I have a lot of Burberry items at home, including one dress that I loved so much that I had my living room painted to match because the color was so flattering.
— Dita Von Teese
I make a point to never, ever point out my physical flaws... this is advice I give to women as often as I can. People don't notice the things we see in ourselves that we hate, so why direct them to it?
I have been obsessed with seamed stockings my whole life, and I would collect vintage ones that were made in the '40s and '50s with the authentic styling of the keyhole, the welt, the reinforced toe and heels, French or Cuban heels, and hand-stitched seams.
I prefer the competitive atmosphere of a classroom setting, like yoga or Pilates. That keeps me going. Although performing on stage is great exercise!
I don't have long-standing regrets; they pass as I see how things are meant to be.
I like having my cellphone. I like the Internet. I like being different.
Corsetry is a body modification.
I feel better about myself when I look my best. I always find the time to put on my powder and do my chignon.
My beauty icons are women whose images are self-created.
I don't work with a stylist, I don't work with a glam squad to get me together for the red carpet, I really enjoy the time it takes to do it myself, to choose my clothes and do my own makeup and my own hair.
So I have the green smoothie every day for breakfast, and then sometimes even for lunch too, and then I have a normal dinner.
Yes, but more than being a designer, I'm more of a stylist, because I don't sew and I don't sketch, but I'm good at putting things together, choosing things that are chic and glossing over the aesthetics of things.
When I started performing, there was no Internet; I didn't really have anything to copy. I kind of had to just make up what I thought burlesque was, based on photographs of Sally Rand or whatever.
Physical beauty isn't so impressive to me.
I don't feel I have an alter ego.
Well, when I was fifteen years old I worked in a lingerie store and that's how I feel in love with vintage lingerie because I wanted to know the history of it.
Thanks to my mother, people tell me I look younger than I am, especially without make-up. And I suppose my father had a part in making me more frugal with my money.
Some days are just bad days, that's all. You have to experience sadness to know happiness, and I remind myself that not every day is going to be a good day, that's just the way it is!
I'm more of an exaggerator than a liar.
Don't underestimate the cosmetic power of sunglasses. It's worth spending a bit of money on a quality pair. I usually go for Dior or Louis Vuitton.
I'm a designer, producer and I am hands-on for every project I undertake. The creative side of what I do is really something I think people overlooked for a while.
I've always loved the idea of not being what people expect me to be.
I feel empowered the fact that I can look the way that I do on stage and in photos - I can look that way any time I want. And I feel like it's important message to other women that they can do it, too.
I'm not always in a full face of make-up! That's actually one of the things I like about make-up - that you can strip it away and show your vulnerability.
I really believe that beauty comes from health - sensible eating and exercise.
When I was a little girl, I watched all old movies. My mother liked old movies, and she loved shopping for antiques, so I was around old things all the time.
I'd say the only time I ever get nervous is around great ballet dancers or people I really admire.
Every one of my products - my lingerie, my perfume, and everything that I do beauty-related with regard to building my burlesque shows - is just me.
I really enjoy watching people like Madonna, or Cher, or Barbra Streisand on the red carpet. I want to see people wearing exciting things that are different and to know that they're not just looking for the latest, most normal thing.
I love glamour and artificial beauty. I love the idea of artifice and dressing up and makeup and hair.
I think as someone who collects beautiful things from the past, the thing that I miss the most about modernism and the things I lament about the past are everyday things that you would use were made more beautifully.
I started dressing vintage when I was a teenager because I didn't have money for designer clothes.
Anyone who says they don't like to receive a gift is lying.
I suppose women are attracted to the bad-boy image sometimes because it's fun to have an adventure. It's like eating junk food... it's fun at the time, but ultimately not the best choice.
People who follow all the rules and chase every trend tend to get forgotten - they look great, but they're not as memorable.
Red lips don't look good on blotchy, uneven skin.
I like when people know who they are, know their limitations and what they want to do. It's the same thing for me.
I was really, really shy when I was a little girl.
I was always intrigued by the idea of bringing things together that are considered taboo or risque and bringing them together with something of high elegance and sophistication.
I think the beauty looks I most regret are those I was persuaded into.
I want to remind people of a different kind of glamour, a different look, and breaking the rules of fashion. I wanna break the rules.
Me personally, I want to entertain people above all. When you look back at burlesque in history and the real golden age of burlesque, those entertainers were there to entertain, and there wasn't usually some big political message behind what they were doing.
I like styling girls that don't normally dress in vintage clothes and don't normally wear red lipstick; I like seeing those kind of girls restyled in a retro way.
As a little girl growing up in a small farming town in Michigan, my idols were women like Marlene Dietrich and Rita Hayworth.
I can't stand wearing the same clothes all day. It makes me insane. I like to dress for the afternoon and for dinner.
When people say I look intimidating, it's hard for me to relate to. I hear that a lot. I don't know why.
But I'm not the girl who changes into flats because my feet are tired at the end of the night. I go the distance. I go all the way.
I advocate glamour. Every day. Every minute.
