Read Carrie Dee's recent Q & A with Dita Von Teese below…
WHAT INSPIRES YOU DAILY?
Well, I can't say that I don't have an occasional "uninspired" day...I would say that I am inspired by the projects I have going on. They motivate me to keep up the momentum and try to refine and better myself and my work.
WHERE DO YOU LIKE TO SHOP IN L.A.?
I love shopping at The Santa Monica Vintage Clothing Expo and The Way We Wore on La Brea.
WHAT ARE YOUR FAVORITE BEAUTY ESSENTIALS?
My perfume
Diorific Roulette Red lipstick
My signature half-moon manicure nail kit by Kiss
DO YOU HAVE ANY OTHER FAVORITE RED LIPSTICKS?
Several.....
Guerlain Exces de Rouge,
MAC Russian Red and
Makeup Store Devil
ARE YOU A FAN OF TV? WHAT SHOWS DO YOU ENJOY?
I watch a few shows on my ipad on airplanes but I never sit down in front of a TV to watch. I am a big fan of Breaking Bad and I've also been watching the old seasons of Twin Peaks lately.
WHAT’S YOUR ALL-TIME FAVORITE MOVIE AND WHY?
It's hard to name just one, so I will say that my favorite movies are grand 40's era Technicolor musicals, particularly ones with Carmen Miranda and Betty Grable as a team. This era of film inspires me so much. There's nothing better than the golden age of Technicolor.
WE HEAR YOU COLLECT VINTAGE CARS. HOW DID YOU GET STARTED? WHICH MODEL IS YOUR FAVORITE? HOW INVOLVED DO YOU GET WITH REPAIRS/RESTORATIONS?
I used to date greasers with vintage cars when I was in my early 20s. I got my own when I was 24, a 1939 Chrysler which I sold about two years ago. I had a 1965 Jaguar S-Type which I also sold recently and bought a 1939 Packard and a 1946 Ford convertible. My latest purchase was a 1953 Cadillac Fleetwood. I don't get too involved with repairs. I just know how to add water, oil and gas. I let my mechanic do the rest... I like restored original cars. I try to buy them in perfect condition so I don't have to do anything but drive them.
YOU SPEND A LOT OF TIME IN PARIS. DESCRIBE YOUR PERFECT DAY IN THE CITY OF LIGHTS... YOUR FAVORITE SPOTS TO EAT, SHOP OR JUST WALK AROUND.
Favorite restaurant: La Perouse is the sexiest restaurant in the world! It was founded in 1766. Affluent men used to bring their mistresses there to dine in lavish private salons that you can still book today. The waiters never enter the room unless you ring the bell by the table to call them. There are antique mirrors on the walls that show all the marks where the women checked to see if their diamond gifts were real. There are even secret corridors to go in and out of the rooms! I've had some very memorable times there in those little rooms...
Favorite bar: I love The Hemingway Bar at The Ritz Paris. Whenever I go there, master mixologist Colin makes me fabulously unique Cointreau cocktails with beautiful floral garnishes. It's the most elegant cocktail experience ever. Plus, you can type a love letter on the vintage typewriter there in the bar and leave it with him for me to collect when I drop in!
Favorite thing to do: I have an apartment there, so really my favorite thing to do in Paris is to entertain my friends at home. I love to cook. I recently made a lavish Christmas feast in Paris for all my friends. I also love having house guests from the United States. I love being able to show them the real, non-tourist life of Paris, plus my American friends and family are always very impressed with my lousy French!
Favorite thing to see: I think that the best thing to see is the city's architecture. I love to be driven around while I drink in the beauty of the city. I also love visiting Pere Lachaise cemetery. It's lovely and haunting. I love visiting the tomb of Victor Noir, which is so beautiful and sexy! He was a notorious ladies' man and was shot in a duel. The statue of him depicts him exactly how he fell in death. For over a century, women have gone there to pay tribute to his "manliness" which is quite apparent in his trousers. It's a must-see. Legend has it if you mount him you will become more fertile. So, women have been going there for decades and decades to pay tribute to him in a very unique manner.
Favourite place to shop: I like to shop for things I cannot buy anywhere else. I love shopping at Jean Paul Gaultier. I love having tea and shopping at Mariages Freres, where I buy their violette teas. I love Chantal Thomass for luxe lingerie and her lingerie-inspired umbrellas. I also usually have lots of fittings for my corsets with the brilliant Mr. Pearl. He is the last word in true haute couture corsetry. I always drop in on his 16th century apartment as he is putting the finishing touches on corsets for Jean Paul Gaultier's haute couture shows.
WHAT’S ON YOUR NIGHTSTAND RIGHT NOW?
A clock and an art deco powder box with condoms in it.
YOU RECENTLY LAUNCHED A NEW FRAGRANCE. WHAT INSPIRED YOU DURING ITS CREATION?
The art of wearing perfume is so vital in creating glamour... which is really everything that I’m about. I understood this early on. Perfume lets a woman become every woman she ever wanted to be. I wore the same perfume for about 20 years... until I had an interesting experience... I was walking down the street in Paris with a boyfriend, who I had been dating for two weeks. He asked me what perfume I wear. When I told him, he kind of hesitated then revealed that it was also his mother’s perfume. And me, I was thinking “Oh my Gosh, I smell like his mother”. So this really got me. I really didn’t want him to associate my smell with his mother. On the other hand, this perfume was so perfect and iconic for me. It fit me perfectly. It was mysterious and unknown to everyone I met... until that day. Then I started hunting for other fragrances that could replace it. There were some which I really liked, but none that felt like the real me. So, I decided to create my own scent and this was a dream come true. I worked hard on it for about a year. I was very hands-on during the entire process... from working with the noses in Paris to working on the bottle and logo designs. We have a great team, and I'm very lucky that they let me be so involved in the process. It's usually not like that. There are so many rules about creating celebrity perfumes and what they have to be like to sell to the masses. My partners, Luxess, are letting me do things differently.
WE WERE EXCITED TO HEAR ABOUT YOUR LAUNCHING AN AFFORDABLE CLASSIC LINGERIE LINE FOR TARGET, AUSTRALIA. WHEN WILL IT HIT THE U.S AND WILL IT BE GOING TO OTHER COUNTRIES TOO? CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT THE COLLECTION AND YOUR PROCESS IN CREATING IT?
Von Follies is the name of my affordable lingerie collection. I am so proud of what we have managed to create at this price point and the size range we are doing. I am a lingerie snob, you know… I own lots of really expensive lingerie, because I love it. These pieces are gorgeous and stand up against my priciest designer pieces. I am so excited for women to be able to have them. My collection comes out in Target, Australia this spring and globally by the summertime. We will also have the line available for purchase online. It's taking some time for my projects to come to fruition but it's going to be worth the wait. I'm in it for the long haul... to make sure it's all just right so I can continue doing this when I'm done dancing. My first job was working in a lingerie store when I was 15. I worked there for about ten years, so my interest isn't just in putting my name on products. These things are all part of what shaped my career in the first place.
WE GET A TON OF EMAILS FROM GIRLS ASKING US HOW TO GET STARTED AS A PIN-UP MODEL. HOW DID YOU GET STARTED AND DO YOU HAVE ANY TIPS YOU COULD OFFER THEM?
My number one tip would be to do it because you love it, above all. Don’t do it because you want to be famous or because you’re trying to impress other people... or even make it a career. For me it was a hobby for about a decade. I had another job for the first half of my career. I did what I did because I loved it. I never expected to achieve this kind of success. I think I'm lucky that I started in the early 90s before there was this big pin-up / burlesque boom. On one hand, it was harder for me because people didn't get what I was doing... or would make fun of me. Of course, it took twenty years for me to get where I am with it now. It took a lot of persistence and ambition to stick with it. On the other hand, it was great because I got to set the rules for my career... and I was in demand because I was different. I didn't have any competition for a long time. So, I guess the moral of the story is to think about what you can bring that no one else has and do it with integrity and honesty. Focus on just being the best you can be, rather than looking at what everyone else is doing. I've been accused of living in a bit of a bubble and not getting too involved in the burlesque scene... and that has a lot to do with just focusing on the real work it takes to do a good job. I work very, very hard... Most nights I'm in bed by ten then awake at 6am. It's not all champagne and roses. It takes mega-discipline to really make a difference. And you know I always say, the reward is really in the doing... The process.... That's what I've learned. So if you really really love what you're doing, recognition or not, you already win by just doing. A lot of girls miss this point and get frustrated.