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After a 31-year tenure on the Las Vegas strip, the showgirls from the revue Jubilee! executed their last perfectly timed kick in 2016. The production, known for its ornate costumes crafted by style icon Bob Mackie, ended its run due to declining audience numbers and critical commentators who labeled it a spectacle “stuck in the past”.

Now, almost a decade later, the showgirl persona, or at least the glamorous showgirl look, is experiencing a revival.

A King of Sequins

Known as the “master of glitz”, Mackie has made over-the-top stage sparkle his signature style, outfitting everyone from screen legends to pop royalty. Earlier this month, a “naked” bodysuit he created for Cher in 1978 sold for $57,600, well over its projected value, while a shimmering beaded bodysuit with shiny wings that Mackie designed for Tina Turner for a 1977 concert sold for $19,200.

“In my view it looks more appealing for the emerging artists who is desiring something other than what they were accustomed to”, he told a newspaper. “Contemporary performers are striving for a show-stopping, more dramatic, breathtaking, grand statement.”

A Mainstream Comeback

It’s a look that sashayed all the way to the centre of popular culture in 2025 largely due to a global pop icon. Earlier this year, the cultural juggernaut wore one of Mackie’s classic Jubilee! costumes on the cover of her latest record. The crystal-covered bra and thong, plumed armbands and shimmering headpiece were perfect for a record called The Life of a Showgirl.

She isn't alone. This year, showgirl references have been adopted by pop stars including Miley Cyrus as they danced across world tours in sparkles, cut-outs and ostrich feathers, illuminated against theatrical sets. Lipa’s stylist Lorenzo Posocco mentioned in an interview with a fashion magazine he wanted to bring “a stage persona” to her Radical Optimism tour – referencing pictures from the 1950s, her performers waved giant feathered fans.

Drawing from Tradition

Lipa, Carpenter and other hitmakers also reference classic entertainment forms, including burlesque and chorus line references. The final look are vastly different from the late-century pop style of short shirts and baggy pants, and urban dance moves that preceded this trend.

But certain observers are enthusiastic with this glamour resurgence. An ex-showgirl, a former Jubilee! showgirl who performed in the 2000s says the trend is “confusing”. She thinks the word showgirl is being “treated as an umbrella term including everything from The Radio City Rockettes to Broadway performers and now even modern pop stars.”

The Coveted Vintage Look

For gen Z and modern stars, Mackie’s vintage designs have become incredibly sought-after. In 2024, a style icon gave a nod to one of Mackie’s earliest clients, Cher, when the star wore a see-through sequined dress made by the designer in 2001, which was similar to one he made for Cher to wear in 1967. Months after, a singer paid an undisclosed sum to buy the Mackie beaded mini dress she had worn earlier in the year to perform at the Grammys. In September, Carpenter wore a collection of retro Mackie designs at the MTV Video Music Awards. They are also a favorite among fashion collectors.

“The showgirl aesthetic evoke fond memories for a past glamour,” says Su Kim Chung, head of special collections at the a Las Vegas university, who documents the story of showgirls. “Today it is seen as a sort of ‘acceptable’ allure because it has been updated. It has got all the sophistication, the crystals and the sparkle but without the nudity.”

A Than Just Fashion: An Icon of Vegas

She says the showgirl image are central to the identity of Sin City. She points to one-time leader Oscar Goodman who, during civic functions, was accompanied by two showgirls. Although Las Vegas no longer has any showgirl-centric productions, Chung says they are still featured as an emblem of the city, being present at corporate events and in marketing. “The showgirl is still a remaining figure of Vegas glamour,” Chung says.

An Appeal of Illusion

Nancy Hardy says the transformative effect of a stage character is part of the allure. This idea Taylor Swift references in a recent documentary series that shows the off-camera action from her massive 2023 Eras tour, which included intense practice sessions, workouts and numerous concerts across multiple nations, each lasting 3.5 hours.

She explains her own nights in the spotlight as “similar to completing an endurance race in stilettos every night”. Her feathered headdress was 34lbs. “I had to support it all the way up the staircase to the performance area from the backstage area three floors below in the basement. I had to leave early for my entrance so I could recover before I went on stage. One is sweating the whole time but maintaining this illusion that it’s effortless and gorgeous and ethereal.”

Perhaps this is where the appeal of the showgirl fantasy really lies. In the chaos of 2025 there is a longing for a break from reality. Is there anyone better to emulate than these performers, who have always represented make-believe, flawlessness and a realm where nobody makes a mistake.