Interview

If anyone thought that Dita Von Teese was just a passing character upon the pop culture stage, they'd be advised to take a closer look. With celebrated and attention-grabbing acts, a new book, Burlesque and the Art of the Teese (Regan Books), due this spring, and a recent high-profile marriage to shock-rocker Marilyn Manson, this queen of burlesque is proving to be the sort of multifaceted player who is anything but a flash in the pan. Here, she grabs the attention of someone who knows a thing or two about the powers of seduction-Yves Saint Laurent creative director Stefano Pilati, who happened to have his own reasons for celebrating on the day they spoke.

Dita Von Teese: Happy birthday Stefano-I would jump out of a cake if I were there!

Stefano Pilati: I don't know if I should be happy or depressed about turning 40. [laughs]

DVT: I think 40 is exciting-plus, you're dashing, and that's what matters most.

SP: So where are you?

DVT: I'm in London. Manson and I got married last weekend in Ireland. Our friend, the artist Gottfried Helnwein, has a castle there, which is where we had the wedding.

SP: [laughs] Did you have fun? Was it great?

DVT: I had the time of my life. I think we both did.

SP: What did you wear?

DVT: I wore a giant purple silk-and-grosgrain taffeta dress by Vivienne Westwood and a Mr. Pearl corset. I also wore a little tricorn hat from Stephen Jones. I didn't want a white wedding or a Gothic wedding. It was somewhere in between-just beautiful, rich colors everywhere.

SP: Well, I'm so happy to have this opportunity to talk to you, because every time I've met you, it was always in situations where you couldn't, or I couldn't, really talk.

DVT: And every time I see you all I want to do is tell you how crazy I am about what you're doing at Yves Saint Laurent. I still have every look in my head from your last show! [both laugh] But I'm sure you hear that all the time-you must have women throwing themselves at your feet, telling you how much they love what you're doing. Hip clothes and shoes and handbags can drive a woman wild. I think it's even stronger than sex for some. [laughs]

SP: It's stronger for me as well. [both laugh] One of the things that was so appealing to me when Interview asked me to do this was that they suggested the conversation be around beauty and the return of glamour. And I was like, well Dita is all of those things!

DVT: Oh, I try to be. I love glamour and artificial beauty. I love the idea of artifice and dressing up and makeup and hair.