HOW THE COSTUMES IN 'MAGIC MIKE LIVE' 

WERE MADE TO BE TAKEN OFF

Plus, behind-the-scenes wardrobe secrets from the Backstreet Boys, Ricky Martin and Britney Spears residencies in Vegas, baby, Vegas.Plus, behind-the-scenes wardrobe secrets from the Backstreet Boys, Ricky Martin and Britney Spears residencies in Vegas, baby, Vegas.

Usually when one thinks of Las Vegas, aggressively supersize outposts of celebrity chef restaurants and packs of fratty bachelor (and novelty-penis-adorned bachelorette) parties come to mind. But Vegas is also home to some pretty excellent theater beyond the traditional Cirque du Soleil. Residencies are the glitzy city's new big thing, complete with three additional hot tickets: Channing Tatum's gift to humanity, "Magic Mike Live," the best selling boy band ever Backstreet Boys: Larger Than Life," and boy band graduate turned superstar "Ricky Martin: All In." 

So come for the tunes, the stellar dance moves, and the hot, hot emoting, but stay for the costumes, which — because it's Vegas — are especially over-the-top, but in a very, very good way. (And yes, to answer your question, the costumes in "Magic Mike Live" are integral to the awesomeness of the show, even if they mostly come off.)

For all the juicy details, I caught up with the costume designers for each of the residencies — Emmy winning Marina Toybina, Tierney Burchett and Dean and Dan Caten of Dsquared2, respectively — plus checked in with Emmy winner Soyon An for the long-running (for Vegas) "Britney Spears: Piece of Me," which is — sob — winding down at the end of this year. Because what happens in Vegas should not stay in Vegas — not when it comes to fashion, anyway.

"MAGIC MIKE LIVE" AT THE HARD ROCK HOTEL

The #aesthetic: "Magic Mike Live" is not your "cheesy" Vegas male revue with dorky costume-y outfits involving pedestrian breakaway pants and thongs. It's a classy, elegant and elevated performance. Like the two preceding hit movies, involves a plot featuring "Mike," who is taught important life lessons by 12 very fit (and talented) dancers via meticulously choreographed vignettes, audience participation lap dances and costumes by four-time Emmy winner Marina Toybina. 

"It's very street savvy," she tells me over the phone from Los Angeles. "It's smart fashion, rather than going full-on costumes." Aside from a fireman who makes an appearance in the opening sequence, the characters are "the everyday guy you want to meet on the street and also be friends with" (and possibly more). Each dancer communicates his individual steez through a specific "relatable" looks: hipster, rocker, "suave guy," the hip-hop dude, etc. So think: tailored suiting, skinny dark wash jeans, and pec-hugging T-shirts that are all meant to be skillfully and gracefully removed.

Fun, behind-the-scenes wardrobe tricks: The aforementioned pieces of clothing were carefully engineered to make dancers' high-brow strip-down effortless and flawless. Like Broadway costume designers, Toybina isn't ready to give away her secrets, but she did rely on double-sewn hidden snaps, zippers and plackets that wouldn't be noticeable to an audience. These are not your run-of-the-mill tearaway pants, people. "The risk was that things would open or unsnap in the middle of the performance before we get to the main peaks of when the clothing comes off," she says.

Artist input: Creator and co-director Channing Tatum was very hands-on in developing the show. "Having Chan’s input truly helped me understand the male side of it and what the guys want to see," explains Toybina, who also brought her husband to a performance (and he fully enjoyed it). "Because the show is for all types of audiences, it's important to capture that [through wardrobe]. The women enjoy it and the guys don't feel intimidated." 

Highlight: For lack of better words, the climatic parts of the show, for which Toybina and her team created specially branded "Magic Mike Live" underwear. The "very cool" undies worn by all the dancers were also engineered down to the very last detail. "We, of course, have to do a few special things in order to make sure that everything stays in its place," Toybina says. "That's working with hidden elastics, or being able to take in certain things and create darts or find the proper sizing for the guys. At the same time, make them feel safe on stage. This isn't your typical male revue show. The focus truly isn't on what the underneath will look like. It's how we get to that part." Can't wait for the journey.

Visit MagicMikeLiveLasVegas.com for more details. Follow Marina Toybina on Instagram @MarinaToybina.