There are many things Dita Von Teese is famous for: her burlesque dancing, former marriage to Marilyn Manson and of course, that waif-like waist line.
“It’s all corsets, Pilates and ballet classes. I train hard,” Teese told Tarts on Tuesday night at the very intimate book launch party for her pal Amanda Eliasch’s “Cloak & Dagger Butterfly.”
But while the Michigan-born babe oozes sex appeal and has no problem stripping for strangers, it seems she still struggles with body image issues.
“I’m not confident at all. I have moments of weakness like most women where I don’t feel I’m at my best. That’s how I started doing what I do,” Teese explained. “I felt very ordinary and not very glamorous so I decided one day that I was going to have to just make my own dream world.”
But when the fetish femme fatale isn’t flashing her finest assets, how does she make herself feel sexy and strong?
“I do things that make me feel confident, like doing my hair, putting my red lipstick on, having my nails done and just pampering myself so I’m ready to face the world,” Dita added. “I have this theory that the more you let your guard down and get lazy with your looks you will run into your ex-boyfriend or his new girlfriend. The key is taking a moment for yourself.”
Teese lived up to her typically teasing performance with two seductive strip-teases at the sultry soiree. Centered around a sparkling gold tub, the burlesque beauty sent sparks through the air as she slowly stripped down to a barely-there diamond-studded g-string with tiny stick-on studs up top.
Without so much as a flinch, Teese slipped into the bubbles and hosed herself (and the few people close by) down …
For her second showdown, or shall we say shower down, Dita dazzled and danced around a statuesque martini glass and fanned her fans with peacock feathers before splashing seductively inside the liquid-filled glass.
Teese was the perfect fit to perform in honor of the flamboyant new book, which hosts a collection of provocative photographs and e-mails written on Eliasch’s BlackBerry to or about her illicit lovers during her open marriage to sporting goods tycoon Johan Eliasch. (They divorced in 2007 and Amanda reportedly received one of the largest financial settlements to date.)
Guests (including Kristin Cavallari) dined on dark chocolate and sipped champagne amid Eliasch’s private Parisian-inspired Beverly Hills residence, complete with splashes of eccentricity, good luck charms, tarot cards and signature skulls.
Cavallari certainly seems to have grown-up from her “Laguna Beach” days, and told Tarts that she’s busy going into pilot season and focusing on a “real career.”
“I’m definitely enjoying it, it’s tough but much more interesting than reality television,” she said. “They keep asking me to go on ‘The Hills’ and I’m like, no thanks.” Ouch.