21 posts tagged "Dita Von Teese"
Letter From Dallas:
Jean Paul Gaultier, a Parisian in America
Decades owner Cameron Silver, a longtime friend of Jean Paul Gaultier, hit Dallas this week for the opening of JPG’s retrospective at the city’s Museum of Art. He checks in with an update, and a special preview—expect a Texan JPG collection coming soon. For more from Silver, follow him online at @CameronDecades.
This week, the doyennes of the Lone Star State put on their finest and welcomed the incomparable Jean Paul Gaultier for the U.S. exhibition premiere of The Fashion World of Jean Paul Gaultier: From the Sidewalk to the Catwalk. Gaultier was on his first trip to Dallas for the vernissage of his retrospective, which began at Montreal’s Museum of Fine Arts and is on view now through February 12 at the Dallas Museum of Art. The show features 130 ensembles from over 35 years of Gaultier collections, including everything from corsets worn by Madonna on her Blond Ambition tour to JPG’s childhood teddy bear, which he styled as only the original enfant terrible of fashion could—when he was an actual infant.
Dallas being Dallas, three parties and three outfit changes were required for the 24-hour trip. Tuesday evening, Deedie Rose welcomed Gaultier to her historic Highland Park Pump House with his first official pair of Leddy’s cowboy boots (embroidered with silver Eiffel Towers), and guests enjoyed a performance by the Kilgore Rangerettes while munching on Frito pies and sipping tequila. It was down to business on Wednesday, when the host committee got to preview the exhibition and get first dibs on the items from the gift shop (like the Alain Milki sunglasses, which sold out immediately). This was followed by a luncheon hosted by Brian Bolke of the noted boutique Forty Five Ten, where Gaultier-clad guests Ana Pettus, Christen Wilson, Patti Cruise, as well as Julie Macklowe (in town to launch her VBeauté It Kits at Forty Five Ten) and Lela Rose (in her own design) enjoyed everything from a “Mushroom Mohawk” to a dessert called “Feathers and Lace,” all inspired by Gaultier styles. Continue Reading “Letter From Dallas:
Jean Paul Gaultier, a Parisian in America” »
Demarchelier’s Dior Book, Dita Designs A Capsule Collection, Heidi’s Halloween Costume Revealed, And More…
The likes of Charlize Theron, Karlie Kloss, and Gisele Bündchen all appear in Patrick Demarchelier’s new Rizzoli book, Dior Couture. The beauties were photographed for the tome in pieces by Dior himself (from his first collection in 1947), as well as the designers that followed him, including Marc Bohan and John Galliano. [Vogue U.K.]
The queen of burlesque, Dita Von Teese, is debuting a capsule collection of dresses made of silk georgette, silk velvet, and tulle this week in Melbourne. The vintage-inspired collection will be in select stores around the world next year. [WWD]
Heidi Klum’s Halloween bashes are taking place in Las Vegas and New York this weekend and she’s already revealed what she’s wearing. In typical Heidi fashion, she’s got wacky looks in store: a human bodysuit and a monkey costume. [Huff Po]
Shoppers in the U.K. are feeling a little too in the dark at Hollister stores. They are complaining that the store is so dimly lit, they can’t read the sizes or the prices, and “you keep bumping into people or tables.” [Telegraph]
Death Becomes Her?
With his Spring ’09 menswear collection, Alexander McQueen helped kick-start a trend for skulls and skeletons. (Ed Hardy and Christian Audigier kept skulls top of mind for those tracking a different fashion demographic.) And then, as with all gluts, it seemed that the moment had passed—we’d seen just one memento mori too many. Who needed to be reminded, after all?
But it looks like we called it too early. Bones are back, baby—and not just on scrawny models. (Hold the jokes and the harangues, please.) At the Couture shows, Riccardo Tisci was thinking of “a romantic way to see death”—hence the bone-shaped zipper pulls, the skeletal jewelry, a tiny skull nestled in the back of a satin jacket (left; check out our slideshow for a closer look). Jean Paul Gaultier was on the same page. He spoke of a bare-bones approach to couture, and then, the final look: Dita Von Teese in a barely-there corset resembling nothing so much as a glittering ribcage. For a gala of ghouls, you could pair it with Dsquared²’s spinal-column heels from Fall ’10—or, for a little more coverage, one of the skull instarsia knits from Lucien Pellat-Finet, whom you might call the elder statesman of the trend. He’s been playing with skulls for more than a decade.
At her Paris men’s shows, Rei Kawakubo dedicated nearly her entire collection for Comme des Garçons to the theme. Skull-laden lads (with heads painted to suggest the craniums beneath) wore suits, shirts, shoes, and even dresses printed with the motif. And from the arena of pop—literally—Lady Gaga had her finger on the (undead) pulse last night for her first-ever show at Madison Square Garden. She donned a bone-fingered glove during one of her many costume changes.
Skeletons—back into the closet? Click here for our slideshow of bony looks.
Dita Von Teese Antiques In Antiques
“I’m always looking for eclectic, interesting pieces that go in my style of house,” said Courteney Cox Arquette at the opening-night preview party of the L.A. Antiques Show. Though, she conceded, “I don’t even know what that is.” Whatever it may be, odds are good she’ll find something at the annual show. She was playing hostess as well as shopper last night, alongside Decades’ Cameron Silver, Dita Von Teese, Kimberly Brooks, and jeweler Jennifer Meyer, at the fête to kick off the four-day show. Her fellow browsers—Marcia Cross (in YSL), Lily Collins, and Chris Klein among them—braved the unseasonable cold to shop for a cause. (The evening raised money for the L.A. arts organization P.S. ARTS, which serves 12,000 students.) Some were on the hunt for specifics: Amber Valletta (in Jenni Kayne) just remodeled her home and was after a dining room table, some chairs, and a desk. Others eyes turned to the fashions. “I didn’t think I’d be wearing fur at this time of year,” said Silver, in a custom Funtastic Furs jacket and Jaspare python tie. Did it lack pockets? “I left my credit card in the car,” he admitted. “But I’m good for it.” His friend Dita Von Teese opted for a vintage, full-skirted dress.”I figured, why would I wear something new to an antiques gala?” she said. “The word ‘gala’ doesn’t mean anything in California, but I don’t care.”
Dita, Meet Your Makers
Before there was Dita Von Teese, there were Kitty West, Sherry Britton, and Blaze Starr. These original ladies of burlesque had their heyday, too—albeit several decades ago and minus the front-row fashion seats—and actress/producer Leslie Zemeckis was out to highlight their triumphs via her new documentary, Behind the Burly Q. “There’s this misconception that they were just strippers,” Zemeckis explained at the film’s screening at MoMA last night. “But it was this big, beautiful variety/vaudeville show. They really had this art, and they really tried to do something with their lives.” Famed director and husband Robert Zemeckis was also on hand but was happy to take a back seat for the evening. “Yeah, I sometimes give her a few suggestions, but of course, she’s always right,” he smartly deflected with a smile.
Clad in a burlesque-inspired metallic brocade gown with a high slit, naturally, the fairer Zemeckis also donned a crown for the evening. Not that she was playing diva, exactly—the crown had originally belonged to Britton, a burlesque star from the forties and fifties, known for her stunning looks and bright but short career. Just staying in character, then. Joining her in that was the evening’s co-host, Sharon Stone, in above-the-elbow leather gloves that looked perfect for a slow peel-off. “I’ve always liked gloves and worn a lot of gloves,” she insisted. “I thought they’d be fun to wear this evening.” But not that kind of fun—the gloves, like the rest of her outfit, stayed on all night.