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After a three-decade run on the Las Vegas Boulevard, the dancers from the production Jubilee! executed their last synchronised kick in 2016. The extravaganza, known for its ornate costumes created by American fashion designer Bob Mackie, closed its doors due to declining audience numbers and unimpressed critics who described it as a spectacle “stuck in the past”.

Currently, nearly ten years later, the showgirl, or at least the glamorous showgirl look, is back.

The Sultan of Sparkle

Referred to as the “sultan of sequins”, Mackie has made theatrical showgirl glitz his defining aesthetic, dressing everyone from Hollywood icons to pop royalty. Recently, a “barely-there” bodysuit he created for Cher in 1978 fetched $57,600, well over its initial estimate, while a silver and gold tasseled bodysuit with lamé wings that Mackie created for Tina Turner for a 1977 show sold for $19,200.

“I think it looks more attractive for the younger performer who is desiring something other than what they knew from childhood”, he explained to a newspaper. “Contemporary performers are embracing a theatrical, more spectacular, show-stopping, memorable statement.”

A Musical Resurgence

It’s a look that sashayed all the way to the epicenter of the cultural zeitgeist in 2025 propelled by a chart-topping superstar. Earlier this year, the cultural juggernaut wore one of Mackie’s classic Jubilee! costumes on the cover of her 12th studio album. The rhinestone encrusted bra and thong, plumed armbands and shimmering headpiece were perfect for a record called The Life of a Showgirl.

The singer has company. This year, showgirl inspirations have been adopted by singers including Miley Cyrus as they danced across concert platforms in glitter, revealing designs and feathers, illuminated against overstated sets. Her fashion curator a fashion expert explained to a fashion magazine he wanted to bring “a showgirl spirit” to her Radical Optimism tour – referencing pictures from the mid-century, her performers fluttered giant ostrich feather fans.

Pulling from the Past

Modern stars and other hitmakers also take inspiration from historical entertainment forms, including vaudeville and ensemble references. The outcome are worlds away from the 1990s era pop style of crop tops and utilitarian trousers, and street-style dance moves that preceded this trend.

But not everyone are on board with this showgirl revival. An ex-showgirl, a former Jubilee! showgirl who danced in the 2000s says the trend is “bemusing”. She thinks the word showgirl title is being “treated as an broad label including everything from The Radio City Rockettes to Broadway performers and now seemingly Taylor Swift.”

A Highly Sought-After Classic Look

For millennial and modern stars, Mackie’s classic designs have become extremely desirable. In 2024, a famous actress gave a nod to one of Mackie’s earliest clients, Cher, when the star wore a see-through embellished dress designed by the designer in 2001, which was reminiscent of one he created for Cher to wear in 1967. Later that year, another pop star paid an significant price to buy the Mackie tasseled mini dress she had worn previously to perform at the Grammys. In September, the singer wore a collection of vintage Mackie designs at the MTV Video Music Awards. They are also a favorite among collectors.

“Showgirls bring about a sense of longing for a historical elegance,” says a historian, an expert at the a Las Vegas university, who researches the history of showgirls. “Now it is viewed as a sort of ‘safe’ allure because it has been modified. It has got all the glamour, the sparkles and the glitter but without the nudity.”

More Than Just Fashion: An Symbol of the City

She says this figure are integral to the imagery of Las Vegas. She points to one-time leader Oscar Goodman who, during public appearances, was flanked by two showgirls. Although Las Vegas no longer has any showgirl-centric productions, Jung says they are still featured as an emblem of the city, being present at conventions and in marketing. “The showgirl is still a lasting icon of Vegas glitz and glamour,” Chung says.

An Appeal of Illusion

The former showgirl says the magical transformation of a showgirl persona is part of the appeal. This is a notion Swift hints at in a new behind-the-scenes film that shows the off-camera action from her massive 2023 Eras tour, which included gruelling rehearsals, workouts and countless shows across dozens of cities, each going on for 3.5 hours.

Hardy describes her own nights in the spotlight as “similar to running a marathon in high heels every night”. Her feathered headdress tipped the scales at 34lbs. “I had to carry it all the way up the staircase to the platform from the dressing rooms three floors below in the underground. I had to start early for my cue so I could rest before I went on stage. One is perspiring the whole time but maintaining this image that it’s effortless and stunning and ethereal.”

Maybe this is where the appeal of the showgirl really resides. In the chaos of 2025 there is a longing for fantasy. What better figure to look to than such icons, who have always represented dreams, perfection and a realm where no one falters.