Shaping Mrs. Manson
A burlesque icon counts on Vancouver for that added boost.

By Lucy Hyslop

Dita Von Teese is like a human pinball – rebounding between home in L.A. and work in London , flitting off for a night at the Playboy Mansion , then jetting to Australia to see fiancé Marilyn Manson on tour. It’s a whirlwind schedule that mirrors the burlesque icon’s recent transition from fetish to mainstream – even Vogue and Elle were seduced by her old-Hollywood glamour earlier this year. Back in 2002 Von Teese brought her act to the Commodore, headlining a show with Vancouver ’s Fluffgirls at the height of the burlesque craze. But her connection to our city is now slightly more intimate as a Vancouver corsetiere has been commissioned to create custom pieces for the famous pin-up.

Introduced to Melanie Talkington’s corsets by a fan, Von Teese and Talkington met for a fitting this summer at Playboy’s 50 th birthday party in Seattle . “I just wanted to pick her up,” Talkington gushes. “Dita is even more beautiful in person – much like a little doll. Creating a custom corset for her figure is a challenge – it requires a good deal of skill to create a corset that will further complement her figure.”

Von Teese delivers equal praise: “I’ve worn different corsets from many companies all around the world, but here are only a few that I’ve seen that have that quality of Melanie’s. She has all the detail that really shows the difference between a fetish corset and a real classic Victorian one – she’s doing all the flossing and embroidery that you don’t see except in the few couture corset makers.”

“I’m just letting Melanie do what she does best and make it the way she wants to,” says Von Teese.

Her assets, it appears, are in good hands. Talkington has been creating custom corset for the past 10 years, but admits the potential exposure she could receive by marrying her work to the ecdysiast is huge – depending, of course, on how long the corsets stays on in a Von Teese act.

Talkington’s Lace Embrace Atelier operates by appointment only; www.laceembrace.com, 604 737-1119.