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After a long-running run on the Las Vegas strip, the showgirls from the revue Jubilee! executed their last choreographed kick in 2016. The extravaganza, famous for its ornate costumes crafted by American fashion designer Bob Mackie, ended its run due to declining audience numbers and unimpressed critics who called it a spectacle “stuck in the past”.

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

A Master of Sequins

Dubbed the “king of sparkle”, Mackie has made theatrical showgirl glamour his trademark look, dressing everyone from Hollywood icons to music superstars. In a recent auction, a “barely-there” bodysuit he designed for Cher in 1978 sold for $57,600, seven times its initial estimate, while a shimmering beaded bodysuit with shiny wings that Mackie crafted for Tina Turner for a 1977 show sold for $19,200.

“I think it looks more appealing for the new generation of stars who is seeking something other than what they knew from childhood”, he explained to a newspaper. “Contemporary performers are pushing toward a glamorous, more theatrical, show-stopping, memorable statement.”

A Mainstream Revival

It’s a look that made its way all the way to the epicenter of popular culture in 2025 largely due to a global pop icon. Earlier this year, the entertainment titan 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 ideal for a record called The Life of a Showgirl.

The singer has company. This year, glamorous nods have been incorporated by music artists including Dua Lipa as they whizzed across arena stages in sequins, cut-outs and feathers, illuminated against camp sets. Her fashion curator her creative director mentioned in an interview with a fashion magazine he wanted to bring “a showgirl spirit” to her Radical Optimism tour – referencing pictures from the 50s, the backup dancers fluttered giant feathered fans.

Pulling from History

Lipa, Carpenter and other hitmakers also draw on historical performances, including classic theater and chorus line references. The final look are vastly different from the 1990s era Britney Spears era of revealing tops and cargo pants, and street-style dance moves that preceded this trend.

But not everyone are convinced with this glamour resurgence. Nancy Hardy, a former Jubilee! showgirl who performed in the 00s says the trend is “puzzling”. She thinks the word showgirl is being “treated as an catch-all phrase covering everything from The Radio City Rockettes to Broadway performers and now seemingly Taylor Swift.”

A Highly Sought-After Retro Style

For younger and modern stars, Mackie’s vintage designs have become highly covetable. In 2024, a style icon honored to one of Mackie’s iconic muses, Cher, when the actress wore a translucent sequined dress made by the designer in 2001, which was similar to one he designed for Cher to wear in 1967. Subsequently, another pop star paid an private amount to buy the Mackie fringed mini dress she had worn earlier in the year 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 collectors.

“The showgirl aesthetic inspire fond memories for a past glamour,” says an archivist, head of special collections at the an academic institution, who researches the story of showgirls. “Currently it is considered a sort of ‘toned-down’ allure because it has been updated. It has got all the glamour, the sparkles and the sparkle but without the nudity.”

More Than Simply Style: An Icon of Las Vegas

The expert says showgirls are key to the iconography of Vegas. She points to former mayor Oscar Goodman who, during civic functions, was accompanied by two showgirls. Even though Las Vegas does not host any showgirl-centric productions, Jung says they are still used as an symbol of the city, showing up at gatherings and in marketing. “The showgirl is still a lasting symbol of Las Vegas glamour,” the expert says.

The Allure of Transformation

Hardy says the magical transformation of a stage character is part of the attraction. This is a notion Swift references in a new docuseries that shows the behind-the-scenes action from her massive 2023 Eras tour, which included gruelling practice sessions, workouts and numerous concerts across multiple nations, each running for 3.5 hours.

Hardy explains her own stage routines as “comparable to completing an endurance race in high heels every night”. Her feathered headdress tipped the scales at 34lbs. “I had to carry it all the way up the staircase to the performance area from the dressing rooms three floors below in the lower level. I had to leave early for my cue so I could recover before I performed. You are working hard the whole time but crafting this fantasy that it’s effortless and gorgeous and ethereal.”

Perhaps this is where the appeal of the showgirl really lies. In the complexity of 2025 there is a craving for fantasy. Who better to turn to than these performers, who have always personified dreams, idealism and a world where no one makes a mistake.