Get Lit: Dita Von Teese, Your Beauty Mark
Burlesque doyenne Dita Von Teese speaks to V about the books that she cherishes most, and how they've inspired her upcoming perfume.
Burlesque doyenne Dita Von Teese speaks to V about the books that she cherishes most, and how they've inspired her upcoming perfume.
Text: Christina Cacouris
In Get Lit, we sit down with authors and creatives to hear about their favorite books du jour. Today we speak with burlesque icon and muse Dita Von Teese, who has released several coffee table books including Burlesque and the Art of the Teese, and her more recent tome Your Beauty Mark: The Ultimate Guide to Eccentric Glamour where the sultry star deconstructs how to achieve her old-Hollywood glamour. Read on to hear about some of the books that she has cherished the most—and how several of them are inspiring her next perfume.
Mae West on Sex, Health, & ESP by Mae West
"No one is more quotable than Mae West, and this rare book is both hilarious and insightful. When I was living in Paris, my fellow glambassadors and I would sit around and drink violet scented champagne and read aloud from this book."
D.V. by Diana Vreeland
"The most entertaining memoir I've ever read, in the classic Diana Vreeland style. Colorful, witty, glamorous and inspiring."
Infinite Variety: The Life and Legend of the Marchesa Casati by Scot D. Ryersson and Michael Orlanda Yaccarina
"Talk about eccentric glamour, La Casati did it ALL before any of us did!"
The Story of the Eye by Georges Bataille
"Definitely not for the faint of heart, this intense surrealist erotic novel set in the 1920's is one of my favorite books."
Little Birds and the Delta of Venus by Anaïs Nin
"I love lascivious literature set in the eras that fascinate me. I love to imagine the glamorous clothes, marcel-waved hairstyles and lingerie of the past combined with explicit erotica. I am currently working on a perfume that captures the feels of these books."