New Millennium Pin-Up Queen - Dita Von Teese

The origin of the pin up queen dates back as far as 1910 but I'm sure the beauties of that day and age were quite muted in regards to their photo shoot clothing choices.  The term 'pin-up' got it's name by G.I.'s in World War II who would cut pics of their fave starlet out of magazines and hang them on their locker walls. We've certainly evolved from the days when modesty was alive and well that's for sure!  So here we are in the new millennium as we have bid a sweet farewell to the vintage mavens such as Clara Bow & Gloria Swanson and ushered in the new breed of pin-up known as Dita Von Teese.

Dita Von Teese was born Heather Sweet in Rochester, Michigan in 1972.  As a child she was trained in classical ballet but as she came into adulthood, she became fascinated with the styles of the 1940's & became a pin-up model primarily in the realm of fetish modeling showcasing her extremely small 22 inch waist that she showcased in a magazine called 'Tighlacer', corseted down to 16 inches!  Her dance training ended up paying off as she later went on to incorporate it into her burlesque routines which she has now acclaimed fame for. 

In addition to being a retro pin-up doll, Von Teese is said to be solely responsible for reviving the art of 'burlesque'.  She has been compared to the likes of Sally Rand as her shows incorporate the vibe of the vintage 30's & 40's queens of burlesque.

Aside from doing pin-up and dancing, Dita is a big wig on the fashion scene being #1 on many best dressed lists. Christian Dior and Marc Jacobs are among her fave fash designers.  She has even strutted the catwalk for Jean Paul Gaultier in Paris 2006 for Fashion Week.

She has done for the art of pin-up what Madonna had done for women in pop music which is bringing a bold and edgy new perspective to the old art, in addition to paving a way for up and coming models but my question is..."Did it really need to be revamped?"  As for myself, I think 'not' as the vintage pin-ups queens from long ago will always be remembered for their sense of style and class.

Random Fact: 
Dita Von Teese was married briefly to shock rocker Marilyn Manson...EWWW!

pinuppassion.com , pearlsandpoison.buzznet.com , burlesqueguide.net , mirror.co.uk , hubpages.com

Retro Threadz Re-Cap On The Best & Worst Dressed at the 2011 Grammys

Did anyone happen to catch the 2011 Grammys this past Sunday? There were fashion faux pas galore! In my opinion, the two worst dressed of the evening were pop super star Rhianna and Florence Welch of ’Florence & The Machine.

First off it’s hard to believe that the see through mess Rhianna was wearing was actually a piece from the upcoming Jean Paul Gautier Spring 2011 collection and Florence’s drab yet busy all at the same time frock was actually a self inspired animal print designed by Givenchy.





This is a music awards event right?  So what's up with the Oscar'ish type evening gowns you know?   J-Lo totally captured the vibe for the night as far as I'm concerned in the mirror embellished mini dress that was designed by Emilio Pucci's Peter Dundas.




Kudos for the best dressed of the dudes goes to Adam Lambert who was tres’ chic and sleek in all black of course! Although I have no idea who he was wearing, I do know that he was adorned with gorgeous beaded necklaces by ‘Hellmuth’. A big… ‘Oh no you didn’t’ goes out to Ricky Martin who donned the tightest pair of silver, what appeared to be spandex space pants that I have ever seen! “Did I hear that right Ricky? Armani designed those….seriously?” Mr. Martin obviously knew ahead of time he was going to be presenting Lady Gaga’s performance so those trousers were a premeditated fashion disaster foiled attempt to upstage her I‘m sure!…





Speaking of ‘The Lady known as Gaga’…Have you listened really closely to the beat of her new tune ‘Born This Way’? It totally has undertones of Madonna’s popular late 80’s tune ‘Express Yourself’ in spite of the fact that Lady Gaga insists that Whitney Houston is her muse. Quite confusing I know! O.k., aside from that, was I the only one thinking Gaga was Madge redux circa 1980’s last night with her attire? Minus the pointy shoulders and Ray Charles glasses she was a complete doppelganger…




Gaga might very well be the performance artist extraordinaire but the truth remains…Madonna will always over shadow her as a cultural icon.


source : fashionspot gossiprocks justjared.buzznet theexaminer.com

Runway Fashion

Something about Runway fashion, I love their look & their strut.

Lovely spring 2010 couture

CHANEL

CHRISTIAN DIOR

ELLIE SAAB

GIORGIO ARMANI PRIVE'

GIVENCHY

JEAN PAUL GAULTIER

VALENTINO