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After a three-decade tenure on the Las Vegas strip, the showgirls from the production Jubilee! took a final perfectly timed kick in 2016. The extravaganza, known for its elaborate costumes created by celebrated designer Bob Mackie, closed its doors due to dwindling audience numbers and disappointed commentators who labeled it a spectacle “stuck in the past”.

Currently, almost a decade later, the showgirl persona, or at least the glamorous showgirl look, is back.

A Sultan of Sequins

Dubbed the “king of sparkle”, Mackie has made theatrical showgirl glamour his defining aesthetic, outfitting everyone from Hollywood icons to pop royalty. Earlier this month, a “barely-there” bodysuit he designed for Cher in 1978 sold for $57,600, seven times its estimated price, while a shimmering fringed bodysuit with lamé wings that Mackie designed for Tina Turner for a 1977 show sold for $19,200.

“I believe it looks more enticing for the younger performer who is desiring something other than what they knew from childhood”, he stated in an interview with a media outlet. “New stars are embracing a show-stopping, more theatrical, breathtaking, memorable statement.”

A Pop Culture Resurgence

It’s a look that glided all the way to the epicenter of mainstream fashion in 2025 propelled by a global pop icon. In the past few months, the cultural juggernaut wore one of Mackie’s vintage Jubilee! costumes on the cover of her new musical project. The rhinestone encrusted bra and thong, feathered armbands and shimmering headpiece were ideal for a record titled The Life of a Showgirl.

She isn't alone. This year, showgirl references have been incorporated by singers including Sabrina Carpenter as they zoomed across world tours in glitter, strategic openings and ostrich feathers, spotlighted against theatrical sets. Lipa’s stylist Lorenzo Posocco told a style publication he wanted to bring “a showgirl attitude” to her Radical Optimism tour – inspired by pictures from the 1950s, her performers fluttered giant feathered fans.

Pulling from the Past

These artists and other hitmakers also draw on classic entertainment forms, including vaudeville and ensemble references. The results are vastly different from the 90s teen pop of short shirts and baggy pants, and street-style dance moves that preceded this trend.

But some critics are convinced with this showgirl renaissance. Nancy Hardy, a former Jubilee! showgirl who danced in the early 2000s says the trend is “puzzling”. She thinks the word term is being “treated as an catch-all phrase encompassing everything from The Radio City Rockettes to Broadway performers and now even Taylor Swift.”

A Highly Sought-After Classic Look

For gen Z and millennial stars, Mackie’s classic designs have become incredibly sought-after. In 2024, a famous actress gave a nod to one of Mackie’s earliest clients, Cher, when the actor wore a translucent embellished dress made by the designer in 2001, which was similar to one he created for Cher to wear in 1967. Months after, Miley Cyrus paid an undisclosed sum to buy the Mackie beaded mini dress she had worn previously to perform at the Grammys. In September, the singer wore a series of classic Mackie designs at the MTV Video Music Awards. They are also a favorite among vintage enthusiasts.

“The showgirl aesthetic inspire a sense of longing for a bygone era of glitz,” says a historian, an expert at the an academic institution, who documents the story of showgirls. “Currently it is viewed as a sort of ‘safe’ sexy because it has been adapted. It has got all the sophistication, the rhinestones and the glitter but without the exposure.”

A Than Just Style: An Icon of Las Vegas

The expert says showgirls are central to the iconography of Vegas. She points to former mayor Oscar Goodman who, during civic functions, was surrounded by two showgirls. While Las Vegas currently lacks any showgirl-centric productions, the historian says they are still used as an emblem of the city, being present at gatherings and in promotional material. “The showgirl is still a remaining icon of Vegas glamour,” the expert says.

The Allure of Escape

Hardy says the complete change of a stage character is part of the allure. It’s something Swift references in a new docuseries that captures the off-camera action from her massive 2023 Eras tour, which included exhausting practice sessions, workouts and numerous shows across 21 countries, each lasting 3.5 hours.

The performer describes her own showgirl performances as “similar to extreme physical exertion in heels every night”. Her headdress tipped the scales at 34lbs. “I had to carry it all the way up the staircase to the platform from the dressing rooms three floors below in the lower level. I had to start early for my cue so I could catch my breath before I went on stage. One is perspiring the whole time but maintaining this illusion that it’s effortless and beautiful and magical.”

Maybe this is where the fascination of the showgirl really is found. In the busyness of 2025 there is a craving for fantasy. Is there anyone better to look to than showgirls, who have always personified make-believe, idealism and a realm where no one falters.