In pictures: The sweat-slicked glamour of off-duty showgirls

There’s something timeless about the allure of showgirls, with all their 90s glamour, excessive costumes, and sleazy-glamorous backdrops. In Showgirls, the latest beauty story from make-up artist Aimee Twist, hairstylist Linus Johansson and photographer Lewis Vorn, that archetype is reimagined once again.

Inspired by Paul Verhoeven’s cult classic of the same name, the shoot also draws from a lineage of “big dream” cinema like Pretty Woman, Coyote Ugly and Crossroads. These are films built around transformation, ambition and escape. “We had been heavily inspired by Showgirls and the resurgence it’s currently having, and wanted to modernise the story with different fashion and beauty looks. It was the ultimate glam story, with no limits,” explains Twist.

Shot across murky motel bathrooms, smoky ballrooms and backstage dressing rooms, the shoot traces the journey from small-town anonymity to full-blown showgirl. But with reinvention and referencing comes the risk of falling into cliché – something the team were conscious of. “I’m always drawn to the juxtaposition of the glamour and the struggle behind it,” says Twist. “The person fighting to be seen.”

That tension plays out in the beauty direction, which evolves alongside the character. It begins with bare skin and pimple patches, moving to “Effy Stonem-inspired grunge”, before arriving at full 90s showgirl glam. Johansson’s hair styling also follows the transformation: from loose, undone textures to exaggerated, high-volume blow-outs. This progression speaks to a kind of self-creation the showgirl archetype embodies. 

“I think growing up in the 90s, with such a lack of queer and gay representation in media at the time, made me look to these women in film – women who overcame struggle, owned their sexuality, and were unapologetically themselves in both personality and style,” says Johansson. “There was something in that that felt aspirational and comforting to me.”

Below, the creative team talks to Dazed about the references that shaped the shoot, and how they brought old-school glamour into the present.

What was the concept going into the shoot?

Linus Johansson: We started planning this shoot when we both bonded over our love of the Showgirls movie. The love for the fashion and the glam looks that the women bring. I think when we were planning the shoot we both wanted it to play out like a movie in stills, and that’s why Lewis was perfect for the job, he brought that cinematic feel to the images.

Can you talk a bit about the beauty looks and the inspiration behind them?

Aimee Twist: I took a lot of inspiration for these films and showgirl make-up in general, especially for the Showgirls scene. I wanted to incorporate old school glamour with playfulness. So for the apartment scenes, it was getting ready with your pimple patches on and after the night, which I wanted to be a bit grungy and Effy Stonem inspired. For the hitchhiking scene I wanted classic 90s, and the car scene was full out Hollywood glamour.

Linus Johansson: I also wanted to heavily draw inspiration from the Showgirls movie. It felt important to me that the girls had a feeling of cohesion but also had their own identity reflected in the hair when it came to the Showgirls scene. Then it was important to show the different aspects of their characters and where they were at in their journey in the car scene, the bathroom scene and the hitchhiking scene through the glam. I have such a massive love for the era of the 90s that is so obscenely glamorous.

How did you update them to feel fresh for today?

Linus Johansson: I think when it comes to the hair, there are something’s that never go out of style, for example a big glam blowout. However, it’s all got to do with context, and it was important for it not to feel like a complete period piece. I think that’s when the fashion that our fantastic stylist Lauren provided and Aimee’s impeccable make-up skills really bring it into the now. It’s the combination of all three aspects, the hair, the make-up and the styling that makes it feel fresh for today.

How big a role did the film Showgirls, as well as other films, play?

Lewis Vorn: I think this is something that subliminally crept in as the shoot evolved from the original idea, it felt like all of these references were popping up throughout and I think that’s mainly down to the fact that pretty much everyone on the team has grown up with these films, along with the idea behind them that you can make something of yourself even if the odds are stacked against you. Or on the other hand, it’s this draw to glamour, creative escapism and the communities we find within those spaces. It’s kind of how I felt moving to London and meeting like-minded creative people like Aimee.

Linus Johansson: Massively I would say! I think for many of us of our generation they had such a big impact on the idea of dreaming as big as you can and you can be whatever you want to be. These coming-of-age films offer a sense of hope. I feel like we started with showgirls as our main reference point and as we spoke together as a team it grew into referencing more and more of these movies. And I think you can clearly see how we’ve referenced the glam and fashions from these movies into the shoot as they are as relevant today as they were 30 years ago.

Photographer Lewis Vorn @lewisvorn, Photo Assistant/ b roll Juliette Najam @juliette_nastasia, Makeup and creative direction Aimee Twist @aimeetwistartistry using Starface & Half Magic Beauty, Makeup Assistant Roseanna Hackett @roseanna_makeup, Makeup Assistant Callie Foulsham @calliefx, Hair and creative direction Linus Johansson @hairbylinus using Maria Nila @marianilaprofessional, Hair assistant Hannah Domney @_grownout, Styling Lauren Anne Groves @Lgrovesss, 1st Styling assistant Eliza Goldsmith @eliza_goldsmith, 2nd Styling assistant Giulia Fraenkel @guiliafraenkel, Keshia Smith @k.smithstyling, Melia Tilbury @melia.tilbury, Co Director/ Katya Ganfeld @katyaganfeld Vinny Holden @vincejh, DOP Harry Grunfeld @harry_grunfeld, Set designer Mick O’connell @mickoconn, Movement Director Lee Jay Hoy @leejayhoy, Vintage car owner  Kyle Caddey @kylecaddey, Models Lauren Soyoung @laurensoyoung, Salome Herve @salomeezy with boundary London @boundarylondon, Bianca Kei @biancakeii with anti agency @antiagencyldn, Maria Richards @mariamayrichards & Lina Guarin @linaguarinx with MS Represents @msrepresents