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After a 31-year run on the Las Vegas Boulevard, the showgirls from the revue Jubilee! gave one last synchronised kick in 2016. The extravaganza, famous for its intricate costumes designed by celebrated designer Bob Mackie, came to an end due to declining audience numbers and unimpressed reviewers who described it as a spectacle “a relic of another era”.

Today, almost a decade later, the showgirl, or at least the showgirl aesthetic, is making a comeback.

The King of Sparkle

Known as the “king of sparkle”, Mackie has made theatrical showgirl glitz his signature style, dressing everyone from screen legends to Madonna. In a recent auction, a “see-through” bodysuit he designed for Cher in 1978 fetched $57,600, far exceeding its projected value, while a metallic fringed bodysuit with lamé wings that Mackie crafted for Tina Turner for a 1977 concert sold for $19,200.

“I believe it looks more enticing for the new generation of stars who is looking for something other than what they were accustomed to”, he stated in an interview with a media outlet. “Contemporary performers are embracing a show-stopping, more theatrical, breathtaking, memorable statement.”

A Musical Comeback

It’s a look that sashayed all the way to the epicenter of popular culture in 2025 thanks to Taylor Swift. Recently, the cultural juggernaut wore one of Mackie’s vintage Jubilee! costumes on the cover of her 12th studio album. The crystal-covered bra and thong, plumed armbands and shimmering headpiece were perfect for a record titled The Life of a Showgirl.

The singer has company. This year, showgirl inspirations have been incorporated by singers including Sabrina Carpenter as they danced across arena stages in sequins, cut-outs and ostrich feathers, highlighted against theatrical sets. Her fashion curator her creative director explained to a style publication he wanted to bring “a stage persona” to her Radical Optimism tour – referencing pictures from the 1950s, her performers fluttered giant ostrich feather fans.

Pulling from Tradition

These artists and other hitmakers also take inspiration from classic entertainment forms, including burlesque and dance line references. The final look are vastly different from the 90s pop style of short shirts and cargo pants, and urban dance moves that preceded this trend.

But certain observers are on board with this glamour resurgence. Nancy Hardy, a former Jubilee! showgirl who performed in the 2000s says the trend is “puzzling”. She thinks the word showgirl is being “employed as an broad label encompassing everything from The Radio City Rockettes to Broadway performers and now apparently modern pop stars.”

A Coveted Vintage Style

For gen Z and millennial stars, Mackie’s vintage designs have become incredibly sought-after. In 2024, a style icon paid tribute to one of Mackie’s earliest clients, Cher, when the star wore a semi-sheer embellished dress created by the designer in 2001, which was similar to one he created for Cher to wear in 1967. Months after, a singer paid an significant price to buy the Mackie beaded mini dress she had worn previously to perform at the Grammys. In September, the singer wore a series of classic Mackie designs at the MTV Video Music Awards. They are also a popular item among fashion collectors.

“This style bring about a sense of longing for a historical elegance,” says Su Kim Chung, an expert at the a Las Vegas university, who researches the legacy of showgirls. “Today it is seen as a sort of ‘safe’ allure because it has been adapted. It has got all the sophistication, the rhinestones and the sparkle but without the exposure.”

A Than Simply Style: An Icon of Vegas

She says this figure are central to the iconography of Las Vegas. She points to former mayor Oscar Goodman who, during civic functions, was surrounded by two showgirls. Although Las Vegas does not host any traditional showgirl productions, Jung says they are still employed as an symbol of the city, appearing at gatherings and in marketing. “The showgirl is still a enduring symbol of Las Vegas spectacle,” she says.

An Allure of Transformation

The former showgirl says the complete change of a showgirl is part of the appeal. This idea the singer alludes to in a new behind-the-scenes film that documents the off-camera action from her extensive 2023 Eras tour, which included exhausting preparations, gym sessions and 149 concerts across dozens of cities, each going on for 3.5 hours.

The performer recalls her own stage routines as “like extreme physical exertion in high heels every night”. Her feathered headdress was 34lbs. “I had to carry it all the way up the staircase to the platform 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 are perspiring the whole time but crafting this illusion that it’s simple and beautiful and ethereal.”

Maybe this is where the appeal of the showgirl fantasy really is found. In the complexity of 2025 there is a craving for fantasy. Is there anyone better to look to than these performers, who have always embodied dreams, idealism and a world where nobody makes a mistake.