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After a three-decade tenure on the iconic Vegas strip, the performers from the revue Jubilee! took a final perfectly timed kick in 2016. The production, known for its elaborate costumes designed by American fashion designer Bob Mackie, came to an end due to dwindling audience numbers and disappointed reviewers who described it as a spectacle “trapped in time”.

Today, roughly eight years later, the showgirl persona, or at least the showgirl style, is back.

A King of Sequins

Dubbed the “master of glitz”, Mackie has made theatrical showgirl glitz his trademark look, outfitting everyone from Hollywood icons to Madonna. Earlier this month, a “barely-there” bodysuit he created for Cher in 1978 fetched $57,600, seven times its estimated price, while a shimmering fringed bodysuit with reflective wings that Mackie designed for Tina Turner for a 1977 concert sold for $19,200.

“I think it looks more enticing for the new generation of stars who is seeking something other than what they were accustomed to”, he told a newspaper. “New stars are embracing a show-stopping, more spectacular, show-stopping, memorable statement.”

The Musical Revival

It’s a look that glided all the way to the heart of popular culture in 2025 thanks to a global pop icon. Earlier this year, the entertainment titan wore one of Mackie’s classic Jubilee! costumes on the cover of her latest record. The bedazzled bra and thong, feathered armbands and sparkly headpiece were ideal for a record named The Life of a Showgirl.

She isn't alone. This year, showgirl references have been embraced by music artists including Miley Cyrus as they danced across world tours in sparkles, cut-outs and plumes, spotlighted against theatrical sets. Lipa’s stylist a fashion expert explained to a fashion magazine he wanted to bring “a stage persona” to her Radical Optimism tour – inspired by pictures from the 50s, Lipa’s dancers wafted giant plumed accessories.

Drawing from Tradition

Lipa, Carpenter and other hitmakers also reference classic performances, including classic theater and dance line references. The outcome are vastly different from the 90s teen pop of revealing tops and utilitarian trousers, and hip-hop inspired dance moves that were popular earlier.

But not everyone are convinced with this glamour resurgence. A former performer, a ex- Jubilee! showgirl who danced in the 2000s says the trend is “puzzling”. She thinks the word term is being “treated as an umbrella term covering everything from The Radio City Rockettes to Broadway performers and now apparently today's icons.”

A Coveted Classic Look

For millennial and millennial stars, Mackie’s vintage designs have become highly covetable. In 2024, a famous actress paid tribute to one of Mackie’s first major stars, Cher, when the actress wore a see-through sequined dress created by the designer in 2001, which was similar to one he designed for Cher to wear in 1967. Months after, a singer paid an significant price to buy the Mackie beaded mini dress she had worn earlier in the year to perform at the Grammys. In September, Sabrina Carpenter wore a trio of vintage Mackie designs at the MTV Video Music Awards. They are also a favorite among vintage enthusiasts.

“This style evoke fond memories for a historical elegance,” says an archivist, an expert at the an academic institution, who documents the legacy of showgirls. “Currently it is viewed as a sort of ‘acceptable’ appeal because it has been updated. It has got all the sophistication, the sparkles and the shine but without the nudity.”

More Than Simply Style: An Icon of Vegas

She says showgirls are integral to the imagery of Sin City. She points to one-time leader Oscar Goodman who, during public appearances, was accompanied by two showgirls. While Las Vegas currently lacks any showgirl-based productions, the historian says they are still used as an logo of the city, appearing at gatherings and in promotional material. “The showgirl is still a enduring symbol of Las Vegas glamour,” she says.

An Allure of Illusion

Nancy Hardy says the complete change of a showgirl persona is part of the appeal. This idea Taylor Swift alludes to in a recent behind-the-scenes film that captures the backstage action from her massive 2023 Eras tour, which included gruelling rehearsals, gym sessions and 149 performances 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 headdress weighed 34lbs. “I had to carry it all the way up the stairs to the platform from the green rooms three floors below in the basement. I had to leave early for my moment so I could catch my breath before I made my entrance. You’re perspiring the whole time but maintaining this image that it’s effortless and stunning and ethereal.”

Maybe this is where the fascination of the showgirl really resides. In the chaos of 2025 there is a desire for escapism. What better figure to emulate than such icons, who have always personified fantasy, idealism and a realm where no one falters.