Hive Exclusive: Dita Von Teese Talks Style (and How To Stay on Perez Hilton's Good Side) - Stylehive

Stylehive was at the MAC AIDS Fund in store event today to help celebrate the Fund's milestone - $100 million raised to help fight HIV and AIDS around the world.

We talked to fashion icon and fund spokesperson Dita Von Teese, who, despite her vampy vixen persona, was quite demure and softspoken (and of course as striking and impeccably dressed as you would expect.)

Read on to see what this burlesque queen had to say about the fund, fashion - and Perez Hilton...

Stylehive: Tell us about your involvement with the MAC AIDS Fund.

Dita Von Teese: Well I have followed the campaign since RuPaul first launched it, and I thought it was an amazing idea to give 100% of the selling price of the Viva Glam lipstick and lip gloss to the MAC AIDS Fund. And now we€™re here celebrating $100 million raised - it€™s amazing.

SH: You have done something very few people achieve - cultivate a unique sense of style that is truly original. Any advice for others?
DVT: I think the biggest tip is you have to remember beauty is in the eye of the beholder. You just have to do what pleases you, what makes you feel good and confident. And don€™t follow the rules, don€™t follow the do€™s and don€™ts of fashion, or beauty, or makeup.

I hate it when you€™re looking at a magazine and on one page it says €˜Don€™t wear a strong eye and a strong lip€™ and on the next page you€™re looking at a beautiful MAC ad, and there€™s a strong eye and strong lip! So follow your instincts and your heart, and do what you like, if you like blue eye shadow you should wear it!

SH: Another thing you've managed to do that VERY few other celebs have is getting on Perez Hilton's good side! How'd you pull that off?

DVT: Well I mean really if you look at it, Perez only dislikes the people that are unlikeable! I mean really, it€™s not that hard! I mean I asked him, I was like €˜why?€™ and he sort of said €˜well you haven€™t done anything stupid!€™ So I was like, well if I did something stupid, you better call me out on it, and he promised me he would!

SH: What do you think about his blog?
DVT: I don€™t really check it out- I have before, but it seems like it€™s kind of become a forum for people talking about stuff that they don€™t really know anything about. Although I€™m a fan of Perez, and I think it€™s great what he€™s done, it€™s also the Internet that€™s bred some bad people that are talking about things they don€™t know anything about.

SH: So if you had to choose, who are your top three designers inthe whole wide world?
DVT: Well I have a lot of favorite designers, like hundreds! But obviously I have to put John Galliano at the top, Jean Paul Gautier, and I love Moschino, and Marc Jacobs!

SH: That's four, but okay!