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After a three-decade run on the Las Vegas Boulevard, the dancers from the spectacle Jubilee! executed their last synchronised kick in 2016. The production, famous for its elaborate costumes crafted by American fashion designer Bob Mackie, closed its doors due to declining audience numbers and disappointed reviewers who labeled it a spectacle “trapped in time”.

Today, almost a decade later, the showgirl persona, or at least the glamorous showgirl look, is back.

The Sultan of Sequins

Dubbed the “king of sparkle”, Mackie has made theatrical showgirl glitz his signature style, dressing everyone from Marilyn Monroe to music superstars. Recently, a “barely-there” bodysuit he designed for Cher in 1978 commanded $57,600, well over its projected value, while a metallic beaded bodysuit with reflective wings that Mackie designed for Tina Turner for a 1977 concert sold for $19,200.

“I think it looks more appealing for the younger performer who is desiring something other than what they grew up with”, he told a publication. “Contemporary performers are embracing a theatrical, more spectacular, show-stopping, memorable statement.”

The Pop Culture Revival

It’s a look that sashayed all the way to the heart of popular culture in 2025 thanks to Taylor Swift. Recently, the music phenomenon wore one of Mackie’s classic Jubilee! costumes on the cover of her 12th studio album. The rhinestone encrusted bra and thong, plumed armbands and glittering headpiece were perfect for a record titled The Life of a Showgirl.

She has company. This year, showgirl inspirations have been adopted by music artists including Miley Cyrus as they whizzed across concert platforms in sparkles, strategic openings and ostrich feathers, highlighted against theatrical sets. Lipa’s stylist her creative director mentioned in an interview with a style publication he wanted to bring “a showgirl spirit” to her Radical Optimism tour – inspired by pictures from the mid-century, Lipa’s dancers wafted giant plumed accessories.

Drawing from the Past

Lipa, Carpenter and other successful musicians also draw on classic entertainment forms, including classic theater and chorus line references. The final look are poles apart from the 90s teen pop of crop tops and baggy pants, and hip-hop inspired dance moves that came before them.

But some critics are convinced with this glamour resurgence. Nancy Hardy, a former Jubilee! showgirl who performed in the early 2000s says the trend is “bemusing”. She thinks the word showgirl title is being “used as an catch-all phrase encompassing everything from The Radio City Rockettes to Broadway performers and now seemingly modern pop stars.”

A Coveted Vintage Look

For younger and young adult stars, Mackie’s classic designs have become incredibly sought-after. In 2024, a famous actress paid tribute to one of Mackie’s first major stars, Cher, when the actress wore a see-through sequined dress designed by the designer in 2001, which was similar to one he created for Cher to wear in 1967. Later that year, Miley Cyrus paid an significant price to buy the Mackie fringed mini dress she had worn previously to perform at the Grammys. In September, Sabrina Carpenter wore a trio of vintage Mackie designs at the MTV Video Music Awards. They are also a popular item among fashion collectors.

“This style inspire fond memories for a past glamour,” says an archivist, a curator at the an academic institution, who documents the history of showgirls. “Currently it is viewed as a sort of ‘safe’ allure because it has been modified. It has got all the sophistication, the crystals and the sparkle but without the nudity.”

A Than Simply Fashion: An Icon of Vegas

Chung says this figure are integral to the imagery of Vegas. She points to one-time leader Oscar Goodman who, during official events, was surrounded by two showgirls. Even though Las Vegas currently lacks any showgirl-centric productions, the historian says they are still featured as an logo of the city, appearing at conventions and in promotional material. “The showgirl is still a remaining icon of Las Vegas glitz and glamour,” Chung says.

The Allure of Transformation

The former showgirl says the magical transformation of a stage character is part of the appeal. This idea Swift references in a new documentary series that documents the off-camera action from her year-long 2023 Eras tour, which included exhausting rehearsals, workouts and countless concerts across 21 countries, each going on for 3.5 hours.

Hardy explains her own stage routines as “like running a marathon in heels every night”. Her headdress tipped the scales at 34lbs. “I had to carry it all the way up the steps to the platform from the dressing rooms three floors below in the underground. I had to leave early for my cue so I could recover before I performed. You’re sweating the whole time but maintaining this illusion that it’s effortless and stunning and magical.”

It could be this is where the true allure of the showgirl really is found. In the complexity of 2025 there is a craving for a break from reality. Who better to look to than such icons, who have always embodied dreams, perfection and a realm where nobody falters.