Don’t Tell Dita Von Teese How to Take Care of Her Swarovski

TUESDAY 8:03 PM OCTOBER 28, 2025 LOS ANGELES

On Tuesday night, the stars gathered on Sunset Boulevard for the grand opening of Swarovski’s Masters of Light Hollywood exhibition. Curated by fashion critic Alexander Fury under the guidance of Global Creative Director Giovanna Engelbert, the exhibition features archival Swarovski-emblazoned looks from Thierry Mugler, John Galliano, Christian Lacroix, and more, as well as lustrous examples of the brand’s technological innovations over the past 130 years. To make sense of all the glitz and glam, our senior editor Taylore Scarabelli grabbed showgirl and crystal connoisseur Dita Von Teese to talk Vegas costumes and Swarovski baths. 

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TAYLORE SCARABELLI: So I saw you at the step and repeat earlier, and then I couldn’t find you. I was like, “Oh, she’s actually looking at the exhibition.” I don’t think that a lot of the talent here are that immersed. 

DITA VON TEESE: I wasn’t just looking at the exhibition, I was absorbed in the color wheel, which I’ve seen before at the Swarovski headquarters. I was looking at new colors and talking to some of the Swarovski representatives about the costumes I’m working on, and asking which colors come in which cuts.

SCARABELLI: You have a history with the brand. 

VON TEESE: Yeah, a long, long history. They’ve sponsored many of my projects. My things are in their museum. I’m just getting ready to pack up another costume and trade it for one that’s already there. 

SCARABELLI: And you were telling me that you were getting in trouble for touching something?

VON TEESE: Yeah, when we were in that room with all of the loose crystal. I felt like I was looking at what I’m going to use for the base of a new costume.

SCARABELLI: Like you were back at HQ. 

VON TEESE: I didn’t even think twice. I mean, if I can be frank, I have costumes with more crystal on them than anybody’s ever worn.

SCARABELLI: How many crystals? 

VON TEESE: Well, it’s not about how many, but it’s between 50 and 65 pounds. We use, in my costumes, what are called the fancy-cut crystals, which are the ones that are prong-set. They’re the real hefty big jewels. So we do those head-to-toe, and then they get thrown across the stage. So it’s weird to me to be told I can’t touch them. I’m like, “Are you kidding?”

SCARABELLI: Yeah, yeah, yeah.

VON TEESE: There’s a video on my Instagram that actually got more views than any other video I’ve posted, like 5 million. It’s me washing my fancy cut crystal costume in the bath.

SCARABELLI: That’s beautiful. I mean, the reason I was like, “Oh, I know she’s looking at the exhibition,” is because I feel like you’re such a historian of fashion and Hollywood iconography, which is what tonight is all about.

VON TEESE: Yeah, that. But also Swarovski has been such an important part of my life for the last 25 years. I know all the colors and cuts and everything there is to know about Swarovski because we use it in such massive quantities in my show. So I’m of course very intrigued to see what’s in the exhibit, but having unparalleled glitz in my show that burns people’s eyeballs out when the light hits is my life’s work.

SCARABELLI: Did you find any inspiration in this show, particularly in that first section with the archival pieces?

VON TEESE: Yeah, there’s some great jewelry, the big collars—those are fun. I love that Swarovski is making more and more extravagant things.

SCARABELLI: Yeah, yeah. And also, only a specific type of person can wear all these crystals. Like you’re saying, it’s 60 pounds of jewels all over your body.

VON TEESE: Yeah. There’s a whole thing that happens when I first step on stage for my champagne glass number. The costume is so intense that it dictates how I move. It does lighten up as the pieces come off, but it’s really fun to make it more outrageous than anything else that is worn on stage today.

SCARABELLI: It’s about a commitment to glamour.

VON TEESE: Yeah, I just love it. I have people ask if the costume is electrified. I’m like, “No, this is Swarovski’s innovation.” In my Vegas show, for instance, we have all of the last authentic Bob Mackie showgirl costumes from the seventies and eighties.

SCARABELLI: Wow.

VON TEESE: It’s fabulous, but then when the curtains open and I’m wearing the latest, greatest, innovative Swarovski stones, it’s unbelievable how much more sparkly they are than the old stuff. It’s a totally different level. 

SCARABELLI: What are you wearing right now?

VON TEESE: I’m wearing old Blumarine from 15 years ago. I didn’t know I was coming here tonight. I just got off a plane.

SCARABELLI: And you’re still one of the best dressed.

VON TEESE: Thank you. That’s very nice.

SCARABELLI: I mean, I personally love seeing all the vintage. I just met the CEO Alexis Nasard and he asked me what I would take home and my first thought was the Bob Mackie Cher look. 

VON TEESE: Right.

SCARABELLI: And then he was like, “Come look at this Cowboy Carter Thierry Mugler.” It’s all so incredible. It would be hard to choose.

VON TEESE: Yeah. I really love seeing some of the oldest things in the beginning, the stuff from the thirties, but the crystal is not as glitzy. You can really see how the times changed.

SCARABELLI: Totally, I loved seeing the original crystals from 100 years ago. Also the figurines, do you have any of that stuff? 

VON TEESE: I don’t, but I purchased one for my costume designer, Catherine D’lish, her things are in the Swarovski Museum. I got her the little crystal ostrich because we love ostrich feathers. 

SCARABELLI: Fab. Do you have any tips for taking care of crystals, aside from bathing them?

VON TEESE: I mean, I’m not that precious about it because all of these looks are made for me to be bathing in them in my champagne glass. When I posted the video of me washing them, people were like, “You can’t wash that. It’ll rust.” I’m like, “Are you telling me what to do with my costume that I’ve had for a decade?” These settings are not going to rust. We have it dialed in. 

SCARABELLI: So what shows do you have going on now? Vegas?

VON TEESE: I’m on a break right now, and then in January I start up again at The Venetian. And then I start my UK and Europe tour at the end of January.

SCARABELLI: Cool. I need to come to The Venetian show.

VON TEESE: Please do. You’ve got to come back stage and look at the costumes up close.

SCARABELLI: I would love that. Are you super involved in the design process? Who are you working with?

VON TEESE: I work with Jenny Packham a lot, and then Catherine D’lish does all the real heavy crystal things. And Michael Schmidt makes things for me. I actually have two authentic Erté costumes. The last things he made before he died. I bought them at auction and I’m putting them in my show. So there’s always different designers, but I have my tried and true people. Nobody does Swarovski better than Catherine.

SCARABELLI: I love that you’re getting these iconic vintage pieces and actually wearing them.

VON TEESE: Yeah, I love going into the archives at the theater in Vegas. There’s all this stuff just sitting there, they don’t even care that it’s Bob Mackie. I found boxes and boxes of broken showgirl bras and I would piece things back together and have them salvage things.

SCARABELLI: Have you ever done an exhibition?

VON TEESE: No. I’ve lent things to the V&A and LACMA, but nobody’s really done a showgirl exhibition. I was thinking maybe now that the showgirls are all the rage maybe somebody will be brave enough to put this stuff on display. I feel like it’s still too risque for a lot of the big museums.

SCARABELLI: That’s crazy.

VON TEESE: I know. It’s weird. 

SCARABELLI: It’s weird but it’ll happen. One day you’ll meet the right person who wants to put all your crystals on display. Thank you for chatting with me. 

VON TEESE: Thank you very much.