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Following a three-decade run on the Las Vegas strip, the showgirls from the production Jubilee! took a final perfectly timed kick in 2016. The extravaganza, renowned for its elaborate costumes crafted by American fashion designer Bob Mackie, came to an end due to declining audience numbers and unimpressed reviewers who labeled it a spectacle “stuck in the past”.

Today, roughly eight years later, the showgirl persona, or at least the showgirl aesthetic, is making a comeback.

The Master of Glitz

Dubbed the “master of glitz”, Mackie has made theatrical stage sparkle his signature style, dressing everyone from Marilyn Monroe to music superstars. In a recent auction, a “naked” bodysuit he made for Cher in 1978 fetched $57,600, far exceeding its estimated price, while a metallic beaded bodysuit with reflective wings that Mackie designed for Tina Turner for a 1977 performance sold for $19,200.

“I think it looks more appealing for the younger performer who is desiring something other than what they knew from childhood”, he stated in an interview with a media outlet. “Contemporary performers are pushing toward a show-stopping, more spectacular, show-stopping, memorable statement.”

The Musical Comeback

It’s a look that sashayed all the way to the heart of the cultural zeitgeist in 2025 thanks to a chart-topping superstar. In the past few months, the cultural juggernaut wore one of Mackie’s original Jubilee! costumes on the cover of her 12th studio album. The rhinestone encrusted bra and thong, ostrich-feather armbands and glittering headpiece were ideal for a record titled The Life of a Showgirl.

Swift has company. This year, showgirl references have been adopted by music artists including Miley Cyrus as they danced across arena stages in sparkles, cut-outs and feathers, highlighted against overstated sets. Lipa’s stylist her creative director told 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 feathered fans.

Pulling from Tradition

Lipa, Carpenter and other chart toppers also draw on 19th-century performances, including vaudeville and chorus line references. The outcome are worlds away from the late-century pop style of short shirts and utilitarian trousers, and hip-hop inspired dance moves that came before them.

But some critics are on board with this showgirl renaissance. An ex-showgirl, a former Jubilee! showgirl who danced in the early 2000s says the trend is “puzzling”. She thinks the word term is being “treated as an catch-all phrase encompassing everything from The Radio City Rockettes to Broadway performers and now seemingly today's icons.”

The Highly Sought-After Retro Look

For younger and modern stars, Mackie’s classic designs have become highly covetable. In 2024, a famous actress honored to one of Mackie’s first major stars, Cher, when the actress wore a translucent beaded dress created by the designer in 2001, which was similar to one he created for Cher to wear in 1967. Later that year, a singer 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, Sabrina Carpenter wore a collection of classic Mackie designs at the MTV Video Music Awards. They are also a favorite among collectors.

“The showgirl aesthetic bring about a sense of longing for a past glamour,” says an archivist, head of special collections at the University of Nevada, who documents the legacy of showgirls. “Now it is viewed as a sort of ‘safe’ appeal because it has been modified. It has got all the glamour, the sparkles and the glitter but without the bare skin.”

More Than Just Style: An Symbol of Vegas

Chung says the showgirl image are central to the identity of Sin City. She points to ex-mayor Oscar Goodman who, during civic functions, was accompanied by two showgirls. While Las Vegas no longer has any showgirl-centric productions, Chung says they are still featured as an logo of the city, showing up at corporate events and in advertisements. “The showgirl is still a enduring icon of Vegas glitz and glamour,” the expert says.

The Allure of Illusion

The former showgirl says the magical transformation of a stage character is part of the appeal. This idea Taylor Swift references in a new docuseries that captures the backstage action from her extensive 2023 Eras tour, which included gruelling preparations, gym sessions and countless shows across multiple nations, each running for 3.5 hours.

Hardy recalls her own stage routines as “similar to extreme physical exertion in heels every night”. Her feathered headdress was 34lbs. “I had to wear it all the way up the steps to the performance area from the backstage area three floors below in the underground. I had to head up ahead of time for my entrance so I could catch my breath before I went on stage. You’re working hard the whole time but maintaining this image that it’s easy and gorgeous and ethereal.”

Maybe this is where the true allure of the showgirl fantasy really is found. In the complexity of 2025 there is a longing for a break from reality. Is there anyone better to look to than showgirls, who have always represented make-believe, perfection and a universe where no one falters.