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After a three-decade stint on the Las Vegas strip, the showgirls from the spectacle Jubilee! gave one last choreographed kick in 2016. The show, renowned for its elaborate costumes designed by style icon Bob Mackie, ended its run due to declining audience numbers and critical reviewers who labeled it a spectacle “trapped in time”.

Today, almost a decade later, showgirls, or at least the showgirl aesthetic, is back.

A King of Sparkle

Referred to as the “master of glitz”, Mackie has made theatrical showgirl glitz his trademark look, clothing everyone from screen legends to Madonna. Recently, a “see-through” bodysuit he made for Cher in 1978 sold for $57,600, far exceeding its projected value, while a shimmering beaded bodysuit with reflective wings that Mackie crafted for Tina Turner for a 1977 show sold for $19,200.

“I think it looks more appealing for the younger performer who is seeking something other than what they were accustomed to”, he explained to a newspaper. “Today's artists are embracing a show-stopping, more theatrical, breathtaking, memorable statement.”

The Pop Culture Resurgence

It’s a look that sashayed all the way to the heart of mainstream fashion in 2025 largely due to a global pop icon. Earlier this year, the music phenomenon wore one of Mackie’s vintage Jubilee! costumes on the cover of her new musical project. The rhinestone encrusted bra and thong, plumed armbands and shimmering headpiece were ideal for a record titled The Life of a Showgirl.

She has company. This year, showgirl inspirations have been embraced by singers including Sabrina Carpenter as they danced across concert platforms in glitter, cut-outs and ostrich feathers, illuminated against camp sets. A top stylist a fashion expert told a style publication he wanted to bring “a showgirl attitude” to her Radical Optimism tour – inspired by pictures from the mid-century, her performers waved giant feathered fans.

Pulling from Tradition

Lipa, Carpenter and other successful musicians also take inspiration from historical performances, including burlesque and dance line references. The results are poles apart from the 1990s era teen pop of revealing tops and utilitarian trousers, and street-style dance moves that came before them.

But some critics are enthusiastic with this glamour resurgence. An ex-showgirl, a former Jubilee! showgirl who danced in the early 2000s says the trend is “bemusing”. She thinks the word showgirl is being “employed as an umbrella term encompassing everything from The Radio City Rockettes to Broadway performers and now even modern pop stars.”

A Coveted Classic Style

For gen Z and modern stars, Mackie’s retro designs have become highly covetable. In 2024, Zendaya honored to one of Mackie’s first major stars, Cher, when the actress wore a semi-sheer sequined dress designed by the designer in 2001, which was similar to one he designed for Cher to wear in 1967. Subsequently, Miley Cyrus paid an undisclosed sum to buy the Mackie beaded mini dress she had worn at an awards show to perform at the Grammys. In September, the singer wore a trio of retro Mackie designs at the MTV Video Music Awards. They are also a hit among fashion collectors.

“Showgirls evoke nostalgia for a historical elegance,” says an archivist, head of special collections at the University of Nevada, who documents the history of showgirls. “Today it is viewed as a sort of ‘acceptable’ sexy because it has been modified. It has got all the sophistication, the crystals and the shine but without the bare skin.”

More Than Simply Style: An Symbol of Vegas

The expert says the showgirl image are integral to the identity of Las Vegas. She points to one-time leader Oscar Goodman who, during civic functions, was accompanied by two showgirls. Although Las Vegas currently lacks any showgirl-based productions, Jung says they are still featured as an logo of the city, showing up at corporate events and in marketing. “The showgirl is still a enduring icon of Vegas spectacle,” Chung says.

The Appeal of Illusion

Hardy says the transformative effect of a showgirl is part of the allure. This is a notion Swift hints at in a new docuseries that shows the backstage action from her extensive 2023 Eras tour, which included exhausting rehearsals, workouts and numerous performances across multiple nations, each lasting 3.5 hours.

She describes her own showgirl performances as “similar to completing an endurance race in heels every night”. Her headpiece weighed 34lbs. “I had to carry it all the way up the staircase to the platform from the backstage area three floors below in the underground. I had to leave early for my moment so I could recover before I made my entrance. You’re perspiring the whole time but maintaining this fantasy that it’s easy and stunning and ethereal.”

It could be this is where the appeal of the showgirl really is found. In the busyness of 2025 there is a desire for a break from reality. Who better to turn to than these performers, who have always personified fantasy, idealism and a realm where no one makes a mistake.