🔗 Share this article

Following a long-running tenure on the iconic Vegas strip, the showgirls from the spectacle Jubilee! gave one last perfectly timed kick in 2016. The show, renowned for its elaborate costumes designed by style icon Bob Mackie, closed its doors due to falling audience numbers and disappointed commentators who described it as a spectacle “stuck in the past”.

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

The Master of Sequins

Known as the “king of sparkle”, Mackie has made theatrical showgirl glitz his defining aesthetic, outfitting everyone from screen legends to pop royalty. Recently, a “barely-there” bodysuit he designed for Cher in 1978 commanded $57,600, seven times its projected value, while a silver and gold fringed bodysuit with reflective wings that Mackie crafted for Tina Turner for a 1977 performance sold for $19,200.

“In my view it looks more appealing for the emerging artists who is desiring something other than what they were accustomed to”, he stated in an interview with a publication. “New stars are striving for a glamorous, more theatrical, show-stopping, memorable statement.”

The Mainstream Comeback

It’s a look that glided all the way to the heart of the cultural zeitgeist in 2025 propelled by Taylor Swift. Recently, the entertainment titan wore one of Mackie’s original Jubilee! costumes on the cover of her latest record. The crystal-covered bra and thong, ostrich-feather armbands and sparkly headpiece were perfect for a record named The Life of a Showgirl.

Swift isn't alone. This year, showgirl references have been incorporated by music artists including Sabrina Carpenter as they zoomed across arena stages in sparkles, revealing designs and feathers, illuminated against overstated sets. A top stylist a fashion expert told Vogue he wanted to bring “a stage persona” to her Radical Optimism tour – referencing pictures from the 1950s, her performers waved giant ostrich feather fans.

Pulling from the Past

Lipa, Carpenter and other successful musicians also draw on classic entertainment forms, including vaudeville and chorus line references. The outcome are worlds away from the 90s teen pop of revealing tops and baggy pants, and hip-hop inspired dance moves that came before them.

But not everyone are enthusiastic with this showgirl revival. An ex-showgirl, a ex- Jubilee! showgirl who entertained in the early 2000s says the trend is “confusing”. She thinks the word term is being “employed as an catch-all phrase covering everything from The Radio City Rockettes to Broadway performers and now apparently today's icons.”

The Coveted Vintage Style

For younger and young adult stars, Mackie’s vintage designs have become highly covetable. In 2024, a famous actress gave a nod to one of Mackie’s first major stars, Cher, when the actress wore a translucent sequined dress created by the designer in 2001, which was inspired by one he made for Cher to wear in 1967. Subsequently, a singer paid an private amount 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 classic Mackie designs at the MTV Video Music Awards. They are also a favorite among vintage enthusiasts.

“This style bring about nostalgia for a bygone era of glitz,” says a historian, an expert at the University of Nevada, who studies the legacy of showgirls. “Today it is considered a sort of ‘safe’ allure because it has been adapted. It has got all the glamour, the rhinestones and the sparkle but without the bare skin.”

A Than Simply Style: An Symbol of the City

The expert says showgirls are key to the identity of Vegas. She points to former mayor Oscar Goodman who, during civic functions, was flanked by two showgirls. Although Las Vegas no longer has any showgirl-based productions, Jung says they are still featured as an symbol of the city, appearing at corporate events and in marketing. “The showgirl is still a remaining symbol of Las Vegas glitz and glamour,” the expert says.

An Appeal of Illusion

Nancy Hardy says the magical transformation of a showgirl is part of the attraction. It’s something Swift hints at in a new docuseries that shows the backstage action from her extensive 2023 Eras tour, which included intense rehearsals, training and numerous concerts across dozens of cities, each lasting 3.5 hours.

She explains her own nights in the spotlight as “comparable to running a marathon in high heels every night”. Her headpiece tipped the scales at 34lbs. “I had to support it all the way up the staircase to the performance area from the backstage area three floors below in the underground. I had to start early for my cue so I could rest before I performed. One is working hard the whole time but crafting this illusion that it’s simple and gorgeous and magical.”

Maybe this is where the fascination of the showgirl really is found. In the complexity of 2025 there is a desire for fantasy. Who better to emulate than showgirls, who have always embodied dreams, perfection and a world where no one makes a mistake.