Dita Von Teese Sells Her Brand, But Will America Buy Burlesque? (NSFW) (PHOTOS)

Can Dita Von Teese Seduce America?

The burlesque star known as Dita Von Teese is good at making an impression. Over the years, the 40-year-old pinup has corseted her waist down to the width of a softball, tattooed a beauty mark near her eye, and married (briefly) fellow provocateur Marilyn Manson. Teese's gift for artfully dropping her clothes in the tradition of her professional hero, Gypsy Rose Lee, has made her a fashion world darling, winning her fans from Christian Louboutin to Marc Jacobs.

But last week Von Teese widened her sights, unveiling an affordable branded lingerie line. Von Follies, the burlesque star's line of sculpted, 50s-inspired lingerie, arrives at stores worldwide this winter, and from there, into the closets of every household, if all goes to plan. The goal of Von Follies is the broad "branding of Dita Von Teese," as a recent New York Times profile put it; step one is to "cement her status as a purveyor of genteel kink." Will the experiment work?

Enjoy our NSFW slideshow of Von Teese below and let us know your predictions for her future success in the comments section.

Dita Von Teese

Dita Von Teese

CORRECTION: A previous version of this article misidentified where Dita Von Teese's beauty mark is tattooed on her face. The mark is near her eye, not above her lip.

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