Dita considers her signature vintage style a suit of confidence armor. "I was a blonde girl from a farm town in Michigan," she says. "But when I dyed my hair black and did a cat-eye and red lipstick, I got attention. I could ask for what I wanted and and say no to people. It made me more powerful. Glamour has a power to transform."
But as Dina, in her distressed jeans and basic drapey tank top, Von Teese notices a shift in how she thinks of herself — and how other people relate to her. "I feel like I have my confidence taken away from me," she
explains. "It’s totally different. I lose all my VIP privileges. Strange men try and approach me. It’s really weird washing off all the beige."