Dita Von Teese—the undisputed modern queen of burlesque—debuted her new residency, A Jubilant Revue, last Thursday. Staged at the Horseshoe Las Vegas’s iconic Jubilee Theater, the 75-minute show is a stylish homage to Jubilee!, one of Vegas’s most famous revue shows on the Strip and the last showgirl production of its kind, which ran from 1981 to 2016. “I was a huge fan of the Jubilee!,” says Von Teese. “I used to come to it all the time when I would come to Vegas. I loved the extravagance and opulence—the feathers and rhinestones. I mean, the costume budget alone was equivalent to $12 million!”
To pay homage to the original Jubilee! show, Von Teese incorporates some of its original showgirl costumes and set pieces into her production, alongside entirely new choreography, numbers, and designs. Among the original costumes are pieces by Bob Mackie and Pete Menefee. “They were just locked up downstairs [in the Jubilee Theater], and I was like, ‘Can I use them?’” says Von Teese. “I thought it was a great time to be able to show them off again.” To make them feel more her, however, Von Teese added sensual details such as Swarovski crystal pasties—a more burlesque touch than a showgirl one. “I don’t fit into the showgirl [archetype],” says Von Teese. “There are a lot of parameters that have been around the showgirl for a decade, and I’m excited about liberating that and showing the costumes—which were usually reserved for very tall, thin women—in a different way.”
Von Teese’s closest collaborators and friends contributed to the new, glamorous wardrobe. A standout is a bodysuit made of Swarovski fancy-cut crystals made by Catherine D’Lish for Von Teese’s martini-glass number. “She’s been my collaborator for the last 23 years, and she makes the most astonishing Swarovski crystallized looks,” says Von Teese. The star also wears two fully-beaded Jenny Packham ensembles, including a pink cowgirl costume and a white tiger-tamer look. “She always turns it out for me,” says Von Teese. The shoes, meanwhile, are all custom Christian Louboutin heels; Von Teese is close friends with the iconic red-sole-footwear designer. “We always have fun coming up with ideas,” says Von Teese. “There’s a special Dita heel that they make for me. He builds out the back of the shoe, and it curves in dramatically towards the ball of my foot. It’s a super-curvaceous heel.”
Though she’s known for her extravagant wardrobe, Von Teese was able to go all out with her costumes thanks to the residency. “Usually I’m building a show that travels around the world and everything has to be made to travel,” says Von Teese. “It’s amazing to be in one space—we don’t have to pack up every night and move on to the next city.” Even so, you’d think she’d need outfits that work for quick changes—but Von Teese admits that she never factors in practicality when it comes to fashion. “I actually don’t think practically at all,” she laughs. “I’m usually like, ‘How do we make this more impractical? How do we make this more complicated?’ I’ve always been obsessed with the art of exquisite things that you would not see in real life.”
The burlesque star hopes that viewers will leave the show—which is on until spring 2024—with a sense of joy and fantasy. “There’s not a show like this in Las Vegas,” says Von Teese. “I’m excited for people to see it. I want them to feel elated and inspired.” She also hopes she can change people’s minds about what they think burlesque and showgirl style is—or should be. “My goal has always been about changing people’s minds, because there’s such a negative [idea] about striptease,” says Von Teese. “I’m not trying to sanitize it: I love striptease. I love the idea you can have a sexy, frivolous show and it can be inspiring to people—especially when you see different types of body types and skin types. It’s celebrating glamour, sensuality, and eroticism and not apologizing for it.”
