Layer by layer
November 26, 2012 by admin
Filed under Choosing Lingerie
One of the best burlesque acts of the world, Dita Von Teese, was in town. She cast a spell on the audience with her charm and pearly white skin, highlighted by a black silk saree. Ektaa Malik came back enchanted
No, we haven’t had a successful attempt in building a time machine yet. For all those who grew up on the fantasy of Back to the Future and HG Wells, time travel is still a reeling fantasy.But Delhi almost had a taste of it, as it was graced by the most acclaimed burlesque act in the world — the Dita Von Teese. Though Burlesque is yet to be allowed in India, to have Von Teese here in India was something.
In India as the brand ambassador of Cointreau, she definitely fit the bill of controversial, in her black sheer saree. Her pearly skin shone through the translucent fabric and the dark shade added to the affect. Her hair was done in the traditional Indian juda with braids and the golden Indian motif earrings accentuated her charm. She had paired the sheer saree with a corset style blouse. And the final effect was resplendent.
As she entered the main hall of the venue for a brief appearance, a spell was cast on the audience. “Indian women look very risqué in a saree. The garment itself is very risqué. I am very glad that I chose to wear this on my India tour. I am learning to drape it. And the two — the saree and the Indian woman – epitomise what risqué can be for they live lives on their own terms,” she shared.
We also caught up with the designer duo of Shivan-Naresh, who had designed her outfit for the evening. “We started working on this project four months ago. After a lot of back and forth, we zeroed in on a bikini saree but Dita wanted to go for a more traditional look, which was surprising,” they said.
“She wanted a hint of Bollywood, some shimmer and the works. We wanted to take it a step beyond so we added our own, taking inspiration from Maharani Gayatri Devi’s style — classic and elegant.”
Choosing the fabric turned out to be just as challenging as finalising the look. All kinds of fabrics were being couriered to Dita and 120 gms of Habutai silk was chosen for the weave. “This was chosen by her and she wanted dark colours in particular as they highlight her complexion. The lace detailing was added to complimented the lingerie and burlesque feel,” added the duo, who confessed that Dita was a childhood muse for them.
“She is a designer herself and is very particular. She organises her own photoshoots as well. It was a challenge for us since her looks and image are so iconic,” the duo concluded.
For all those who came within touching distance of Von Tesse in Delhi, she is every bit the diva. While the Capital regrets not seeing the legend in action, we can hope that she follow up on her maiden visit sometime soon.
