Dita Von Teese knows a thing or two about fashion and beauty. For well over a decade the internationally known burlesque star and model has donned a variety styles that have been photographed and featured in numerous fashion publications and websites.
Whether she’s out and about sporting her signature vintage pin-up girl look, walking the red carpet in one-of-a-kind gowns created specifically for her by some of the world’s top designers or stripping down to a barely there costume during one of her elaborate burlesque shows, Von Teese has dedicated her self-built career to all things extravagant and luxurious.
She’s now sharing all of her secrets via a brand new book, “Your Beauty Mark: The Ultimate Guide to Eccentric Glamour,” which she will be signing at Barnes & Noble in Huntington Beach on Tuesday.
“I wanted to write the book that I wish I had when I was first playing with retro-style glamour,” the now 43-year-old said during a recent phone interview. The extremely detailed and hefty hardcover guide came out in December and she has since been out on a book tour and meeting women and men across the country who share her passion for fashion.
“I love when I see girls that are getting better at being me than me,” she said with a laugh. “They’re really getting the message of every day practice and creating some really great looks.”
The local signing is also a bit of a homecoming for Von Teese, who now lives in L.A., but grew up in Irvine and was then known as Heather Renée Sweet. It was during her time at University High School when she started experimenting with vintage fashion and makeup. She grew frustrated as she skimmed through beauty guides in the ’80s and ’90s that focused on “nice, natural and tasteful makeup.”
“There were just all of these rules like, ‘You can’t do this or that or mix this with that’,” she said. “I wanted to write a book for people that dare to be different and don’t want to follow the rules of beauty, but are instead interested in redefining what beauty really means.”
As she worked as a cashier at Rubino’s Pizza in Irvine and eventually took a job working in the lingerie department at Robinsons-May at Fashion Island in Newport Beach and Main Place Mall in Santa Ana, she admits that she went through a ton of trial and error with a variety of looks. Not having much money, she began purchasing secondhand vintage clothing.
“I used to study old photographs, books and watch old movies and try to put them on pause at the right time to try to figure out on my own how to do my hair like them,” she said. “I just kind of came up with my own methods of doing things because I had no idea how it was done. I did that for years and years, and now I ended up putting the short cuts in this book so hopefully it will help people out.”
The book, which she worked on with fellow Orange County girl Rose Apodaca, is much more than just a detailed guide to looking like Dita Von Teese. It has a lot of personality and several personal stories and interviews with fashion icons as well as fitness and beauty experts.
Von Teese said she thinks that beauty has a lot to do with general health and state of mind, which is why she included her Pilates and stretching workout routine and some of her favorite healthy recipes. However, she doesn’t gloss over the fact that she will treat herself to a good alcoholic beverage and a slice of pizza every once in a while.
“I do try to keep healthy things around the house so I’m not gnawing down junk food,” she said. “I will keep small pieces of dark chocolate around, you know, stuff that isn’t too naughty.”
Throughout the book there are quotes and old photographs from beauty icons such as Elizabeth Taylor, Rita Hayworth, Marilyn Monroe, Mae West and Jayne Mansfield, whom Von Teese and Apodaca refer to as “glamorous eccentrics” that to this day “remain powerful weapons of mass seduction.”
“The main thing is that you can see the way they transformed themselves,” Von Teese said. “Even if you try it and you don’t end up looking like Marilyn Monroe, you can still capture that spirit. It doesn’t matter what size you are, your shape, your ethnicity or your age. Glamour is something you decide for yourself. It’s not about what you’re born with.”
Contact the writer: 714-796-3570 or kfadroski@ocregister.com
