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After a long-running tenure on the Las Vegas Boulevard, the performers from the spectacle Jubilee! executed their last synchronised kick in 2016. The show, famous for its elaborate costumes created by American fashion designer Bob Mackie, came to an end due to falling audience numbers and unimpressed critics who called it a spectacle “stuck in the past”.

Today, roughly eight years later, the showgirl, or at least the showgirl style, is experiencing a revival.

A Master of Sequins

Referred to as the “king of sparkle”, Mackie has made dramatic showgirl glitz his trademark look, outfitting everyone from Marilyn Monroe to music superstars. Earlier this month, a “see-through” bodysuit he made for Cher in 1978 fetched $57,600, seven times its projected value, while a metallic fringed bodysuit with reflective wings that Mackie crafted for Tina Turner for a 1977 show sold for $19,200.

“I think it looks more enticing for the new generation of stars who is looking for something other than what they knew from childhood”, he explained to a publication. “New stars are embracing a theatrical, more spectacular, show-stopping, entrance-making statement.”

The Mainstream Resurgence

It’s a look that made its way all the way to the epicenter of the cultural zeitgeist in 2025 propelled by a global pop icon. Recently, the cultural juggernaut wore one of Mackie’s classic Jubilee! costumes on the cover of her 12th studio album. The bedazzled bra and thong, ostrich-feather armbands and sparkly headpiece were ideal for a record named The Life of a Showgirl.

She is part of a trend. This year, glamorous nods have been embraced by singers including Dua Lipa as they whizzed across world tours in sparkles, revealing designs and feathers, spotlighted against theatrical sets. Lipa’s stylist a fashion expert mentioned in an interview with a style publication he wanted to bring “a showgirl attitude” to her Radical Optimism tour – drawing from pictures from the 50s, her performers fluttered giant plumed accessories.

Drawing from Tradition

These artists and other hitmakers also reference classic performances, including vaudeville and dance line references. The outcome are poles apart from the late-century teen pop of revealing tops and utilitarian trousers, and urban dance moves that were popular earlier.

But certain observers are on board with this showgirl revival. A former performer, a one-time Jubilee! showgirl who performed in the 00s says the trend is “bemusing”. She thinks the word showgirl is being “treated as an broad label including everything from The Radio City Rockettes to Broadway performers and now apparently modern pop stars.”

A Coveted Retro Style

For younger and millennial stars, Mackie’s classic designs have become incredibly sought-after. In 2024, Zendaya paid tribute to one of Mackie’s earliest clients, Cher, when the star wore a semi-sheer sequined dress made by the designer in 2001, which was reminiscent of one he designed for Cher to wear in 1967. Months after, 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 collection of vintage Mackie designs at the MTV Video Music Awards. They are also a favorite among vintage enthusiasts.

“Showgirls bring about nostalgia for a past glamour,” says a historian, an expert at the a Las Vegas university, who researches the history of showgirls. “Now it is seen as a sort of ‘safe’ allure because it has been modified. It has got all the sophistication, the sparkles and the glitter but without the nudity.”

More Than Simply Style: An Symbol of Vegas

Chung says showgirls are central to the identity of Sin City. She points to ex-mayor Oscar Goodman who, during public appearances, was accompanied by two showgirls. Even though Las Vegas currently lacks any traditional showgirl productions, Chung says they are still featured as an emblem of the city, being present at gatherings and in marketing. “The showgirl is still a lasting symbol of Vegas glamour,” the expert says.

The Allure of Transformation

Hardy says the complete change of a stage character is part of the allure. It’s something Swift hints at in a latest behind-the-scenes film that documents the backstage action from her year-long 2023 Eras tour, which included exhausting preparations, training and countless shows across multiple nations, each running for 3.5 hours.

Hardy recalls her own showgirl performances as “comparable to running a marathon in stilettos every night”. Her headdress weighed 34lbs. “I had to support it all the way up the steps to the platform from the dressing rooms three floors below in the basement. I had to start early for my moment so I could rest before I went on stage. You are working hard the whole time but creating this fantasy that it’s simple and stunning and dreamlike.”

Maybe this is where the fascination of the showgirl fantasy really resides. In the busyness of 2025 there is a desire for fantasy. What better figure to look to than such icons, who have always represented dreams, idealism and a realm where no one misses a mark.