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After a long-running stint on the Las Vegas Boulevard, the showgirls from the revue Jubilee! executed their last choreographed kick in 2016. The extravaganza, famous for its elaborate costumes crafted by American fashion designer Bob Mackie, closed its doors due to falling audience numbers and unimpressed commentators who called it a spectacle “trapped in time”.

Now, roughly eight years later, the showgirl, or at least the glamorous showgirl look, is back.

The Sultan of Glitz

Known as the “master of glitz”, Mackie has made over-the-top showgirl glamour his defining aesthetic, clothing everyone from Hollywood icons to pop royalty. Earlier this month, a “naked” bodysuit he created for Cher in 1978 sold for $57,600, far exceeding its estimated price, while a silver and gold tasseled bodysuit with shiny wings that Mackie crafted for Tina Turner for a 1977 concert sold for $19,200.

“I think it looks more enticing for the younger performer who is desiring something other than what they knew from childhood”, he told a media outlet. “Today's artists are pushing toward a theatrical, more spectacular, attention-grabbing, entrance-making statement.”

A Musical Comeback

It’s a look that made its way all the way to the centre of mainstream fashion in 2025 propelled by Taylor Swift. Earlier this year, the music phenomenon 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 tailor-made for a record named The Life of a Showgirl.

She is part of a trend. This year, showgirl inspirations have been incorporated by singers including Miley Cyrus as they danced across arena stages in glitter, cut-outs and feathers, highlighted against theatrical sets. Lipa’s stylist her creative director explained to a fashion magazine he wanted to bring “a stage persona” to her Radical Optimism tour – drawing from pictures from the 50s, the backup dancers wafted giant ostrich feather fans.

Pulling from History

Modern stars and other chart toppers also draw on 19th-century performances, including classic theater and ensemble references. The outcome are vastly different from the 90s teen pop of short shirts and baggy pants, and hip-hop inspired dance moves that preceded this trend.

But not everyone are convinced with this showgirl renaissance. Nancy Hardy, a one-time Jubilee! showgirl who danced in the early 2000s says the trend is “confusing”. She thinks the word showgirl title is being “used as an umbrella term covering everything from The Radio City Rockettes to Broadway performers and now seemingly today's icons.”

A Highly Sought-After Retro Style

For younger and millennial stars, Mackie’s classic designs have become highly covetable. In 2024, a famous actress gave a nod to one of Mackie’s first major stars, Cher, when the star wore a see-through embellished dress designed by the designer in 2001, which was reminiscent of one he created for Cher to wear in 1967. Subsequently, a singer paid an significant price to buy the Mackie beaded mini dress she had worn at an awards show to perform at the Grammys. In September, Sabrina Carpenter wore a series of vintage Mackie designs at the MTV Video Music Awards. They are also a favorite among vintage enthusiasts.

“Showgirls evoke fond memories for a historical elegance,” says an archivist, head of special collections at the a Las Vegas university, who studies the history of showgirls. “Currently it is viewed as a sort of ‘acceptable’ sexy because it has been modified. It has got all the glamour, the sparkles and the shine but without the nudity.”

A Than Just Style: An Symbol of Vegas

Chung says this figure are key to the identity of Sin City. She points to former mayor Oscar Goodman who, during civic functions, was surrounded by two showgirls. Although Las Vegas no longer has any showgirl-centric productions, Chung says they are still employed as an logo of the city, showing up at corporate events and in advertisements. “The showgirl is still a remaining symbol of Vegas glitz and glamour,” the expert says.

An Appeal of Illusion

The former showgirl says the magical transformation of a showgirl is part of the appeal. This idea the singer hints at in a new documentary series that captures the behind-the-scenes action from her massive 2023 Eras tour, which included intense preparations, workouts and countless performances across dozens of cities, each lasting 3.5 hours.

Hardy explains her own nights in the spotlight as “similar to extreme physical exertion in high heels every night”. Her headpiece was 34lbs. “I had to carry it all the way up the steps to the platform from the green rooms three floors below in the basement. I had to leave early for my entrance so I could catch my breath before I went on stage. You are perspiring the whole time but maintaining this image that it’s effortless and stunning and magical.”

It could be this is where the fascination of the showgirl fantasy really is found. In the chaos of 2025 there is a craving for fantasy. Is there anyone better to emulate than these performers, who have always personified make-believe, flawlessness and a world where no one makes a mistake.