Preserving The Glitz And Glamour: Inside The Dazzling Las Vegas Showgirl Museum

Intrigued by the glitz and glamour of Las Vegas? Love to learn more about the history of Vegas showgirls? The Las Vegas Showgirl Museum is a must visit if you answered yes to either question.

The appointment-only museum, located inside Grant Philipo's Las Vegas home, celebrates the rich history and glamour of showgirls, showcasing dazzling costumes, artifacts, and stories from the city’s iconic entertainment era. Visitors can explore the artistry, dedication, and legacy behind the glitzy performances that helped define Las Vegas as the entertainment capital of the world. And Philipo's storytelling is an amazing highlight of the guided tour. 

The Las Vegas Showgirl Museum is home to thousands of authentic wardrobe pieces, sets and props, costume designs, and photos, celebrating the glamour and beauty of Las Vegas entertainment while honoring the rich history of show business from around the globe.

The extensive, extravagant collection guides visitors on a journey through Sin City's most glamourous history. There are pieces from some of the most well-known Vegas productions, including Jubilee!, Folies Bergere, Splash, and more, as well as from famous movies and shows from around the world, including the Lynda Carter Show, Liberace Show, and many others.

The museum has been featured in books, documentaries, music videos and more. And while it currently is located inside of Philipo's Las Vegas home, he's working on securing a public space for the collection.

Every costume tells a story. And what it doesn't tell, Philipo is happy to. And with more than 40,000 pieces in total, the stories never have to end.

"But we only show, because we're in a house, 270ish costumed mannequins," he told The Blast exclusively. Once we get the public venue, that's gonna change drastically and then people will be able to see as much of the collection as possible."

Philipo shared with The Blast how he obtained so many amazing showgirl costumes and other movie and set memories.

"Because I am a great restorer, a lot of times people in LA would find out about me through the costume houses, and they would have stuff that they were going to throw away and I would say please don't throw that away," he explained. "I would ask them to give it to me or sell it to me and I was producing my shows that I also starred in and so I would take whatever they had, and I would breathe life into it and make it look fabulous, and the reputation has gone around."

The guided tour is given by none other than Philipo himself, who's a wealth of information and amazing stories. While looking at a wax figure of Greta Garbo, Philipo shares some interesting insight.

"Greta Garbo was a very, very famous movie star. That is wax from the waist up, she has glass eyes, so if you get up close, they look very real, her hair is not a wig, it's four to five hairs at a time in the wax, and they do that so then it styles like our hair," he explained.

"She is wearing a dress from the TV show 'Tony Orlando and Dawn.' In that TV show, there were two gorgeous Black girls, and they called them Dawn and they were the background singers for Tony Orlando, and that's what that dress is from."

After sharing a story about Garbo, Philipo then shifts gears to talk about the one and only Liberace, a cultural icon who captivated audiences with his talent and larger-than-life persona. His costumes alone hold many amazing stories that Philipo is happy to share.

"Michael Travis was the designer in the last 17-and-a-half years of Liberace's life, he was the designer for Liberace, and the most elaborate costumes you ever saw Liberace wear, I wore first. I was his fitting model," he shared.

"Liberace was only 5'10 and I was 6'2, so they knew the pants would always be short, but I was really impressed by him because the least weighing costume was 50 pounds. Many of his costumes weighed 450 pounds. And that little man would go on stage and swing those things around like they were nothing."

He also gave some inside information about the popular 1995 movie, "Showgirls" starring Elizabeth Berkley.

"It was based on this show at the Stardust. If you remember all the exterior shots were the Stardust, and everybody thought that the interior shot of the showroom was also the Stardust because it looked a lot like it. But it wasn't," he said. "It still exists. It's up in Harrah's up in Lake Tahoe. So, if you ever want to go on the stage where they filmed that movie, go to Lake Tahoe, go into Harrah's main showroom."

When visiting Vegas, taking a tour of the Las Vegas Showgirl Museum is a must. You can book a private tour with a minimum of two people. Since the collection is located in a residential mansion, you must have a confirmed appointment, by law.

Tours are scheduled at either noon or 6 p.m. on most days, including weekends. Tours are $33 per person and take approximately two hours, according to the website. All fees are tax-exempt and goes toward The Society for the Preservation of Entertainment History 501c3.

For more information and to book your tour, visit the website.