To Die for Dita

Hello Campers!!

So this is my first official blog post, but before I begin on the Queen of NeoBurlesque I want to give a tiny bit of background for the blog & what you should expect in the future.

I had the original idea for the blog (groan at the self promotion) because most of my good friends are avid readers like myself & a lot of our conversations evolve into discussions about what we are reading or what we just finished or what we think the other just HAS to read. Laaaadies (and books) is meant to be a kind book promotion & sharing blog – the actual “review” part of our blog is not actually very important to us at all; you will find no academic reviews here. What I mean by that is that instead of (or rather in addition to) telling everyone I meet about the fantastic book I just read I want people to know why they should actually pick it up. Because lets face it the majority of the time when a person tells you to read a book, even if it sounds interesting, you will not read that book. But now we have a forum & a discussion & a wide variety of books that we think that you should check out. & we would love Love LOVE it if you have some suggestions of your own. None of us has really written in a blog before (except Lady Aly. Go check it out!) but we are ladies who love books AND sharing.

That being said I introduce you to 

 My love affair with all things Dita began about two years ago when I stumbled across a documentary call A Wink & A Smile: The Art of Burlesque. Although Dita doesn’t appear in this film it sparked my interest into the history of burlesque & the neoburlesque movement of which Dita Von Teese is the reigning queen. & since my discovery I have become a bit obsessed & look forward to the day (coming soon I hope) when I might try my hat a little tease & strip. And who better to learn from than Dita herself.

The book is Fetish/Tease. Although what one might normally call a coffee table book (a particularly risqué type of coffee if you ask me) it is worth more than a quick glance. The book is comprised of two components Fetish & Tease; depending on your mood or your curiosities all you have to do is flip the book over & choose your adventure. I bought the book for the Burlesque initially so naturally I started there.

Tease is comprised of large glossy photos of her modeling some of her burlesque costumes, couture dresses & homage’s to past eras which are gorgeous naturally, but the best bits are the stories she tells & the gems of advice she gives. In chapters like Titilation & Tights in Time and A Time of National Undress Dita retells stories of the history of burlesque & the fabulous, dreamlike lifestyles they lead. Laced within these stories one can find boxes of counsel guiding the reader on the looks of particular era’s & the best songs to tease to. My favorite is the Burlesque Costume Musts! in which she list the items that “Every Exciting Enchantress Should Own!” Pasties & Stockings & Garters & Oh My! If you come for the pictures you’ll stay for the stories & vice versa. And when you’re feeling more dangerous…

Flip to Fetish where you can peruse Dita’s fetish photos. These include rubber, dominatrix, bondage, tight lacing & a particularly beautiful shoot in the fabulous Pere-Lachaise cemetery in Paris (my personal favorite photos of the entire book).  Like in Tease, Fetish is laced with stories & tips to the budding temptres. Unlike Tease, however, Fetish is a bit more personal & less focused on history (although there is some smashing info on Bettie Page). I love Fetish because of the honest & impactful way it addresses the fetish culture. It is complete respectful & sex positive. Dita dishes on how she made her way into fetish & her own personal favorites (tight lacing & damsel in distress topping the list). Not to mention the pictures are beyond hot & are super creative.

So although not a novel Fetish/Tease is defiantly worth more than a glance. Even if you are not particularly interested in Burlesque or the Fetish scene this book is so much more. Dita is the embodiment self awareness, acceptance & extravagance. She certainly does her own thing & she owns it on a level that is rarely seen today, especially in this world where our beauty standard is so fucked. (I love that she does her own makeup and hair before her shoots taking her beauty and image literally into her own hands.) She is a true inspiration and her passion & vivacity for life & the things she adores is inspiring in and of itself. So do yourself a favor & pick up (or peruse at B&N) Fetish/Tease. Buy the book for the stories & the priceless counsel on how to live a glamorous, kinky sex positive life & keep it out in public to entice others with the gorgeous glossies of Dita herself.

If you want more Dita I would suggest picking up Striptease featuring three flip books of her burlesque acts. Not to mention the many magazines that feature articles about her including this months Instyle which features a fantastic article that takes us into the eclectic home of Dita Von Teese & sheds a little light on what this Queen is like at home (the kitchen is AMAZING. Super envious). & keep a look out for her up coming DIY book in which she will teach us how to achieve that flawless red lip & vintage curl. I for one cannot wait!!

Explore your wild side.

Yours Exceptionally,

Lady Alexis

(Currently Reading: Eleven Minutes, Wuthering Heights, Jane Sexes it Up, Lolita, & The Mammoth Book of Scottish Romance --- I have a short attention span. With me you never know what you’re going to get…blog wise anyways ;-)