Showstopper
Dita Von Teese will be joining the cast of designer Jean Paul Gaultier's “Fashion Freak Show,” WWD has learned.
The burlesque star, who already makes a video appearance in the fashion designer's show at the Folies Bergère cabaret in
Paris, will be gracing the cabaret's stage during a weeklong residency from Jan. 22 to 27 for seven performances.
“Dita Von Teese is the most Parisian of all Americans,” Gaultier told WWD. “I have every admiration for her as she has raised burlesque to the rank of a chic, glamorous and popular art. It is an honor to welcome her to the ‘Fashion Freak Show.'”
It's not the first time Von Teese has teamed with the couturier. The artist, a friend of Gaultier's, previously walked in some of the designer's couture shows.
“It's an absolute dream to be a part of Jean Paul Gaultier's show at the Folies Bergère,” said Von Teese in a statement. “Mr. Gaultier has always celebrated diversity on his runways in a genuine and authentic way. His celebratory show captures the essence of who he is as a creator of distinctive and rare beauty.”
The all-singing, all-dancing, costume-filled show at the Folies Bergère opened last September and tells the story of the couturier's life. Initially set to end on March 10, the cabaret now will run until April 21.
Other notable guest stars are Anna Cleveland, daughter of Pat Cleveland, part of the original Gaultier posse, who takes a turn as a topless, shimmying Josephine Baker in a banana tutu and fishnets, as well as Catherine Deneuve, Farida Khelfa and Beth Ditto, who all appear in video cameos projected on stage.
— FLEUR BURLET