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Following a 31-year stint on the Las Vegas Boulevard, the performers from the production Jubilee! executed their last perfectly timed kick in 2016. The production, famous for its elaborate costumes crafted by celebrated designer Bob Mackie, ended its run due to falling audience numbers and disappointed reviewers who described it as a spectacle “stuck in the past”.

Currently, roughly eight years later, showgirls, or at least the showgirl aesthetic, is back.

The Master of Glitz

Dubbed the “sultan of sequins”, Mackie has made theatrical stage sparkle his trademark look, clothing everyone from screen legends to music superstars. Recently, a “see-through” bodysuit he made for Cher in 1978 commanded $57,600, far exceeding its projected value, while a metallic beaded bodysuit with reflective wings that Mackie crafted for Tina Turner for a 1977 show sold for $19,200.

“I think it looks more enticing for the new generation of stars who is looking for something other than what they grew up with”, he explained to a newspaper. “Contemporary performers are embracing a glamorous, more spectacular, breathtaking, grand statement.”

A Pop Culture Comeback

It’s a look that sashayed all the way to the centre of mainstream fashion in 2025 largely due to Taylor Swift. Recently, the music phenomenon wore one of Mackie’s vintage Jubilee! costumes on the cover of her new musical project. The rhinestone encrusted bra and thong, ostrich-feather armbands and shimmering headpiece were tailor-made for a record called The Life of a Showgirl.

The singer has company. This year, glamorous nods have been embraced by singers including Miley Cyrus as they danced across world tours in sequins, cut-outs and plumes, highlighted against camp sets. Lipa’s stylist a fashion expert explained to Vogue he wanted to bring “a stage persona” to her Radical Optimism tour – referencing pictures from the 50s, Lipa’s dancers waved giant feathered fans.

Pulling from the Past

Modern stars and other chart toppers also reference historical performances, including vaudeville and ensemble references. The outcome are poles apart from the late-century Britney Spears era of crop tops and utilitarian trousers, and hip-hop inspired dance moves that were popular earlier.

But certain observers are enthusiastic with this glamour resurgence. An ex-showgirl, a former Jubilee! showgirl who performed in the early 2000s says the trend is “bemusing”. She thinks the word showgirl is being “used as an umbrella term covering everything from The Radio City Rockettes to Broadway performers and now even today's icons.”

The Coveted Vintage Look

For gen Z and young adult stars, Mackie’s classic designs have become highly covetable. In 2024, Zendaya honored to one of Mackie’s iconic muses, Cher, when the actress wore a see-through beaded dress designed by the designer in 2001, which was similar to one he made for Cher to wear in 1967. Months after, Miley Cyrus paid an private amount to buy the Mackie fringed mini dress she had worn previously 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 bring about nostalgia for a bygone era of glitz,” says a historian, an expert at the a Las Vegas university, who documents the story of showgirls. “Currently it is seen as a sort of ‘safe’ allure because it has been updated. It has got all the glamour, the crystals and the sparkle but without the nudity.”

More Than Just Style: An Icon of the City

Chung says the showgirl image are integral to the imagery of Vegas. She points to former mayor Oscar Goodman who, during civic functions, was surrounded by two showgirls. While Las Vegas does not host any showgirl-based productions, Chung says they are still featured as an logo of the city, showing up at corporate events and in promotional material. “The showgirl is still a remaining icon of Vegas glamour,” she says.

The Appeal of Transformation

Hardy says the magical transformation of a stage character is part of the attraction. This idea Taylor Swift references in a recent documentary series that documents the backstage action from her extensive 2023 Eras tour, which included gruelling preparations, training and 149 concerts across dozens of cities, each lasting 3.5 hours.

She recalls her own stage routines as “like running a marathon in heels every night”. Her feathered headdress was 34lbs. “I had to carry it all the way up the staircase to the stage from the backstage area three floors below in the lower level. I had to head up ahead of time for my cue so I could recover before I performed. One is sweating the whole time but maintaining this image that it’s easy and gorgeous and ethereal.”

Perhaps this is where the fascination of the showgirl really is found. In the chaos of 2025 there is a craving for fantasy. Who better to emulate than showgirls, who have always represented dreams, flawlessness and a world where no one misses a mark.