Born Heather Sweet in West Branch, Michigan, Dita Von Teese grew up fascinated by the Golden Age of Cinema, pin-up imagery, and vintage lingerie. This naturally blonde, mid-western girl then transformed herself into a glamour girl like those she admired. Performing striptease since 1992, she is the biggest name in burlesque in the world since Gypsy Rose Lee and is credited with bringing the art form back into the spotlight with a new sense of elegance and sophistication.
Taking audiences on a journey into fantasy and spectacle, Dita is renowned for her ornate sets and dazzling haute-couture performance costumes adorned with hundreds of thousands of Swarovski crystals. This “Burlesque Superheroine” (Vanity Fair) is the performer of choice at high profile events including those for designers such as Marc Jacobs, Christian Louboutin, Louis Vuitton, Chopard, and Cartier, and was the first guest star in history at Paris’ famed Crazy Horse (established in 1951) where she has performed several sold-out runs. Dita also brought burlesque to prime time television in the States when she appeared as a guest star on CSI and performed her classic Martini Glass show in one of their highest rated episodes to date which was billed as “too hot to handle.”
In addition to her burlesque shows, Dita is a self-styled fashion icon, topping best-dressed lists all over the world. Featured on Vanity Fair’s International Best Dressed List 2013, Dita has recently expanded into her own distinct brands. Her lingerie collection debuted exclusively with Bloomingdale’s in the U.S. in March 2014, and has expanded to other popular U.S. retailers such as Nordstrom, Dillard’s, Barenecessities.com and Journelle. It is also available internationally in prominent retailers such as Myer in Australia, as well as globally via online sites Glamuse.com, and asos.com.
She also recently launched Dita Von Teese Eyewear, a collection featuring 10 styles ranging from classic cat-eye to edgier cutout metal and acetate frames. Dita’s fragrance collection offers four distinct, glamorous scents, including her latest, “Erotique,” and is available at Ron Robinson in Los Angeles, as well as on dita.net and beautylish.com. Dita is also a best-selling author who is currently working on her third book, “Your Beauty Mark,” a guide to eccentric glamour. (It! Books/Harper Collins).
She previously served as the global ambassador for Cointreau from 2007-2013 and in 2010-2011, she was also the face of Perrier for an exclusive set of limited edition bottles and cans. An advocate in the fight against HIV and Aids, Dita was a MAC Viva Glam Spokesperson from 2006-2008 and in 2009 she participated in the H&M/Fashion Against Aids t-shirt campaign. She has also performed and appeared at several events for Amfar and was honored with their Award of Courage in 2008. Her status as a burlesque star and modern-day feminist has also garnered her an invitation to speak at the Oxford Student Union, where other elected speakers have included the Dalai Lama, Mother Teresa, Tony Blair, and Anna Wintour.
Burlesque Queen Dita Von Teese walks us through her incredible professional journey in an exclusive interview with Namita Nayyar, President Women Fitness.
Full Interview on Next Page!
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All content on this site is copyright of Women Fitness and no part of any article found on this site may be reproduced without an express permission and highlighted, do follow link crediting http://www.womenfitness.net/ or preferably the original page as the source. This interview is exclusive and taken by Namita Nayyar President womenfitness.net and should not be reproduced, copied or hosted in part or full anywhere without an express permission.
All Written Content Copyright © 2016 Women Fitness
Ms. Namita Nayyar:
You were classically trained as a ballet dancer from an early age, and danced solo at age 13 for a local ballet company, but your love for burlesque was inevitable, which gave you the name the “Queen of Burlesque”. Walk us through your incredible journey so far.
Ms. Dita Von Teese:
Oh gosh, I was NEVER a soloist in any ballet, I was always a gal struggling to keep up with the other dancers! I always joke that’s why I’m a soloist now, I can’t follow choreography, I was never very good, but I danced from age 5 onwards because I LOVED ballet. My burlesque career was born out of my desperation to be a ballerina, turning lemons (lack of dance latent) into lemonade by glamorizing striptease, by reviving a lost art form.
Ms. Namita Nayyar:
Introduce us to a day in your life.
Ms. Dita Von Teese:
I usually wake up and do a workout, or spend the first part of the morning answering emails. Everyday is different, sometimes I’m traveling and performing, sometimes I’m prepping for my tour, sometimes I’m working on the decoration of my house…there’s never a typical day, really. Today I have phone interviews and I’m working on prop design.
Ms. Namita Nayyar:
You are world leading media personality, burlesque dancer, model, costume designer, entrepreneur and actress. How do you manage such a remarkable multi-dimensional lifestyle?
Ms. Dita Von Teese:
Delegate! I have team that works on my lingerie collection and I work with designers on the costumes. I don’t do it all myself.
Ms. Namita Nayyar:
What exercises comprise your fitness regime or workout routine?
Ms. Dita Von Teese:
I’ve done ballet my whole life and Pilates for the last 17 years, but recently started working out with a crossfire trainer to learn to work with things like kettle bells and weights. I enjoy it a lot!
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Ms. Namita Nayyar:
What kind of diet do you follow to remain healthy and physically fit?
Ms. Dita Von Teese:
I love Kimberly Snyder’s books on nutrition. I try to stick with a vegan before 6 type regime, and I love my green smoothies in the mornings.
Ms. Namita Nayyar:
You have glowing skin and gorgeous hair. Share with us your hair care and skincare routine.
Ms. Dita Von Teese:
I love Eminence skincare, it’s all organic and natural and it works! For my hair, I only wash it two or three times a week maximum and keep it well conditioned. I love Bedhead products and Obliphica.
Ms. Namita Nayyar:
What advice would you like to give to budding burlesque dancers, who are just starting out, and look up to you as their role-model?
Ms. Dita Von Teese:
Cultivate more than just your costumes and looks….I’ve always looked to other sources of inspiration, from acting classes that help convey emotion onstage, to body work that helps with carriage and posture. Being sexy is more than just looking pretty, it’s about the thoughts you think and showing vulnerability and strength combined.
Ms. Namita Nayyar:
You have maintained your health and fitness so well. Tell us your Top 5 Favorite Exercises to stay in shape.
Ms. Dita Von Teese:
1. Lunges and squats
2. Pilates double straight raises (for lower abs)
3. Kettle bell swings
4. Holding in plank position
5. …stretching, lots of it!
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Ms. Namita Nayyar:
You have done various photo shoots with several top magazines like the Playboy. How are you so body confident and advice to your compatriots?
Ms. Dita Von Teese:
Well, there’s a lot of control with those photo shoots; lighting is everything. In my book Your Beauty Mark I talk a lot about lighting and how to use it at home to gain confidence.
Ms. Namita Nayyar:
Considering your love for fashion and style, share with us your current Top 5 Fashion Must-haves.
Ms. Dita Von Teese:
1. Perfectly fit black lace lingerie with a garterbelt and stockings. It’s classic, elegant and erotic all at the same time.
2. Opera length black leather gloves, like the ones from my collection: ditavonteesegloves.com
3. Simple black Louboutin pumps with a delicate ankle strap
4. Perfectly tailored curvaceous, simple dress with a body-flattering silhouette, hemline just below the knee.
5. A simple black day-to night clutch
Ms. Namita Nayyar:
You are the New York Times Bestselling Author of Your Beauty Mark. Tell us about your fantastic book.
Ms. Dita Von Teese:
The book takes you through every step of my glamour arsenal, from sound nutrition and exercise guidance, skincare and scent insight, as well as accessible techniques for creating bombshell hairstyles and makeup looks. There is the authoritative advice of my confidantes—masters in makeup, hair, medicine, and exercise, as well as some of the world’s most eccentric beauties. It shares the skills, history, and lessons you need to enhance your individual gifts and realize your own beauty mark, with original illustrations by Adele Mildred and instructive step-by-steps, along with hundreds of glamour portraits by more than 80 acclaimed photographers, such as Ellen Von Unwerth, Peter Lindbergh, Ruven Afanador, Paola Kudacki, Ali Mahdavi and Albert Sanchez.
This book is for those who enjoy breaking the beauty rules and changing them, and I hope it inspires them to not be ashamed to say they like something the way they like it.. I say look beyond the mainstream perceptions of beauty, and celebrate eccentricity and individuality. That is making your beauty mark!
To know the latest from Dita Von Teese, Follow her on
- https://www.facebook.com/DitaVonTeese/
- https://www.instagram.com/ditavonteese/
- https://twitter.com/ditavonteese
Or check out her website: http://www.dita.net/
Women Fitness Team thanks Dita Von Teese for giving her valuable time for this interview, enlightening us and our viewers and quenching the thirst of her fans to know more about her.
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All content on this site is copyright of Women Fitness and no part of any article found on this site may be reproduced without an express permission and highlighted, do follow link crediting http://www.womenfitness.net/ or preferably the original page as the source. This interview is exclusive and taken by Namita Nayyar President womenfitness.net and should not be reproduced, copied or hosted in part or full anywhere without an express permission.
All Written Content Copyright © 2016 Women Fitness