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After a three-decade tenure on the Las Vegas strip, the dancers from the spectacle Jubilee! executed their last choreographed kick in 2016. The extravaganza, renowned for its intricate costumes crafted by American fashion designer Bob Mackie, closed its doors due to falling audience numbers and critical commentators who labeled it a spectacle “trapped in time”.

Today, almost a decade later, the showgirl, or at least the showgirl aesthetic, is experiencing a revival.

A Master of Glitz

Dubbed the “king of sparkle”, Mackie has made theatrical stage sparkle his defining aesthetic, outfitting everyone from Marilyn Monroe to pop royalty. Recently, a “barely-there” bodysuit he made for Cher in 1978 fetched $57,600, seven times its estimated price, while a silver and gold tasseled bodysuit with reflective wings that Mackie designed for Tina Turner for a 1977 performance sold for $19,200.

“I believe it looks more appealing for the younger performer who is desiring something other than what they were accustomed to”, he stated in an interview with a media outlet. “New stars are striving for a theatrical, more spectacular, attention-grabbing, entrance-making statement.”

A Mainstream Resurgence

It’s a look that glided all the way to the heart of the cultural zeitgeist in 2025 largely due to a global pop icon. Recently, the entertainment titan wore one of Mackie’s vintage Jubilee! costumes on the cover of her new musical project. The rhinestone encrusted bra and thong, feathered armbands and shimmering headpiece were tailor-made for a record titled The Life of a Showgirl.

The singer has company. This year, showgirl references have been adopted by singers including Dua Lipa as they whizzed across concert platforms in sequins, revealing designs and ostrich feathers, illuminated against overstated sets. A top stylist her creative director mentioned in an interview with a fashion magazine he wanted to bring “a showgirl attitude” to her Radical Optimism tour – referencing pictures from the 1950s, Lipa’s dancers wafted giant plumed accessories.

Drawing from Tradition

Lipa, Carpenter and other successful musicians also reference 19th-century performances, including burlesque and ensemble references. The final look are vastly different from the 1990s era teen pop of revealing tops and cargo pants, and street-style dance moves that preceded this trend.

But certain observers are convinced with this showgirl renaissance. A former performer, a one-time Jubilee! showgirl who entertained in the 00s says the trend is “confusing”. She thinks the word showgirl is being “employed as an catch-all phrase encompassing everything from The Radio City Rockettes to Broadway performers and now even Taylor Swift.”

The Coveted Classic Style

For gen Z and young adult stars, Mackie’s vintage designs have become incredibly sought-after. In 2024, a famous actress paid tribute to one of Mackie’s first major stars, Cher, when the actress wore a see-through beaded dress made by the designer in 2001, which was inspired by one he created for Cher to wear in 1967. Months after, another pop star paid an undisclosed sum to buy the Mackie tasseled mini dress she had worn earlier in the year to perform at the Grammys. In September, Sabrina Carpenter wore a series of classic Mackie designs at the MTV Video Music Awards. They are also a favorite among vintage enthusiasts.

“Showgirls evoke a sense of longing for a past glamour,” says an archivist, a curator at the a Las Vegas university, who documents the history of showgirls. “Now it is considered a sort of ‘acceptable’ sexy because it has been adapted. It has got all the elegance, the rhinestones and the sparkle but without the bare skin.”

A Than Simply Fashion: An Symbol of Las Vegas

Chung says this figure are central to the identity of Las Vegas. She points to former mayor Oscar Goodman who, during public appearances, was surrounded by two showgirls. While Las Vegas currently lacks any showgirl-centric productions, Jung says they are still featured as an symbol of the city, showing up at gatherings and in marketing. “The showgirl is still a lasting symbol of Las Vegas spectacle,” she says.

The Appeal of Transformation

The former showgirl says the magical transformation of a showgirl is part of the appeal. This idea Taylor Swift references in a new docuseries that captures the off-camera action from her extensive 2023 Eras tour, which included gruelling rehearsals, training and 149 performances across dozens of cities, each lasting 3.5 hours.

She describes her own nights in the spotlight as “comparable to completing an endurance race in stilettos every night”. Her headpiece was 34lbs. “I had to support it all the way up the stairs to the performance area from the green rooms three floors below in the basement. I had to start early for my cue so I could catch my breath before I went on stage. One is sweating the whole time but creating this fantasy that it’s effortless and stunning and magical.”

Perhaps this is where the appeal of the showgirl fantasy really resides. In the chaos of 2025 there is a desire for escapism. Is there anyone better to look to than these performers, who have always embodied make-believe, idealism and a realm where no one misses a mark.