Las Vegas Weekly

January 17, 2012 · 11:57 AM

Photos and video: Dita Von Teese sizzles, shakes, strips at Hyde

By Robin Leach

Dita Von Teese at Hyde Bellagio on Saturday, Jan. 14, 2012.

Photo: Scott Harrison/Retna/HarrisonPhotos.com

Striptease queen Dita Von Teese stands only 5-foot-5, but the powerful porcelain princess packs a provocative punch when she’s undressing for fans who bow to her as the International Queen of Burlesque. At the new Hyde Bellagio, the bombshell brunette ruled with a sultry midnight performance set against the dancing Bellagio Fountains.

Talk about champagne wishes! She popped the cork on a magnum once she’d peeled down to just pasties and a G-string after shedding her waist cincher, stockings, corset, bra and lacy gloves. Not a drop of the bubbly went to waste because she poured it all over her and took a couple of sips before climbing into her large champagne glass.

Her near-naked ambition sparked a frenzy of flashing cell phones and cameras, and there were just as many on the red carpet to start her night. Clubgoers swarmed her outside the lavish nightspot when she arrived looking glamorous in a black Herve L. LeRoux dress with Christian Louboutin stiletto heels and red lips. Hyde’s performance artists joined the pinup beauty, posing in cellophane dresses and masks.

“I wanted to come to Hyde because I know the group puts on great events. I knew this would be a fun party more than anything,” Dita said. “I’m bringing some of the showgirl burlesque back to Vegas. I’m doing the real version, which is the same way it was done in the 1930s and 40s. That’s what burlesque really was.”

Dita took to the stage at midnight Saturday in an haute-couture costume adorned with thousands of Swarovski crystals. It was a journey of fantasy and spectacle as she teased the cheering crowd, including yours truly and Editor Don Chareunsy. She danced around the mega-sized champagne glass peeling off layer after layer of clothing and untying the corset from her tiny, laced-up 17-inch waist. The crowd was transfixed: Not one person watched the Bellagio Fountains while she tormented with her torrid tossing, teasing and temptation.

Earlier when Dita and I chatted, she told me that she wants to live and work more this year in America after living half the year in Paris while traversing the globe for her appearances.

“I had to travel a lot promoting my lingerie and perfume lines and for Cointreau. My makeup line is next! I did six countries in 2 weeks just a month ago! It’s been a year, but I did get to Vegas under the radar to film a secret TV show 2 weeks ago. I wanted tonight to be a raucous, one-off, one-time performance with all the pressures off.”

The one-time lingerie sales girl who danced weekends at our Crazy Horse Strip Club continued: ”Coming to Vegas is always the most fun. I love being able to pull out all the stops when I build a show for Vegas. I know a lot of the shows here have copied my creations, but I’m still the original. The retro showgirl has been disappearing from Vegas, but I’m bringing her back.

“I appreciate Cirque, but we mustn’t let the history of Vegas vanish. We’ve got to retain risque! I don’t want what I do to become politically correct. The real good parts of burlesque have been taken away, but I think we can still be naughty and classy as we bare all. Let’s be honest: That’s why the audience comes in the first place!

“I’m not ready to hang up my G-strings, but that will come at some point. I’ve begun thinking about the transition, but I’m working hard for a long time to come. This May, we have a huge Live Nation tour. It’s a full production spectacle kicking off in Vegas this May. Life is good, and all my projects are humming nicely.”

After changing following her perky performance, burlesque’s brightest star mingled with friends in the club. Tonight, Hyde throws its second Lost Angels insider party with DJ 88 and Devon Lucian. Thank to Shane O’Neal and Scott Harrison for their photo gallery.

Robin Leach has been a journalist for more than 50 years and has spent the past decade giving readers the inside scoop on Las Vegas, the world’s premier platinum playground.

Follow Robin Leach on Twitter at Twitter.com/Robin_Leach.

Follow Vegas DeLuxe on Twitter at Twitter.com/vegasdeluxe.

Follow VDLX Editor Don Chareunsy on Twitter at Twitter.com/VDLXEditorDon.

Share This