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Following a three-decade stint on the iconic Vegas strip, the showgirls from the revue Jubilee! took a final choreographed kick in 2016. The production, known for its ornate costumes designed by celebrated designer Bob Mackie, came to an end due to declining audience numbers and disappointed reviewers who labeled it a spectacle “stuck in the past”.

Now, nearly ten years later, the showgirl, or at least the glamorous showgirl look, is making a comeback.

A Master of Sequins

Referred to as the “king of sparkle”, Mackie has made over-the-top showgirl glitz his signature style, dressing everyone from Marilyn Monroe to Madonna. Recently, a “barely-there” bodysuit he designed for Cher in 1978 fetched $57,600, far exceeding its initial estimate, while a silver and gold fringed bodysuit with shiny wings that Mackie crafted for Tina Turner for a 1977 show sold for $19,200.

“In my view it looks more enticing for the emerging artists who is seeking something other than what they were accustomed to”, he explained to a newspaper. “Contemporary performers are striving for a show-stopping, more theatrical, attention-grabbing, memorable statement.”

A Musical Revival

It’s a look that glided all the way to the epicenter of the cultural zeitgeist in 2025 largely due to a chart-topping superstar. Earlier this year, the cultural juggernaut wore one of Mackie’s vintage Jubilee! costumes on the cover of her new musical project. The bedazzled bra and thong, feathered armbands and sparkly headpiece were ideal for a record named The Life of a Showgirl.

The singer is part of a trend. This year, glamorous nods have been incorporated by singers including Miley Cyrus as they zoomed across world tours in glitter, revealing designs and ostrich feathers, spotlighted against overstated sets. A top stylist Lorenzo Posocco mentioned in an interview with a fashion magazine he wanted to bring “a showgirl attitude” to her Radical Optimism tour – inspired by pictures from the 1950s, the backup dancers fluttered giant ostrich feather fans.

Pulling from Tradition

These artists and other chart toppers also draw on 19th-century entertainment forms, including vaudeville and dance line references. The results are worlds away from the 1990s era pop style of short shirts and cargo pants, and urban dance moves that preceded this trend.

But certain observers are enthusiastic with this glamour resurgence. A former performer, a ex- Jubilee! showgirl who performed in the 00s says the trend is “bemusing”. She thinks the word showgirl title is being “used as an umbrella term encompassing everything from The Radio City Rockettes to Broadway performers and now apparently Taylor Swift.”

A Coveted Vintage Style

For gen Z and modern stars, Mackie’s classic designs have become extremely desirable. In 2024, a famous actress paid tribute to one of Mackie’s iconic muses, Cher, when the actress wore a semi-sheer sequined dress made by the designer in 2001, which was inspired by one he made for Cher to wear in 1967. Later that year, Miley Cyrus paid an private amount to buy the Mackie fringed mini dress she had worn previously to perform at the Grammys. In September, Sabrina Carpenter wore a collection of classic Mackie designs at the MTV Video Music Awards. They are also a popular item among collectors.

“This style bring about nostalgia for a historical elegance,” says an archivist, an expert at the a Las Vegas university, who researches the legacy of showgirls. “Today it is considered a sort of ‘toned-down’ allure because it has been updated. It has got all the glamour, the sparkles and the sparkle but without the exposure.”

A Than Simply Fashion: An Symbol of Las Vegas

Chung says showgirls are key to the identity of Sin City. She points to former mayor Oscar Goodman who, during official events, was flanked by two showgirls. Even though Las Vegas does not host any traditional showgirl productions, the historian says they are still used as an symbol of the city, appearing at corporate events and in advertisements. “The showgirl is still a remaining icon of Vegas glitz and glamour,” she says.

An Appeal of Escape

The former showgirl says the magical transformation of a showgirl is part of the allure. This idea Taylor Swift hints at in a new behind-the-scenes film that documents the backstage action from her massive 2023 Eras tour, which included gruelling practice sessions, gym sessions and numerous shows across dozens of cities, each lasting 3.5 hours.

She recalls her own stage routines as “similar to extreme physical exertion in heels every night”. Her headpiece weighed 34lbs. “I had to carry it all the way up the staircase to the performance area from the dressing rooms three floors below in the lower level. I had to leave early for my entrance so I could recover before I went on stage. You’re sweating the whole time but creating this illusion that it’s easy and beautiful and dreamlike.”

It could be this is where the appeal of the showgirl really resides. In the complexity of 2025 there is a desire for fantasy. Is there anyone better to look to than such icons, who have always personified fantasy, idealism and a world where nobody makes a mistake.