🔗 Share this article

Following a three-decade stint on the Las Vegas strip, the dancers from the production Jubilee! gave one last choreographed kick in 2016. The show, renowned for its ornate costumes created by style icon Bob Mackie, came to an end due to falling audience numbers and unimpressed critics who described it as a spectacle “stuck in the past”.

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

The Sultan of Glitz

Referred to as the “king of sparkle”, Mackie has made theatrical stage sparkle his trademark look, outfitting everyone from Marilyn Monroe to Madonna. Earlier this month, a “barely-there” bodysuit he created for Cher in 1978 sold for $57,600, far exceeding its projected value, while a shimmering tasseled bodysuit with shiny wings that Mackie designed for Tina Turner for a 1977 show sold for $19,200.

“I believe it looks more appealing for the emerging artists who is desiring something other than what they knew from childhood”, he stated in an interview with a newspaper. “Today's artists are pushing toward a glamorous, more theatrical, attention-grabbing, entrance-making statement.”

The Pop Culture Resurgence

It’s a look that sashayed all the way to the heart of mainstream fashion in 2025 propelled by Taylor Swift. Recently, the cultural juggernaut wore one of Mackie’s original Jubilee! costumes on the cover of her latest record. The rhinestone encrusted bra and thong, plumed armbands and shimmering headpiece were perfect for a record called The Life of a Showgirl.

She is part of a trend. This year, glamorous nods have been incorporated by singers including Miley Cyrus as they danced across concert platforms in glitter, cut-outs and feathers, spotlighted against camp sets. Her fashion curator her creative director explained to a style publication he wanted to bring “a showgirl spirit” to her Radical Optimism tour – inspired by pictures from the mid-century, the backup dancers wafted giant plumed accessories.

Pulling from History

Lipa, Carpenter and other chart toppers also take inspiration from 19th-century entertainment forms, including burlesque and ensemble references. The results are worlds away from the late-century pop style of short shirts and baggy pants, and street-style dance moves that preceded this trend.

But not everyone are enthusiastic with this showgirl renaissance. A former performer, a ex- Jubilee! showgirl who entertained in the 00s says the trend is “puzzling”. 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.”

The Highly Sought-After Classic Look

For younger and young adult stars, Mackie’s retro designs have become incredibly sought-after. In 2024, a famous actress gave a nod to one of Mackie’s earliest clients, Cher, when the actress wore a translucent embellished 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 significant price to buy the Mackie tasseled mini dress she had worn at an awards show to perform at the Grammys. In September, Carpenter wore a series of vintage Mackie designs at the MTV Video Music Awards. They are also a favorite among collectors.

“Showgirls inspire nostalgia for a historical elegance,” says an archivist, a curator at the a Las Vegas university, who studies the history of showgirls. “Today it is seen as a sort of ‘toned-down’ appeal because it has been adapted. It has got all the elegance, the rhinestones and the glitter but without the nudity.”

A Than Just Fashion: An Icon of Vegas

Chung says showgirls are integral to the identity of Sin City. 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 showgirl-based productions, the historian says they are still employed as an logo of the city, being present at gatherings and in promotional material. “The showgirl is still a remaining figure of Las Vegas glitz and glamour,” Chung says.

An Appeal of Illusion

The former showgirl says the transformative effect of a showgirl is part of the appeal. It’s something Swift hints at in a recent docuseries that documents the behind-the-scenes action from her year-long 2023 Eras tour, which included gruelling preparations, training and numerous shows across dozens of cities, each lasting 3.5 hours.

The performer explains her own stage routines as “similar to running a marathon in stilettos every night”. Her headpiece weighed 34lbs. “I had to carry it all the way up the steps to the stage from the backstage area three floors below in the lower level. I had to leave early for my entrance so I could rest before I made my entrance. You’re working hard the whole time but crafting this image that it’s easy and beautiful and dreamlike.”

It could be this is where the true allure of the showgirl fantasy really is found. In the chaos of 2025 there is a craving for escapism. Who better to emulate than these performers, who have always embodied dreams, idealism and a universe where no one falters.