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Following a long-running tenure on the Las Vegas strip, the dancers from the revue Jubilee! took a final perfectly timed kick in 2016. The show, known for its ornate costumes crafted by celebrated designer Bob Mackie, ended its run due to declining audience numbers and disappointed commentators who described it as a spectacle “trapped in time”.

Now, roughly eight years later, showgirls, or at least the showgirl style, is experiencing a revival.

A Sultan of Sequins

Dubbed the “king of sparkle”, Mackie has made dramatic showgirl glitz his defining aesthetic, clothing everyone from Marilyn Monroe to pop royalty. In a recent auction, a “see-through” bodysuit he created for Cher in 1978 sold for $57,600, far exceeding its estimated price, while a metallic tasseled bodysuit with lamé wings that Mackie crafted for Tina Turner for a 1977 show sold for $19,200.

“I think it looks more enticing for the younger performer who is seeking something other than what they knew from childhood”, he stated in an interview with a publication. “New stars are embracing a theatrical, more dramatic, attention-grabbing, grand statement.”

A Pop Culture Revival

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. In the past few months, the music phenomenon wore one of Mackie’s original Jubilee! costumes on the cover of her new musical project. The rhinestone encrusted bra and thong, ostrich-feather armbands and glittering headpiece were ideal for a record titled The Life of a Showgirl.

She isn't alone. This year, glamorous nods have been adopted by music artists including Dua Lipa as they whizzed across world tours in sequins, strategic openings and feathers, spotlighted against theatrical sets. Her fashion curator her creative director told a style publication he wanted to bring “a stage persona” to her Radical Optimism tour – drawing from pictures from the mid-century, the backup dancers wafted giant feathered fans.

Pulling from the Past

These artists and other successful musicians also take inspiration from classic entertainment forms, including classic theater and chorus line references. The results are worlds away from the 90s teen pop of crop tops and utilitarian trousers, and street-style dance moves that preceded this trend.

But some critics are enthusiastic with this showgirl renaissance. A former performer, a one-time Jubilee! showgirl who performed in the 00s says the trend is “bemusing”. She thinks the word showgirl is being “treated as an broad label including everything from The Radio City Rockettes to Broadway performers and now apparently Taylor Swift.”

The Coveted Vintage Look

For gen Z and young adult stars, Mackie’s classic designs have become highly covetable. In 2024, Zendaya gave a nod to one of Mackie’s earliest clients, Cher, when the actress wore a see-through embellished dress designed by the designer in 2001, which was inspired by one he created for Cher to wear in 1967. Later that year, a singer paid an undisclosed sum to buy the Mackie tasseled mini dress she had worn previously 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 popular item among collectors.

“The showgirl aesthetic evoke a sense of longing for a historical elegance,” says Su Kim Chung, head of special collections at the University of Nevada, who researches the legacy of showgirls. “Today it is considered a sort of ‘toned-down’ sexy because it has been adapted. It has got all the glamour, the rhinestones and the shine but without the nudity.”

More Than Just Style: An Symbol of the City

She says showgirls are key to the imagery of Vegas. She points to ex-mayor Oscar Goodman who, during public appearances, was surrounded by two showgirls. Even though Las Vegas currently lacks any showgirl-based productions, the historian says they are still employed as an symbol of the city, showing up at gatherings and in advertisements. “The showgirl is still a lasting figure of Las Vegas glitz and glamour,” she says.

The Appeal of Transformation

The former showgirl says the transformative effect of a showgirl persona is part of the appeal. This idea Swift references in a new documentary series that documents the backstage action from her extensive 2023 Eras tour, which included intense practice sessions, gym sessions and 149 performances across multiple nations, each going on for 3.5 hours.

She describes her own nights in the spotlight as “comparable to running a marathon in heels every night”. Her feathered headdress was 34lbs. “I had to support it all the way up the stairs to the stage from the green rooms three floors below in the underground. I had to start early for my moment so I could recover before I went on stage. You’re sweating the whole time but maintaining this image that it’s easy and gorgeous and magical.”

Perhaps this is where the fascination of the showgirl really is found. In the chaos of 2025 there is a longing for a break from reality. What better figure to emulate than these performers, who have always embodied fantasy, perfection and a universe where nobody makes a mistake.