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Following a long-running run on the Las Vegas Boulevard, the showgirls from the spectacle Jubilee! took a final choreographed kick in 2016. The show, known for its ornate costumes designed by American fashion designer Bob Mackie, closed its doors due to falling audience numbers and disappointed critics who labeled it a spectacle “a relic of another era”.

Today, roughly eight years later, showgirls, or at least the showgirl style, is experiencing a revival.

The Master of Glitz

Known as the “king of sparkle”, Mackie has made dramatic showgirl glitz his signature style, dressing everyone from Marilyn Monroe to pop royalty. Recently, a “barely-there” bodysuit he made for Cher in 1978 commanded $57,600, seven times its projected value, while a metallic beaded bodysuit with reflective wings that Mackie designed for Tina Turner for a 1977 concert sold for $19,200.

“I think it looks more attractive for the younger performer who is looking for something other than what they were accustomed to”, he stated in an interview with a newspaper. “Today's artists are embracing a glamorous, more spectacular, attention-grabbing, entrance-making statement.”

A Mainstream Resurgence

It’s a look that sashayed all the way to the centre of popular culture in 2025 largely due to Taylor Swift. Recently, the cultural juggernaut wore one of Mackie’s original Jubilee! costumes on the cover of her new musical project. The crystal-covered bra and thong, feathered armbands and sparkly headpiece were perfect for a record called The Life of a Showgirl.

Swift isn't alone. This year, showgirl inspirations have been incorporated by pop stars including Dua Lipa as they zoomed across concert platforms in sparkles, strategic openings and feathers, illuminated against overstated sets. A top stylist Lorenzo Posocco explained to Vogue he wanted to bring “a stage persona” to her Radical Optimism tour – referencing pictures from the mid-century, Lipa’s dancers waved giant plumed accessories.

Drawing from Tradition

Lipa, Carpenter and other chart toppers also draw on historical entertainment forms, including vaudeville and dance line references. The outcome are vastly different from the 1990s era Britney Spears era of revealing tops and baggy pants, and urban dance moves that came before them.

But not everyone are enthusiastic with this showgirl renaissance. A former performer, a ex- Jubilee! showgirl who performed in the 00s says the trend is “puzzling”. She thinks the word showgirl is being “treated as an catch-all phrase covering everything from The Radio City Rockettes to Broadway performers and now apparently Taylor Swift.”

A Highly Sought-After Classic Style

For gen Z and young adult stars, Mackie’s classic designs have become extremely desirable. In 2024, Zendaya gave a nod to one of Mackie’s iconic muses, Cher, when the actress wore a translucent sequined dress designed by the designer in 2001, which was similar to one he designed for Cher to wear in 1967. Later that year, Miley Cyrus paid an undisclosed sum to buy the Mackie tasseled mini dress she had worn at an awards show to perform at the Grammys. In September, Sabrina Carpenter wore a collection of retro Mackie designs at the MTV Video Music Awards. They are also a hit among vintage enthusiasts.

“The showgirl aesthetic evoke fond memories for a past glamour,” says an archivist, an expert at the an academic institution, who documents the story of showgirls. “Now it is considered a sort of ‘acceptable’ allure because it has been updated. It has got all the elegance, the rhinestones and the shine but without the bare skin.”

More Than Simply Fashion: An Symbol of Vegas

The expert says the showgirl image are integral to the imagery of Las Vegas. She points to former mayor Oscar Goodman who, during official events, was accompanied by two showgirls. Even though Las Vegas currently lacks any traditional showgirl productions, Jung says they are still used as an logo of the city, showing up at conventions and in marketing. “The showgirl is still a enduring icon of Las Vegas spectacle,” she says.

The Allure of Escape

Nancy Hardy says the complete change of a stage character is part of the allure. This idea the singer alludes to in a recent behind-the-scenes film that shows the behind-the-scenes action from her extensive 2023 Eras tour, which included gruelling practice sessions, workouts and 149 concerts across dozens of cities, each going on for 3.5 hours.

The performer explains her own nights in the spotlight as “like completing an endurance race in high heels every night”. Her headdress tipped the scales at 34lbs. “I had to carry it all the way up the staircase to the performance area from the backstage area three floors below in the basement. I had to start early for my entrance so I could recover before I went on stage. You are sweating the whole time but crafting this illusion that it’s effortless and gorgeous and ethereal.”

Perhaps this is where the appeal of the showgirl fantasy really resides. In the busyness of 2025 there is a longing for escapism. Is there anyone better to emulate than these performers, who have always embodied dreams, flawlessness and a world where nobody falters.