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Following a three-decade stint on the Las Vegas Boulevard, the performers from the spectacle Jubilee! took a final synchronised kick in 2016. The show, known for its intricate costumes created by American fashion designer Bob Mackie, closed its doors due to falling audience numbers and critical commentators who labeled it a spectacle “stuck in the past”.

Now, nearly ten years later, showgirls, or at least the showgirl aesthetic, is back.

A King of Sparkle

Referred to as the “king of sparkle”, Mackie has made over-the-top stage sparkle his signature style, outfitting everyone from screen legends to pop royalty. Recently, a “barely-there” bodysuit he designed for Cher in 1978 fetched $57,600, seven times its initial estimate, while a silver and gold beaded bodysuit with shiny wings that Mackie crafted for Tina Turner for a 1977 show sold for $19,200.

“In my view it looks more attractive for the younger performer who is seeking something other than what they were accustomed to”, he told a newspaper. “Today's artists are striving for a glamorous, more theatrical, show-stopping, entrance-making statement.”

The Pop Culture Resurgence

It’s a look that sashayed all the way to the heart of mainstream fashion in 2025 propelled by Taylor Swift. Earlier this year, the cultural juggernaut wore one of Mackie’s vintage Jubilee! costumes on the cover of her 12th studio album. The rhinestone encrusted bra and thong, feathered armbands and shimmering headpiece were ideal for a record called The Life of a Showgirl.

She is part of a trend. This year, glamorous nods have been embraced by singers including Sabrina Carpenter as they zoomed across arena stages in sparkles, cut-outs and ostrich feathers, highlighted against overstated sets. A top stylist Lorenzo Posocco explained to Vogue he wanted to bring “a stage persona” to her Radical Optimism tour – referencing pictures from the 1950s, Lipa’s dancers waved giant feathered fans.

Pulling from History

These artists and other successful musicians also reference classic performances, including burlesque and chorus line references. The outcome are worlds away from the 90s Britney Spears era of crop tops and cargo pants, and urban dance moves that were popular earlier.

But certain observers are enthusiastic with this showgirl renaissance. Nancy Hardy, a former Jubilee! showgirl who performed in the early 2000s says the trend is “bemusing”. She thinks the word showgirl is being “used as an umbrella term including everything from The Radio City Rockettes to Broadway performers and now seemingly today's icons.”

The Coveted Classic Style

For millennial and millennial stars, Mackie’s vintage designs have become incredibly sought-after. In 2024, a famous actress gave a nod to one of Mackie’s iconic muses, Cher, when the star wore a semi-sheer sequined dress created by the designer in 2001, which was inspired by one he created for Cher to wear in 1967. Later that year, another pop star paid an undisclosed sum to buy the Mackie fringed mini dress she had worn previously to perform at the Grammys. In September, Sabrina Carpenter wore a trio of retro Mackie designs at the MTV Video Music Awards. They are also a hit among fashion collectors.

“The showgirl aesthetic inspire fond memories for a bygone era of glitz,” says Su Kim Chung, head of special collections at the University of Nevada, who studies the history of showgirls. “Today it is viewed as a sort of ‘acceptable’ allure because it has been adapted. It has got all the sophistication, the crystals and the glitter but without the bare skin.”

A Than Just Style: An Symbol of Las 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 flanked by two showgirls. Even though Las Vegas no longer has any showgirl-based productions, the historian says they are still used as an emblem of the city, appearing at corporate events and in promotional material. “The showgirl is still a enduring symbol of Las Vegas glamour,” the expert says.

An Appeal of Transformation

Nancy Hardy says the magical transformation of a showgirl is part of the attraction. It’s something the singer hints at in a new behind-the-scenes film that shows the backstage action from her massive 2023 Eras tour, which included intense rehearsals, gym sessions and numerous shows across 21 countries, each lasting 3.5 hours.

She describes her own showgirl performances as “similar to running a marathon in heels every night”. Her headdress weighed 34lbs. “I had to support it all the way up the steps to the stage from the dressing rooms three floors below in the underground. I had to leave early for my entrance so I could catch my breath before I made my entrance. You’re working hard the whole time but maintaining this image that it’s simple and beautiful and dreamlike.”

It could be this is where the true allure of the showgirl fantasy really is found. In the busyness of 2025 there is a longing for a break from reality. What better figure to turn to than showgirls, who have always embodied make-believe, flawlessness and a world where no one falters.