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Following a long-running tenure on the Las Vegas strip, the showgirls from the revue Jubilee! executed their last choreographed kick in 2016. The production, renowned for its intricate costumes designed by style icon Bob Mackie, came to an end due to falling audience numbers and disappointed reviewers who called it a spectacle “a relic of another era”.

Currently, roughly eight years later, the showgirl, or at least the showgirl style, is making a comeback.

A Master of Sequins

Dubbed the “master of glitz”, Mackie has made over-the-top stage sparkle his defining aesthetic, dressing everyone from screen legends to pop royalty. Recently, a “barely-there” bodysuit he designed for Cher in 1978 sold for $57,600, seven times its initial estimate, while a metallic tasseled bodysuit with shiny wings that Mackie designed for Tina Turner for a 1977 show sold for $19,200.

“In my view it looks more enticing for the new generation of stars who is seeking something other than what they were accustomed to”, he explained to a media outlet. “Contemporary performers are pushing toward a theatrical, more dramatic, attention-grabbing, entrance-making statement.”

A Mainstream Resurgence

It’s a look that made its way all the way to the epicenter of mainstream fashion in 2025 thanks to Taylor Swift. In the past few months, the entertainment titan wore one of Mackie’s original Jubilee! costumes on the cover of her new musical project. The bedazzled bra and thong, feathered armbands and glittering headpiece were perfect for a record titled The Life of a Showgirl.

The singer isn't alone. This year, showgirl references have been embraced by music artists including Miley Cyrus as they zoomed across world tours in sparkles, strategic openings and ostrich feathers, spotlighted against camp sets. A top stylist her creative director mentioned in an interview with Vogue he wanted to bring “a showgirl spirit” to her Radical Optimism tour – referencing pictures from the mid-century, the backup dancers fluttered giant feathered fans.

Pulling from Tradition

Lipa, Carpenter and other successful musicians also reference historical entertainment forms, including classic theater and dance line references. The final look are poles apart from the 90s teen pop of short shirts and cargo pants, and street-style dance moves that were popular earlier.

But some critics are on board with this showgirl revival. A former performer, a former Jubilee! showgirl who danced in the 00s says the trend is “puzzling”. She thinks the word showgirl title is being “used as an catch-all phrase covering everything from The Radio City Rockettes to Broadway performers and now even today's icons.”

A Highly Sought-After Retro Look

For millennial and modern stars, Mackie’s classic designs have become extremely desirable. In 2024, a style icon gave a nod to one of Mackie’s iconic muses, Cher, when the actor wore a see-through beaded dress designed by the designer in 2001, which was inspired by one he made for Cher to wear in 1967. Subsequently, another pop star paid an private amount to buy the Mackie beaded mini dress she had worn earlier in the year to perform at the Grammys. In September, Sabrina Carpenter wore a series of retro Mackie designs at the MTV Video Music Awards. They are also a hit among vintage enthusiasts.

“The showgirl aesthetic bring about a sense of longing for a past glamour,” says an archivist, head of special collections at the a Las Vegas university, who documents the legacy of showgirls. “Now it is viewed as a sort of ‘safe’ allure because it has been adapted. It has got all the glamour, the rhinestones and the glitter but without the bare skin.”

A Than Simply Fashion: An Icon of the City

She says showgirls are integral to the imagery of Vegas. She points to one-time leader Oscar Goodman who, during official events, was flanked by two showgirls. Although Las Vegas currently lacks any traditional showgirl productions, Chung says they are still employed as an symbol of the city, being present at corporate events and in advertisements. “The showgirl is still a enduring figure of Las Vegas glitz and glamour,” the expert says.

An Allure of Transformation

Hardy says the complete change of a showgirl is part of the attraction. This idea Taylor Swift hints at in a recent documentary series that documents the behind-the-scenes action from her year-long 2023 Eras tour, which included gruelling rehearsals, workouts and countless performances across 21 countries, each going on for 3.5 hours.

The performer describes her own showgirl performances as “similar to extreme physical exertion 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 platform from the dressing rooms three floors below in the basement. I had to head up ahead of time for my cue so I could rest before I went on stage. One is working hard the whole time but creating this image that it’s simple and beautiful and ethereal.”

It could be this is where the appeal of the showgirl really resides. In the chaos of 2025 there is a craving for a break from reality. Who better to emulate than showgirls, who have always represented fantasy, flawlessness and a world where no one makes a mistake.