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Following a 31-year tenure on the Las Vegas Boulevard, the showgirls from the production Jubilee! took a final perfectly timed kick in 2016. The show, renowned for its ornate costumes designed by celebrated designer Bob Mackie, ended its run due to declining audience numbers and unimpressed critics who called it a spectacle “trapped in time”.

Now, almost a decade later, the showgirl, or at least the showgirl aesthetic, is making a comeback.

The King of Sequins

Referred to as the “king of sparkle”, Mackie has made theatrical showgirl glamour his trademark look, dressing everyone from Marilyn Monroe to music superstars. Earlier this month, a “barely-there” bodysuit he designed for Cher in 1978 commanded $57,600, seven times its initial estimate, while a metallic beaded bodysuit with reflective wings that Mackie designed for Tina Turner for a 1977 concert sold for $19,200.

“In my view it looks more enticing for the emerging artists who is seeking something other than what they knew from childhood”, he told a newspaper. “Contemporary performers are embracing a theatrical, more theatrical, show-stopping, entrance-making statement.”

A Mainstream Revival

It’s a look that sashayed all the way to the epicenter of mainstream fashion in 2025 thanks to a global pop icon. In the past few months, the cultural juggernaut wore one of Mackie’s classic Jubilee! costumes on the cover of her new musical project. The crystal-covered bra and thong, ostrich-feather armbands and shimmering headpiece were perfect for a record called The Life of a Showgirl.

Swift has company. This year, glamorous nods have been incorporated by singers including Sabrina Carpenter as they whizzed across world tours in sparkles, revealing designs and plumes, illuminated against camp sets. A top stylist a fashion expert told Vogue he wanted to bring “a showgirl attitude” to her Radical Optimism tour – referencing pictures from the 50s, Lipa’s dancers fluttered giant ostrich feather fans.

Pulling from Tradition

These artists and other hitmakers also take inspiration from 19th-century entertainment forms, including burlesque and dance line references. The final look are vastly different from the late-century teen pop of crop tops and baggy pants, and street-style dance moves that preceded this trend.

But certain observers are on board with this showgirl revival. Nancy Hardy, a one-time Jubilee! showgirl who performed in the 2000s says the trend is “puzzling”. She thinks the word term is being “employed as an broad label including everything from The Radio City Rockettes to Broadway performers and now apparently today's icons.”

The Coveted Retro Style

For younger and modern stars, Mackie’s vintage designs have become extremely desirable. In 2024, a famous actress 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. Months after, a singer paid an significant price to buy the Mackie beaded mini dress she had worn at an awards show to perform at the Grammys. In September, the singer wore a trio of retro Mackie designs at the MTV Video Music Awards. They are also a hit among vintage enthusiasts.

“Showgirls bring about a sense of longing for a historical elegance,” says an archivist, head of special collections at the University of Nevada, who studies the story of showgirls. “Now it is considered a sort of ‘toned-down’ sexy because it has been modified. It has got all the sophistication, the crystals and the shine but without the nudity.”

More Than Just Style: An Icon of Vegas

She says the showgirl image are integral to the imagery of Sin City. She points to former mayor Oscar Goodman who, during public appearances, was flanked by two showgirls. Even though Las Vegas currently lacks any showgirl-centric productions, Chung says they are still employed as an logo of the city, being present at corporate events and in marketing. “The showgirl is still a enduring icon of Vegas glitz and glamour,” the expert says.

An Appeal of Transformation

The former showgirl says the magical transformation of a showgirl persona is part of the appeal. This idea Taylor Swift alludes to in a latest behind-the-scenes film that captures the off-camera action from her year-long 2023 Eras tour, which included exhausting preparations, training and 149 concerts across dozens of cities, each going on for 3.5 hours.

The performer recalls her own stage routines as “comparable to extreme physical exertion in stilettos every night”. Her headdress weighed 34lbs. “I had to wear it all the way up the staircase to the platform from the dressing rooms three floors below in the basement. I had to leave early for my moment so I could rest before I performed. You are working hard the whole time but crafting this image that it’s effortless and beautiful and magical.”

Maybe this is where the appeal of the showgirl really is found. In the complexity of 2025 there is a desire for fantasy. Is there anyone better to emulate than such icons, who have always embodied make-believe, flawlessness and a world where no one makes a mistake.