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After a long-running stint on the Las Vegas Boulevard, the dancers from the spectacle Jubilee! executed their last perfectly timed kick in 2016. The extravaganza, known for its ornate costumes crafted by style icon Bob Mackie, closed its doors due to declining audience numbers and disappointed critics who labeled it a spectacle “stuck in the past”.

Now, nearly ten years later, the showgirl, or at least the showgirl aesthetic, is experiencing a revival.

The Master of Sparkle

Dubbed the “sultan of sequins”, Mackie has made over-the-top stage sparkle his defining aesthetic, clothing everyone from screen legends to music superstars. Recently, a “naked” bodysuit he created for Cher in 1978 commanded $57,600, seven times its estimated price, while a metallic fringed bodysuit with reflective wings that Mackie crafted for Tina Turner for a 1977 performance sold for $19,200.

“I think it looks more appealing for the emerging artists who is looking for something other than what they grew up with”, he told a publication. “New stars are striving for a glamorous, more theatrical, show-stopping, entrance-making statement.”

The Pop Culture Revival

It’s a look that made its way all the way to the heart of popular culture in 2025 thanks to Taylor Swift. Recently, the music phenomenon wore one of Mackie’s vintage Jubilee! costumes on the cover of her latest record. The crystal-covered bra and thong, feathered armbands and shimmering headpiece were tailor-made for a record titled The Life of a Showgirl.

Swift has company. This year, glamorous nods have been adopted by music artists including Dua Lipa as they whizzed across arena stages in sparkles, cut-outs and ostrich feathers, illuminated 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 wafted giant ostrich feather fans.

Drawing from the Past

Lipa, Carpenter and other successful musicians also take inspiration from classic entertainment forms, including classic theater and ensemble references. The final look are poles apart from the 90s pop style of short shirts and baggy pants, and street-style dance moves that preceded this trend.

But certain observers are on board with this showgirl revival. Nancy Hardy, a one-time Jubilee! showgirl who entertained in the 2000s says the trend is “puzzling”. She thinks the word term is being “treated as an broad label including everything from The Radio City Rockettes to Broadway performers and now seemingly Taylor Swift.”

A Highly Sought-After Classic Look

For younger and millennial stars, Mackie’s vintage designs have become incredibly sought-after. In 2024, Zendaya paid tribute to one of Mackie’s first major stars, Cher, when the actor wore a semi-sheer sequined dress designed by the designer in 2001, which was inspired by one he created for Cher to wear in 1967. Subsequently, Miley Cyrus paid an undisclosed sum to buy the Mackie fringed mini dress she had worn previously to perform at the Grammys. In September, the singer wore a trio of vintage Mackie designs at the MTV Video Music Awards. They are also a favorite among vintage enthusiasts.

“Showgirls bring about nostalgia for a historical elegance,” says an archivist, an expert at the a Las Vegas university, who researches the history of showgirls. “Now it is considered a sort of ‘acceptable’ appeal because it has been adapted. It has got all the elegance, the sparkles and the sparkle but without the exposure.”

A Than Simply Fashion: An Symbol of Las Vegas

The expert says showgirls are integral to the imagery of Las Vegas. She points to ex-mayor Oscar Goodman who, during civic functions, was surrounded by two showgirls. While Las Vegas currently lacks any showgirl-based productions, the historian says they are still employed as an logo of the city, showing up at corporate events and in marketing. “The showgirl is still a remaining symbol of Vegas glamour,” the expert says.

The Appeal of Transformation

Hardy says the complete change of a showgirl persona is part of the attraction. It’s something the singer references in a latest documentary series that documents the backstage action from her massive 2023 Eras tour, which included exhausting preparations, workouts and numerous performances across 21 countries, each going on for 3.5 hours.

The performer recalls her own showgirl performances as “like extreme physical exertion in high heels every night”. Her headpiece weighed 34lbs. “I had to wear it all the way up the steps to the platform from the green rooms three floors below in the basement. I had to head up ahead of time for my moment so I could catch my breath before I performed. One is sweating the whole time but creating this image that it’s easy and beautiful and ethereal.”

Perhaps this is where the true allure of the showgirl really lies. In the busyness of 2025 there is a craving for escapism. What better figure to turn to than these performers, who have always represented fantasy, idealism and a realm where nobody misses a mark.