Anderson plays an aging Vegas showgirl in the new movie from Gia Coppola. For so many reasons, it's a role only she could meaningfully deliver.

We were distracted. For most of her life, Pamela Anderson was being upstaged by "Pamela Anderson." Then Gia Coppola sent her a screenplay by Kate Gersten, and now Ms. Anderson, having given one of the finest performances of this or any year,

In the movie, which was released wide on Jan. 8, Pamela Anderson stars as an aging-out Las Vegas showgirl named Shelly, and she and her fellow dancers had the costumes to match. They wore a number of vintage-sourced pieces, including valuable finds created by legendary designer Bob Mackie.