 2002, with a cover-featured pictorial in 2002. Germanmetal bandAtrocity chose her as the cover model for their 2008 album,Werk 80 II.[22]
She has stated in print, "I love fetish for its powers of transformation and also for its beauty." Among her heroes of vintage fetish history areJohn Willie,Bettie Page, andIrving Klaw.[23]
Von Teese is best known for her burlesque routines and is frequently dubbed the "Queen of Burlesque" in the press.[24][25] Von Teese began performing burlesque in 1992, and, as a proponent ofNeo-Burlesque, has helped to popularize its revival.[26] In her own words, she "puts thetease back intostriptease" with long, elaborate dance shows with props and characters, often inspired by 1930s and 1940s musicals and films. Some of her more famous dances have involved acarousel horse, a giant powder compact, a filigree heart and aclawfoot bathtub with a working shower head. Her featherfan dance, inspired by burlesque dancerSally Rand, featured the world's largest feather fans, now on display in Hollywood's Museum of Sex.[27]
Von Teese's signature acts feature:
Her burlesque career has included some memorable performances. She once appeared at a benefit for theNew York Academy of Art wearing nothing but $5 million worth of diamonds.[28] Additionally, Von Teese became the first guest star at theCrazy Horse cabaret club in Paris with her appearance in October 2006.[29] In 2006, Von Teese appeared on an episode ofAmerica's Next Top Model (cycle 7) doing a workshop to teach the contestants about sensuality by means of burlesque dancing and posing.[30] In 2007, Von Teese performed at the adult entertainment event Erotica 07 in London alongside Italian rock bandBelladonna.[31]
Von Teese's first book (in collaboration with Bronwyn Garrity), 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 byHarperCollins (and in New York by Regan Books).[32]Vanity Fair called her a "Burlesque Superheroine".[citation needed]
Von Teese participated in theEurovision Song Contest 2009 in Moscow, Russia, as part of the stage performance for theGerman entry "Miss Kiss Kiss Bang". The act placed 20th out of 25 participants in the final round of the contest.[33] Later, she said her cleavage was censored during the show because it was too voluptuous.[34]
Von Teese has toured the world with four full-length revues: "Strip, Strip Hooray", "The Art of the Teese", "Dita Von Teese and the Copper Coupe" and the 2019 "Glamonatrix" tour (postponed due to theCOVID-19 pandemic), which continued in Europe and the UK in 2022 and the US in 2023.[35]
Von Teese has performed in adult and mainstream films. In her early years, she appeared in fetish-related,softcore pornographic movies, such asRomancing Sara,Matter of Trust (in which she is billed under her real name of Heather Sweet), and also in twoAndrew Blakehard-core fetish films,Pin Ups 2[36] andDecadence.
She has appeared in more mainstream features such as the 2005 short film,The Death of Salvador Dali, written by Delaney Bishop, which won best screenplay and bestcinematography atSXSW,Raindance Film Festival, andMill Valley Film Festival, and won Best Actress atBeverly Hills Film Festival. She starred in the feature filmSaint Francis in 2007.[37]
In addition, she has appeared in a number of music videos, including the video for theGreen Day song "Redundant,"[38] the video for "Zip Gun Bop" byswing bandRoyal Crown Revue,Agent Provocateur's video for their cover ofJoy Division's "She's Lost Control", and (performing her martini-glass burlesque routine) the video for "Mobscene" by Marilyn Manson.[39] She was featured in a striptease/burlesque act inGeorge Michael's live tour 2008, for the song "Feelin' Good".[40] In addition to this, she appeared at the final of theEurovision Song Contest 2009 as the central feature of Germany's entry,Miss Kiss Kiss Bang byAlex Swings, Oscar Sings.[41] She also appeared in the music video "Up in the Air" byThirty Seconds to Mars in 2013.[42]
She stated in 2007, "I don't understand why women feel the need to go into acting as soon as they become famous ... But I suppose if the part were aesthetically correct, then maybe I could consider it."[43]
In January 2011, Von Teese guest starred in theCBSpolice procedural drama seriesCSI: Crime Scene Investigation, in which her friendEric Szmanda starred, in the episode "A Kiss Before Frying". She played Rita von Squeeze, afemme fatale version of herself, who seduces Szmanda's character,Greg Sanders, in a plot inspired byfilm noir.[44]
In 2021, Von Teese appeared on theBritish version of theFox TV seriesThe Masked Dancer, masked as Beetroot. She was the third celebrity to be unmasked, on May 31. In September, Von Teese was a contestant in theeleventh season ofDanse avec les stars, the French version ofDancing with the Stars. She was partnered with professional dancer Christophe Licata. On November 12, 2021, they were eliminated finishing 5th out of 13.
In 2022, Von Teese appeared in the music video forTaylor Swift's "Bejeweled" from her tenth studio albumMidnights (2022).[45]
Von Teese has appeared on a number of best-dressed lists[46] and frequents the front row of fashion shows, particularlyChristian Dior,Vivienne Westwood,Jean Paul Gaultier, andMarc Jacobs, labels she is often seen wearing. Speaking of her love of Gaultier, Von Teese has said, "Jean Paul Gaultier,John Galliano, and Vivienne Westwood were the first designers that really made an impact on me. Jean Paul has a lot of the same obsessions that I do, like corsetry, ballet-peach satin and silks, black silk velvet, bullet bras and girdles. When I was a teenager, I would look for 1930s peach satin lingerie pieces to try to get his look for less, because there was no way I could afford his things back then. It was a dream come true to meet him and become friends with him. I met him the first time when I was doing my first fashion pictorial, which was for Flaunt magazine, and it was a huge story of me wearing the most important pieces from his haute couture archives, and that was a dream!"[47]
She has also donecatwalk work. DuringLos Angeles Fashion Week for spring 2004, she modeled for formerclub kidRichie Rich's fashion label,Heatherette. In 2005, she appeared in the Autumn/Winter Ready-to-Wear show for Giambattista Valli, a former designer forUngaro, in Paris. In the 2006Milan 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 theJean Paul Gaultierhaute couture show during theParis Fashion Week, and again in 2014. She has starred in several ad campaigns. She appeared inVivienne Westwood's spring/summer 2005 collection adverts and became the face of Australian clothing rangeWheels & Dollbaby for their 2006/7 Spring/Summer advertising campaign. She was an ambassador/spokesmodel forHIV/AIDS awareness when she was selected (along withEve,Debbie Harry, andLisa Marie Presley) forMAC Cosmetics' Viva Glam VI campaign (a collection of lipsticks and lipgloss where 100% of the proceeds are for worldwide AIDS charities and to raise awareness for HIV/AIDS). Von Teese has appeared inVanity Fair,Vogue,Elle,[48] and international issues of nearly every fashion magazine.
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.[9] Von Teese's unique style is "inspired by eccentric women likeLuisa Casati,Anna Piaggi, andIsabella Blow."[49] She also says, "Doing it myself is a matter of integrity and pride. I look forward to stepping out of the world and honestly stating "Yes, I did this." I love the confidence it gives me. I would feel a fraud otherwise. Truth is, it takes less time [than a stylist] for me to do it myself. It is also so much more fun! Why would I deny myself such pure pleasure?"[50]
She has designed a new lingerie range withWonderbra.[51]One of Von Teese's trademark items is the garter belt with six garters instead of the usual four, with two each at the front, side seams and back.[52] In May 2012, Von Teese launched her makeup collection "Classics" in partnership with the German cosmetic brand Art Deco. Compact powder, blushers, eye styler, eye shadows, mascara and lipstick were produced to recreate the burlesque performer's retro look.[53]
In 2012, Von Teese launched her own clothing line[54] and underwear line called Von Follies.[55][56] In 2013, she was both model and muse for the 'Dita'3D printed gown designed by Michael Schmidt and Francis Bitonti and 3D printed byShapeways exactly to fit her body.[57] Constructed of over 3,000 interlocked 3D printed components and over 12,000Swarovski crystals it is one of the first fully articulated 3D printed garments to take the technology from haute couture to a sensual fabric-like form.[58]
Von Teese has also worked creating her own fragrances. Her first was namedDita Von Teese (released Fall 2011) and is described by her as 'mood setting for glamour'. Her second was namedRouge (released November 2012) and is described as 'mood setting for seduction'. The thirdFleurTeese (released Spring 2013) is for romance andErotique (released Fall 2013) is mood setting to be erotic.[59] She says, "I lusted after something that would appeal to those of us not reluctant to proclaim we are women. Too many best-selling scents are so fruity and vanilla with a sweetly cloying air that a mere spritz gives me a toothache. Or they smell like cake. I do not want to smell like cake!"[60]
In 2014, Von Teese began working withMyer, an Australian department store, on a lingerie line fronted by Australian modelStefania Ferrario.[61]
On January 22, 2020, Von Teese walked in Jean Paul Gaultier's final couture fashion show in Paris.[62]
Von Teese lives inLos Angeles,[63] in aTudor revival residence in theHollywood Hills neighborhood. The house features early 20th-century décor, including antique taxidermy, a room dedicated to shoes, a pub house, and no white walls, something Von Teese claims she is afraid of.[64] Among the shoes she has collected areBettie Page's vintage fetish shoes, which she has called the "holy grail" of shoes.[65]
She is a collector of vintagechina, particularlyegg cups andtea sets,[66] and drives vintage cars. Among other vintage cars, she owned a 1939Chrysler New Yorker from 1997 to 2010.[67] She says, "I live to surround myself with everyday things that are beautiful. I serve my home-baked petit fours on porcelain pedestals and sip tea from flowery tea cups, charming gems from my flea market treasure hunts. I keep cosmetic brushes in vintage vase cast like the heads of ladies, complete with glamour dos and makeup. I always carry a pretty compact, maybe one scored for next to nothing oneBay."[8]
After her marriage toMarilyn Manson ended in 2007, Von Teese dated French CountLouis-Marie de Castelbajac from 2009 to 2012. In 2012, she had a brief relationship with singerTheo Hutchcraft.
Von Teese has been in a relationship with graphic designer Adam Rajcevich since 2014.[68]
Among Von Teese's famous best friends are shoe designerChristian Louboutin, who designs shoes for her shows, burlesque performer and seamstressCatherine D'lish and writerLiz Goldwyn. Von Teese practicesPilates anddressage.
Marilyn Manson had been a longtime fan of hers and was a member of her website. They first met when he asked her to dance in one of his music videos, and though she was unable to, the two remained in contact. On Manson's 32nd birthday, in 2001,[69] she arrived with a bottle ofabsinthe and they became a couple. Manson proposed on March 22, 2004, and gave her a 1930s, 7-carat (1.4 g), European round-cut diamond engagement ring. On November 28, 2005, they were married in a private, non-denominational ceremony at home. A larger ceremony was held on December 3 atCastle Gurteen de la Poer inKilsheelan (County Tipperary), Ireland, the home of their friend,Gottfried Helnwein. The wedding was officiated by surrealist film director and comic book writerAlejandro Jodorowsky. The event was featured inVogue. Dita wore a royal purple silk taffeta gown, made byVivienne Westwood and a tri-cornered hat designed byStephen Jones and matchingMr. Pearl corset.Christian Louboutin designed her shoes.[70]
On December 29, 2006, Von Teese filed for divorce from Manson citing "irreconcilable differences".[71] Von Teese left their house empty-handed on Christmas Eve, and was not able to get in touch with Manson to inform him of her intention to divorce him. In an interview withThe Daily Telegraph, Von Teese stated, "I wasn't supportive of his partying or his relationship with another girl. As much as I loved him, I wasn't going to be part of that." Von Teese also stated that she gave Manson an ultimatum, and said that "it didn't work. Instead, it made me the enemy."[72] Von Teese did not seek spousal support and expressed no interest in his assets.[71] The news broke for the public and for Manson on his birthday on January 5, 2007, when hewas served the divorce papers.
In an interview in 2016, Von Teese said "I was with him for seven years, we were married for only a year and I feel like getting married was sort of like the 'kiss of death' for us because it was sort of like the nail in the coffin. I felt kind of obliged to go through with the ceremony in a way because there was so much riding on it.Vogue was photographing it and it was in this castle and it was like this theater...I'm not going to beat myself up for being in different relationships and not finding a person I'm with until the end of my days."[73]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | Romancing Sara | Allison | Credited as Heather Sweet |
| 1997 | Matter of Trust | Girl with C.T. | Credited as Heather Sweet |
| 1999 | Pin-Ups 2 | Credited as Dita | |
| 2000 | Decadence | ||
| 2001 | Tickle Party: Volume 2 | ||
| 2001 | Slick City: The Adventures of Lela Devin | Lela Devin | Also executive producer |
| 2002 | Bound in Stockings | ||
| 2002 | Naked and Helpless | ||
| 2004 | Blooming Dahlia | Elizabeth Curt | Short film |
| 2005 | The Death of Salvador Dali | Gala Dalí | Short film Won Best Female Performance at theBeverly Hills Film Festival |
| 2007 | Saint Francis | Soul, Pica Bernard | |
| 2007 | High on Heels | ||
| 2007 | Indie Sex | Herself | Documentary |
| 2010 | Crazy Horse Paris with Dita Von Teese | Herself | Documentary |
| 2012 | Sunset Strip | Herself | Documentary |
| 2012 | Bettie Page Reveals All | Herself | Documentary |
| 2022 | Don't Worry Darling | Herself |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | America's Next Top Model | Herself | Episode: "The Girl Who Graduates" |
| 2006 | Faking It | Herself | Episode: "Burlesque Special" |
| 2009 | Eurovision Song Contest | Herself | Part of the German act in "Eurovision Song Contest 2009" |
| 2010 | Sanremo Music Festival 2010[74] | Herself | Performing during the Italian event: "Sanremo Music Festival 2010" |
| 2010 | RuPaul's Drag Race | Herself | Guest judge; episode: "Starrbootylicious" |
| 2011 | CSI: Crime Scene Investigation | Ellen Whitebridge/Agnes/Rita von Squeeze | Episode: "A Kiss Before Frying" |
| 2012 | Top Chef Masters | Herself | Guest judge; episode: "Thai One On" |
| 2013 | Oddities | Herself | Episode: "Return to Holly-Odd" |
| 2014 | Project Runway | Herself | Guest judge; episode: "Rock the Wedding" |
| 2015 | Steampunk'd | Herself | Guest judge; episode: "Grand Finale" |
| 2016 | Hell's Kitchen | Herself | Chef's table guest; episode: "15 Chefs Compete" |
| 2016 | Cupcake Wars | Herself | Celebrity Baking Contestant; episode: "Can You Spell Cupcake?" |
| 2017 | Hey Qween | Herself | Web series[75] |
| 2018 | The Curious Creations of Christine McConnell | Vivienne[76][77] | 3 episodes |
| 2021 | The Masked Dancer | Beetroot | Third to be unmasked |
| 2024 | Queer Eye | Herself | Episode "She Was a Showgirl" |
| Year | Title | Artist(s) |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | "Redundant" | Green Day |
| 2003 | "Mobscene" | Marilyn Manson |
| 2003 | "Saint" | Marilyn Manson |
| 2013 | "Disintegration" | Monarchy featuring Dita Von Teese |
| 2013 | "Up in the Air" | Thirty Seconds to Mars |
| 2014 | "Ugly Boy" | Die Antwoord |
| 2015 | "Black Widow" | Monarchy |
| 2015 | "Girls & Boys"(Blur cover) | Monarchy |
| 2016 | "Gucci Coochie" | Die Antwoord |
| 2022 | "Bejeweled" | Taylor Swift |
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BEL [78] | FRA [79] | |||
| Dita Von Teese |
| 140 | 142 | |
Microgaming joined forces with Eurostar Studios to release the "Burlesque by Dita" video slot in which Heather Renée Sweet makes various cameos (as paytable symbols) throughout the game.[80] Launched in July 2021, the game has reached multiple iGaming markets worldwide, accounting for hundreds of online casinos where the game is playable in demo or real money mode.
Dita Von Teese (who appears in the show as the fashionable ghost in Christine's mirror, Vivienne)
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