Pic.: www.helnwein.com

Ref.:jc/repots- interview by Robert Cordero.

JCR: What is it about you that inspires so many fashion designers?

DVT: Most of them know that I'm self-styled, and there's an appreciation for that. Women in Hollywood are too afraid: they don't want to style themselves, and they're not really choosing for themselves. It's all about hiring stylists that will help them land on the best-dressed lists. I'm not really interested in being on the best-dressed list. I like to be on the worst dressed too. It's a fantastic place to be, and I'm in good company if I'm there. I think they know the adventure of dressing, and I'm not concerned about what's going to make me be considered fashionable. The people I admire, such as John Galliano and Jean Paul Gaultier, are eccentrics. And they aren't trying to be like everyone else. We have a lot in common that way, and we know that what makes us different is what makes us good.

JCR: Who are your fashion inspirations?

DVT: I'm inspired by the past a lot, and eccentric women. People such as Marchesa Casati; Diana Vreeland; the models from the '40s era who did their own hair and make-up; the late Isabella Blow, who was really extravagant and fabulous; and Anna Piaggi, one of the most exciting eccentrics to watch.

I see women on the street and one of the things that inspires me is when I see someone who has blue eye shadow on and you can tell she's been wearing her makeup the same way since 1965. I'm inspired by women who have held on to their look they know themselves, and they wear what they want to wear despite what fashion dictates.

JCR: Why do you think burlesque is experiencing resurgence?

DVT: A lot of women are fans of burlesque, and they are embracing this whole idea of finding empowerment in dressing and un-dressing, playing with hair and make up, and striptease. They're thinking that its fun to embrace your inner bombshell. I love that it's seeing resurgence in this way.