Last week, on Tuesday September 23, the Destination Maternity Flagship Store got the retro-glam treatment as burlesque maven, fashion designer, and beauty icon Dita Von Teese stopped by to celebrate the launch of the Von Follies by Dita Von Teese for Destination Maternity capsule lingerie collection.
The seven-piece collection (which costs approximately $39-55)—which features limited edition bras and panties made just for new and expectant moms—is an extension of Dita’s popular Von Follies line. The look is fierce and feminine with retro touches. The regular “combines retro glamour with flirtatious touches” in Dita’s signature ‘50s pinup style—and the new maternity collection is no different. Styles in the capsule collection are crafted with soft stretch satin and beautiful lace and ribbon details, and includes bras with and without underwire, detachable cups for breast feeding, and a clip-down feature; all panties are designed with a subtle control panel.
Dita’s gorgeous designs were feted in store with complimentary makeup touch-ups by Vensette, yummy mocktails (with names like “the Dita-tini”), hors d’oeuvres, and exclusive opportunities for fans to meet and greet Dita while pre-shopping the luxe collection. And the best part? We got to chat with Dita on the red carpet (in an ethereal dress by Carolina Herrera) about just what makes this maternity lingerie collection so special!
How did you come together with Destination Maternity for this collaboration?
Well, you know I have a regular lingerie collection, which is at Bloomingdale’s and Nordstrom.com, and a lot of other online retailers. But Destination Maternity approached me about taking some of my best-selling styles and adapting them for new mothers. I worked closely with them and with their guidance to design [the pieces] so they’re comfortable and functional and have all the elements that mothers need.
What sets this collection apart?
My relationship with lingerie has always been about glamour and beauty and the rites-of-passage of womanhood, and I don’t really think of it as something you put on for someone else or that you wear to be sexy necessarily, it’s just a moment of beauty and luxury in everyday life. At first, I was a little apprehensive about doing something for new mothers because I thought: “How do I know?” But then I thought more about things that might be important to a new mother, at the times, and worked with [Destination Maternity] to adapt the collection. I’m very excited about it and the response has been great.
How did you envision the quintessential customer for this collection?
I guess I thought a lot about how I would feel—I’ve been contemplating motherhood lately—and I thought about myself and thought: “Well, what would I wear?” I got a little bit afraid, like: “What on Earth would I wear?” Because lingerie is so important to me, and makes me feel good about myself—whether someone sees me in it or not, it’s something I enjoy putting on—so I thought about that a lot. I know the response has been really good, I’ve heard from a lot of mothers who are trying it and wearing it, and they feel like they have options—I think that’s really the key. If someone wants to wear a white cotton bra one day, she should; if she wants to wear this another day, she should wear this.
What inspired the look of the designs?
Mostly I took existing styles that I had and adapted them. For instance, [there’s] one with polka dots that comes from my normal collection and it’s called the Sophia line. It’s inspired by a set of lingerie that Sophia Lauren was wearing in the 1960s. So, everything has a little story like that. That’s basically what I’ve been doing—taking my existing styles and adapting them for this line.
Do you have a favorite piece?
I think the Sophia set is my favorite. I wear that [high-waisted] brief all the time, because I love it. I love a nice ‘50s full brief, I think it’s very sexy and I really love the colors and the lace details in that set.
To shop the collection and to learn more, destinationmaternity.com!
