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After a long-running stint on the Las Vegas Boulevard, the dancers from the spectacle Jubilee! gave one last synchronised kick in 2016. The show, known for its intricate costumes designed by celebrated designer Bob Mackie, closed its doors due to declining audience numbers and unimpressed commentators who labeled it a spectacle “stuck in the past”.

Now, almost a decade later, the showgirl persona, or at least the glamorous showgirl look, is experiencing a revival.

The King of Glitz

Known as the “king of sparkle”, Mackie has made theatrical stage sparkle his defining aesthetic, clothing everyone from Marilyn Monroe to pop royalty. Earlier this month, a “see-through” bodysuit he made for Cher in 1978 fetched $57,600, far exceeding its projected value, while a shimmering beaded bodysuit with shiny wings that Mackie designed for Tina Turner for a 1977 show sold for $19,200.

“I think it looks more appealing for the younger performer who is seeking something other than what they were accustomed to”, he stated in an interview with a publication. “New stars are pushing toward a theatrical, more spectacular, breathtaking, memorable statement.”

A Musical Resurgence

It’s a look that glided all the way to the epicenter of the cultural zeitgeist in 2025 propelled by a chart-topping superstar. Recently, the music phenomenon wore one of Mackie’s classic Jubilee! costumes on the cover of her 12th studio album. The crystal-covered bra and thong, ostrich-feather armbands and shimmering headpiece were tailor-made for a record named The Life of a Showgirl.

She isn't alone. This year, showgirl inspirations have been incorporated by pop stars including Dua Lipa as they zoomed across concert platforms in sequins, strategic openings and ostrich feathers, spotlighted against camp sets. A top stylist Lorenzo Posocco told a fashion magazine he wanted to bring “a showgirl attitude” to her Radical Optimism tour – drawing from pictures from the 50s, her performers waved giant ostrich feather fans.

Pulling from the Past

Modern stars and other hitmakers also draw on classic entertainment forms, including classic theater and ensemble references. The results are poles apart from the late-century pop style of short shirts and cargo pants, and street-style dance moves that were popular earlier.

But certain observers are enthusiastic with this showgirl revival. A former performer, a one-time Jubilee! showgirl who entertained in the early 2000s says the trend is “bemusing”. 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 Taylor Swift.”

A Highly Sought-After Classic Look

For gen Z and modern stars, Mackie’s retro designs have become highly covetable. In 2024, a style icon paid tribute to one of Mackie’s earliest clients, Cher, when the actor wore a translucent beaded dress designed by the designer in 2001, which was reminiscent of one he made 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, the singer wore a collection of vintage Mackie designs at the MTV Video Music Awards. They are also a favorite among vintage enthusiasts.

“This style inspire nostalgia for a past glamour,” says a historian, head of special collections at the a Las Vegas university, who documents the history of showgirls. “Now it is viewed as a sort of ‘acceptable’ sexy because it has been adapted. It has got all the elegance, the sparkles and the sparkle but without the bare skin.”

More Than Simply Fashion: An Symbol of the City

Chung says showgirls are key to the iconography of Las Vegas. She points to one-time leader Oscar Goodman who, during official events, was flanked by two showgirls. Even though Las Vegas does not host any traditional showgirl productions, Jung says they are still used as an logo of the city, being present at corporate events and in advertisements. “The showgirl is still a remaining icon of Vegas spectacle,” Chung says.

The Allure of Escape

Hardy says the complete change of a showgirl is part of the allure. This is a notion Taylor Swift hints at in a latest documentary series that documents the backstage action from her year-long 2023 Eras tour, which included exhausting practice sessions, workouts and countless concerts across dozens of cities, each running for 3.5 hours.

Hardy describes her own stage routines as “similar to extreme physical exertion in heels every night”. Her headpiece tipped the scales at 34lbs. “I had to wear it all the way up the staircase to the performance area from the dressing rooms three floors below in the basement. I had to start early for my moment so I could catch my breath before I made my entrance. One is sweating the whole time but creating this fantasy that it’s easy and stunning and dreamlike.”

It could be this is where the fascination of the showgirl really is found. In the complexity of 2025 there is a craving for fantasy. What better figure to look to than these performers, who have always personified fantasy, idealism and a realm where no one misses a mark.