🔗 Share this article

Following a long-running stint on the Las Vegas strip, the showgirls from the spectacle Jubilee! executed their last choreographed kick in 2016. The extravaganza, renowned for its intricate costumes designed by celebrated designer Bob Mackie, came to an end due to dwindling audience numbers and critical critics who labeled it a spectacle “a relic of another era”.

Currently, nearly ten years later, the showgirl persona, or at least the glamorous showgirl look, is back.

The Master of Sparkle

Dubbed the “sultan of sequins”, Mackie has made over-the-top showgirl glitz his trademark look, dressing everyone from screen legends to Madonna. Earlier this month, a “see-through” bodysuit he designed for Cher in 1978 commanded $57,600, far exceeding its projected value, while a metallic beaded bodysuit with shiny wings that Mackie crafted for Tina Turner for a 1977 performance sold for $19,200.

“In my view it looks more enticing for the younger performer who is looking for something other than what they grew up with”, he told a newspaper. “Contemporary performers are striving for a glamorous, more spectacular, attention-grabbing, entrance-making statement.”

A Musical Comeback

It’s a look that made its way all the way to the centre of popular culture in 2025 largely due to Taylor Swift. In the past few months, the entertainment titan wore one of Mackie’s vintage Jubilee! costumes on the cover of her 12th studio album. The crystal-covered bra and thong, ostrich-feather armbands and shimmering headpiece were perfect for a record named The Life of a Showgirl.

The singer isn't alone. This year, showgirl references have been embraced by music artists including Dua Lipa as they whizzed across concert platforms in sparkles, strategic openings and ostrich feathers, highlighted against theatrical sets. A top stylist a fashion expert explained to a fashion magazine he wanted to bring “a showgirl spirit” to her Radical Optimism tour – inspired by pictures from the 1950s, the backup dancers fluttered giant feathered fans.

Drawing from the Past

These artists and other chart toppers also take inspiration from historical entertainment forms, including vaudeville and ensemble references. The results are worlds away from the late-century teen pop of short shirts and baggy pants, and urban dance moves that preceded this trend.

But certain observers are on board with this glamour resurgence. A former performer, a former Jubilee! showgirl who entertained in the 2000s says the trend is “bemusing”. She thinks the word showgirl title is being “treated as an broad label encompassing everything from The Radio City Rockettes to Broadway performers and now seemingly today's icons.”

A Coveted Retro Look

For millennial and young adult stars, Mackie’s retro designs have become highly covetable. In 2024, a famous actress paid tribute to one of Mackie’s iconic muses, Cher, when the star wore a see-through embellished dress created by the designer in 2001, which was inspired by one he designed for Cher to wear in 1967. Months after, a singer paid an undisclosed sum to buy the Mackie tasseled mini dress she had worn earlier in the year to perform at the Grammys. In September, the singer wore a collection of classic Mackie designs at the MTV Video Music Awards. They are also a favorite among vintage enthusiasts.

“The showgirl aesthetic bring about nostalgia for a historical elegance,” says Su Kim Chung, a curator at the a Las Vegas university, who researches the legacy of showgirls. “Currently it is seen as a sort of ‘safe’ sexy because it has been adapted. It has got all the glamour, the rhinestones and the shine but without the bare skin.”

More Than Just Fashion: An Icon of Vegas

The expert says the showgirl image are key to the identity of Sin City. She points to ex-mayor Oscar Goodman who, during civic functions, was flanked by two showgirls. Even though Las Vegas currently lacks any showgirl-based productions, the historian says they are still featured as an symbol of the city, appearing at gatherings and in marketing. “The showgirl is still a enduring icon of Vegas glitz and glamour,” she says.

An Appeal of Escape

The former showgirl says the transformative effect of a stage character is part of the appeal. It’s something the singer references in a new behind-the-scenes film that captures the behind-the-scenes action from her extensive 2023 Eras tour, which included exhausting rehearsals, training and countless concerts across dozens of cities, each going on for 3.5 hours.

The performer explains her own stage routines as “comparable to extreme physical exertion in high heels every night”. Her feathered headdress tipped the scales at 34lbs. “I had to wear it all the way up the steps to the platform from the backstage area three floors below in the basement. I had to head up ahead of time for my cue so I could rest before I performed. You are perspiring the whole time but maintaining this fantasy that it’s simple and beautiful and magical.”

Perhaps this is where the appeal of the showgirl really is found. In the complexity of 2025 there is a craving for a break from reality. Who better to emulate than showgirls, who have always represented dreams, flawlessness and a universe where nobody falters.