INTERVIEW : DITA VON TEESE

International burlesque guru Dita Von Teese debuted a fully articulated 3D-printed gown designed by Michael Schmidt — and Ace friend and creator of wardrobes for luminaries like Lady Gaga, Rihanna, Deborah Harry and Madonna — in collaboration with Francis Bitonti and Shapeways at our F/W Fashion Week celebrations in New York City this spring. We caught up with the femme fatale to end all femme fatales to talk body modification, the bionic future and her influencers.

You’ve starred in an episode of CSI and done a turn as a judge RuPaul’s Drag Race, as did Beth Ditto. What does it feel like to come from an ‘underground’ background into the mainstream?

Well, it wasn’t an overnight thing. I have a career that spans twenty years. I spent plenty of time in the underground. I feel glad to have the kind of recognition I have now and to have the opportunity to take what I do to different levels and reach a broader audience, but at the same time retain the integrity of what I first set out to do — which was to become the greatest living striptease artist since Gypsy Rose Lee — and to do it my way and not have to commercialize it or sanitize it or do what other people told me I should do to make it.

You recently did a photo shoot at the United Artists Theater — a place very near and dear to the hearts of the Ace family as we’re inhabiting and rehabbing the theater as part of our new hotel in Downtown LA.

Oh god, I’m so excited. Yeah, I did that shoot with one of my favorite photographers, Ruven Afanador, and when I walked into that room… I’ve performed in a lot of the old theaters in downtown LA and I had never seen that one, it was just magical. I’m so excited about that place being opened up to the public because a lot of the old theaters there are only opened up for special events and you only get to see the lavish decor of these beautiful theaters once in a while for special occasions. The idea that people can drop in to Ace Hotel and see the beauty of that place is really exciting to me.

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We at Atelier Ace have a new neighbor in Portland’s Chinatown — Table of Contents, the mercantile of our dreams and a close friend to our other neighbors and old friends Studio J, the brainchild of Janet and John Jay. We recently raised a glass to TOC’s grand opening and then waltzed around the corner for an afterparty and feast at Studio J, with decorations by Janet and Hazel Cox and a lot of good friends in attendance. The very talented Johnny Le took photos.

Table of Contents just launched a new web shop, and they’re celebrating with a quick winter sale through Saturday. They’re also on the impressive roster of booksellers and presses at this weekend’s Publication Fair hosted by Publication Studio in The Cleaners at Ace Hotel Portland. Now is the time to indulge thyself with handsome books, objects and sweaters…

Between Sword + Fern’s kinetic sound installation, Carly Mick’s psychedelic cortex, Made on the Moon’s secret planet, LiFT’s wall of dreams and Kate Towers’ springtime Shining, we’re not sure where or at which point our minds were completely blown at Content 2012. Hope Reynolds of Folk Studios caught it all on cellulose acetate for the annals of history. Show us your own shots on Instagram @acehotel.

Thanks to ADX for the signage — we’re pumped for Content 2012 tomorrow at Ace Hotel Portland. $5 of every ticket will be donated to aid hurricane relief through New York Cares.

Bobby Bonaparte founded LiFT Label on a wing and a prayer in Portland, Oregon — we like anyone who’s a sucker for a leap of faith, with the creative chops to make it work. Bobby’s launching his new collection at this year’s Content at Ace Hotel Portland, presented by smart. Steer yourself our way this Sunday — $5 of all tickets go toward Hurricane Sandy relief efforts.

I started drawing “LiFT” with an upwards arrow for the “i” on my skateboards when I was in the 8th grade. I hoped writing “LiFT” would give me more height or ‘lift’ when I was ollieing. Always seeking to progress, I found an ancient silkscreen that belonged to my aunt in my basement and taught myself how to silkscreen LiFT concepts.

I loved the creative freedom silkscreening gave me, I could put anything I wanted onto a shirt. I soon found that shirts and clothing generally were an incredible means of self expression. I began getting my message out and it seemed to resonate with people.  

After interning at Weiden + Kennedy in Tokyo, I took a job in marketing causing my creativity to lagg. After about a year, I got inspired do a line of tanks for summer with a new mission to connect with the community in a positive way, a commitment to the environment, philanthropy, pushing the envelope of design and manufacturing in the Northwest and maintaing an overall positive perspective.

That summer, the line of tank tops sold out and it became clear that I could make a living doing what I love. I left my salaried job to follow my passion for LiFT. Over a year later, LiFT is carried by rad shops in Portland, San Francisco and San Diego and has been featured in local media and on Portlandia and Girls.

I’m incredibly proud that my new line is sewn entirely in Portland. I pattern out the shirts and pants. The crewnecks with Pendleton pockets are knit here by Columbia Knit.  My chambray button up is made of organic cotton/hemp blend and my collaborative shirts with Foster Huntington and Mao Kudo are printed on organic cotton. It’s my goal to use more sustainable and eco-conscious fabrics moving forward, and it’s important to me to give back to the community by donating time, money and supplies to some amazing non-profits like Ecotrust, Salmon Nation, p:ear, The Listening Archive & Focus the Nation. LiFT is a member of 1% for the Planet, an organization founded by Yvon Chouinard, and we donate at least 1% of our total sales to an non-profit of our choice (Ecotrust).

The company has evolved immensely since it’s conception. I’m happy that “LiFT” and the “STAY LiFTED” mantra have remained a constant in my life. On days when things are especially overwhelming, I take a moment to breathe and remind myself to stay lifted.

And, yes, I am related to Napoleon. My father’s father hired a genealogist to trace back the lineage to Corsica and the man himself. We share a similar nose, stature and drive.

It’s obvious, however, that Bobby has that chip that Napoleon was missing about everyone working together for the greater good. Evolution! It’s a beautiful thing!

For the third time, local Portland designers reshape the second floor of Ace Hotel Portland for CONTENT 2012, a live installation of goods and the things and people that inspire them into being. Before you start selflessly shopping for others, you can grab something(s) for yourself at the pop-up shop in the Cleaners, get a cocktail and wander through the Sleep-No-More-esque jungle of the second story with smart, the Portland Mercury, Gretchen Jones and a shimmering roster of talented movers and shakers (and makers, as illustrated above). See everything here and come show your support for this new-fangled notion in Portland: fashion. Post-Gore-Tex, almost post-olive drab, we’re working as fast and as furious as possible to empower those nascent threads of fabulousness and form-over-function-ness in the Portland underground.

See last year here and here captured by Jeremy Pelley of OMFGCo.