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After a three-decade stint on the Las Vegas strip, the dancers from the spectacle Jubilee! gave one last perfectly timed kick in 2016. The extravaganza, renowned for its intricate costumes created by celebrated designer Bob Mackie, came to an end due to dwindling audience numbers and critical commentators who described it as a spectacle “a relic of another era”.

Today, almost a decade later, the showgirl, or at least the showgirl aesthetic, is experiencing a revival.

The King of Sparkle

Dubbed the “master of glitz”, Mackie has made dramatic stage sparkle his defining aesthetic, dressing everyone from screen legends to Madonna. In a recent auction, a “barely-there” bodysuit he created for Cher in 1978 sold for $57,600, far exceeding its initial estimate, while a shimmering beaded bodysuit with lamé wings that Mackie designed for Tina Turner for a 1977 performance sold for $19,200.

“I think it looks more enticing for the younger performer who is looking for something other than what they were accustomed to”, he stated in an interview with a publication. “Today's artists are pushing toward a theatrical, more spectacular, show-stopping, memorable statement.”

The Musical Resurgence

It’s a look that sashayed all the way to the epicenter of the cultural zeitgeist in 2025 thanks to a global pop icon. Recently, the cultural juggernaut wore one of Mackie’s original Jubilee! costumes on the cover of her new musical project. The crystal-covered bra and thong, ostrich-feather armbands and glittering headpiece were perfect for a record called The Life of a Showgirl.

Swift is part of a trend. This year, showgirl references have been incorporated by singers including Sabrina Carpenter as they zoomed across arena stages in sparkles, revealing designs and ostrich feathers, spotlighted against theatrical sets. A top stylist her creative director explained to a style publication he wanted to bring “a stage persona” to her Radical Optimism tour – drawing from pictures from the 1950s, Lipa’s dancers waved giant feathered fans.

Drawing from Tradition

Modern stars and other successful musicians also draw on 19th-century performances, including burlesque and ensemble references. The results are poles apart from the 90s teen pop of revealing tops and utilitarian trousers, and hip-hop inspired dance moves that were popular earlier.

But some critics are enthusiastic with this showgirl revival. Nancy Hardy, a ex- Jubilee! showgirl who entertained in the early 2000s says the trend is “puzzling”. She thinks the word term is being “treated as an umbrella term encompassing everything from The Radio City Rockettes to Broadway performers and now seemingly Taylor Swift.”

A Coveted Retro Look

For younger and millennial stars, Mackie’s classic designs have become incredibly sought-after. In 2024, a style icon honored to one of Mackie’s earliest clients, Cher, when the star wore a translucent sequined dress made by the designer in 2001, which was inspired by one he made for Cher to wear in 1967. Later that year, a singer paid an significant price to buy the Mackie fringed mini dress she had worn at an awards show to perform at the Grammys. In September, Sabrina Carpenter wore a series of retro Mackie designs at the MTV Video Music Awards. They are also a favorite among fashion collectors.

“This style bring about nostalgia for a bygone era of glitz,” says a historian, head of special collections at the a Las Vegas university, who studies the story of showgirls. “Currently it is seen as a sort of ‘toned-down’ sexy because it has been adapted. It has got all the sophistication, the sparkles and the glitter but without the nudity.”

A Than Simply Fashion: An Symbol of Las Vegas

The expert says showgirls are key to the imagery of Vegas. She points to former mayor Oscar Goodman who, during public appearances, was flanked by two showgirls. While Las Vegas does not host any showgirl-centric productions, the historian says they are still employed as an logo of the city, being present at gatherings and in advertisements. “The showgirl is still a enduring symbol of Vegas spectacle,” Chung says.

The Allure of Escape

Nancy Hardy says the magical transformation of a showgirl persona is part of the appeal. This idea Taylor Swift references in a recent documentary series that shows the backstage action from her massive 2023 Eras tour, which included gruelling preparations, gym sessions and countless performances across dozens of cities, each running for 3.5 hours.

The performer recalls her own stage routines as “similar to running a marathon in stilettos every night”. Her headpiece was 34lbs. “I had to support it all the way up the stairs to the platform from the backstage area three floors below in the lower level. I had to head up ahead of time for my entrance so I could catch my breath before I made my entrance. One is working hard the whole time but maintaining this fantasy that it’s simple and stunning and dreamlike.”

Perhaps this is where the appeal of the showgirl really lies. In the busyness of 2025 there is a craving for a break from reality. What better figure to look to than showgirls, who have always personified fantasy, perfection and a realm where nobody falters.