Following a three-decade tenure on the Las Vegas strip, the dancers from the revue Jubilee! took a final choreographed kick in 2016. The extravaganza, famous for its intricate costumes designed by style icon Bob Mackie, ended its run due to falling audience numbers and unimpressed critics who called it a spectacle “trapped in time”.
Now, almost a decade later, showgirls, or at least the glamorous showgirl look, is back.
A Sultan of Sparkle
Referred to as the “king of sparkle”, Mackie has made theatrical stage sparkle his defining aesthetic, outfitting everyone from Hollywood icons to pop royalty. Earlier this month, a “see-through” bodysuit he designed for Cher in 1978 commanded $57,600, seven times its estimated price, while a silver and gold fringed bodysuit with shiny 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 looking for something other than what they knew from childhood”, he explained to a newspaper. “Today's artists are pushing toward a theatrical, more dramatic, breathtaking, entrance-making statement.”
A Mainstream Resurgence
It’s a look that sashayed all the way to the epicenter of popular culture in 2025 thanks to a global pop icon. Recently, the music phenomenon wore one of Mackie’s original Jubilee! costumes on the cover of her new musical project. The bedazzled bra and thong, ostrich-feather armbands and glittering headpiece were tailor-made for a record named The Life of a Showgirl.
She isn't alone. This year, showgirl inspirations have been embraced by pop stars including Dua Lipa as they whizzed across arena stages in sequins, strategic openings and plumes, highlighted against overstated sets. Lipa’s stylist a fashion expert mentioned in an interview with a fashion magazine he wanted to bring “a showgirl spirit” to her Radical Optimism tour – referencing pictures from the 50s, the backup dancers fluttered giant plumed accessories.
Drawing from History
Modern stars and other hitmakers also reference classic performances, including burlesque and ensemble references. The outcome are worlds away from the 1990s era teen pop of crop tops and baggy pants, and urban dance moves that were popular earlier.
But not everyone are convinced with this glamour resurgence. Nancy Hardy, a one-time Jubilee! showgirl who performed in the 00s says the trend is “confusing”. She thinks the word term is being “treated as an umbrella term including everything from The Radio City Rockettes to Broadway performers and now apparently Taylor Swift.”
The Highly Sought-After Vintage Style
For gen Z and modern stars, Mackie’s classic designs have become extremely desirable. In 2024, Zendaya paid tribute to one of Mackie’s earliest clients, Cher, when the star wore a translucent sequined dress designed by the designer in 2001, which was reminiscent of one he created for Cher to wear in 1967. Subsequently, Miley Cyrus paid an private amount to buy the Mackie beaded mini dress she had worn previously to perform at the Grammys. In September, Carpenter wore a collection of classic Mackie designs at the MTV Video Music Awards. They are also a hit among fashion collectors.
“Showgirls evoke nostalgia for a historical elegance,” says a historian, an expert at the an academic institution, who studies the legacy of showgirls. “Currently it is viewed as a sort of ‘safe’ allure because it has been adapted. It has got all the glamour, the rhinestones and the sparkle but without the bare skin.”
A Than Just Style: An Icon of the City
Chung says this figure are key to the iconography of Vegas. She points to ex-mayor Oscar Goodman who, during official events, was flanked by two showgirls. Although Las Vegas no longer has any showgirl-centric productions, the historian says they are still used as an logo of the city, showing up at conventions and in promotional material. “The showgirl is still a lasting figure of Vegas glitz and glamour,” the expert says.
The Appeal of Transformation
The former showgirl says the transformative effect of a showgirl is part of the attraction. It’s something Taylor Swift references in a recent documentary series that captures the backstage action from her massive 2023 Eras tour, which included intense rehearsals, workouts and numerous concerts across multiple nations, each running for 3.5 hours.
The performer recalls her own showgirl performances as “similar to extreme physical exertion in high heels every night”. Her headpiece tipped the scales at 34lbs. “I had to wear it all the way up the steps to the performance area from the green rooms three floors below in the lower level. I had to leave early for my moment so I could catch my breath before I made my entrance. You are sweating the whole time but maintaining this fantasy that it’s effortless and gorgeous and ethereal.”
It could be this is where the true allure of the showgirl really is found. In the chaos of 2025 there is a longing for escapism. Is there anyone better to look to than showgirls, who have always personified make-believe, perfection and a realm where nobody falters.
