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After a long-running tenure on the Las Vegas Boulevard, the showgirls from the revue Jubilee! executed their last choreographed kick in 2016. The extravaganza, known for its intricate costumes created by celebrated designer Bob Mackie, ended its run due to falling audience numbers and unimpressed critics who called it a spectacle “trapped in time”.

Today, roughly eight years later, the showgirl persona, or at least the showgirl aesthetic, is making a comeback.

The Master of Sparkle

Referred to as the “sultan of sequins”, Mackie has made over-the-top showgirl glitz his signature style, outfitting everyone from Marilyn Monroe to Madonna. In a recent auction, a “barely-there” bodysuit he created for Cher in 1978 sold for $57,600, well over its estimated price, while a metallic tasseled bodysuit with lamé wings that Mackie created for Tina Turner for a 1977 concert sold for $19,200.

“I believe it looks more appealing for the emerging artists who is looking for something other than what they grew up with”, he stated in an interview with a newspaper. “Today's artists are striving for a show-stopping, more theatrical, attention-grabbing, entrance-making statement.”

The Mainstream Revival

It’s a look that sashayed all the way to the centre of mainstream fashion in 2025 thanks to Taylor Swift. Recently, the music phenomenon wore one of Mackie’s classic Jubilee! costumes on the cover of her latest record. The crystal-covered bra and thong, feathered armbands and shimmering headpiece were perfect for a record titled The Life of a Showgirl.

She isn't alone. This year, glamorous nods have been adopted by music artists including Miley Cyrus as they zoomed across arena stages in sparkles, cut-outs and plumes, highlighted against camp sets. Her fashion curator 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 1950s, Lipa’s dancers waved giant feathered fans.

Pulling from the Past

These artists and other chart toppers also draw on 19th-century performances, including burlesque and dance line references. The final look are worlds away from the 90s pop style of short shirts and cargo pants, and urban dance moves that were popular earlier.

But certain observers are on board with this showgirl renaissance. An ex-showgirl, a one-time Jubilee! showgirl who entertained in the 2000s says the trend is “bemusing”. She thinks the word showgirl is being “employed as an umbrella term covering everything from The Radio City Rockettes to Broadway performers and now seemingly modern pop stars.”

A Highly Sought-After Vintage Style

For millennial and young adult stars, Mackie’s classic designs have become extremely desirable. In 2024, a famous actress paid tribute to one of Mackie’s earliest clients, Cher, when the actress wore a semi-sheer sequined dress made 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 fringed mini dress she had worn at an awards show to perform at the Grammys. In September, the singer wore a series of vintage Mackie designs at the MTV Video Music Awards. They are also a hit among collectors.

“Showgirls bring about fond memories for a historical elegance,” says a historian, an expert at the an academic institution, who documents the story of showgirls. “Now it is seen as a sort of ‘toned-down’ allure because it has been updated. It has got all the elegance, the crystals and the shine but without the nudity.”

A Than Just Fashion: An Symbol of Vegas

Chung says this figure are central to the imagery of Sin City. 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, the historian says they are still used as an symbol of the city, showing up at corporate events and in marketing. “The showgirl is still a enduring symbol of Vegas glitz and glamour,” Chung says.

An Appeal of Transformation

Hardy says the transformative effect of a showgirl is part of the attraction. This is a notion Taylor Swift references in a recent docuseries that shows the off-camera action from her year-long 2023 Eras tour, which included gruelling rehearsals, gym sessions and countless performances across 21 countries, each going on for 3.5 hours.

Hardy recalls her own showgirl performances as “like running a marathon in heels every night”. Her headpiece tipped the scales at 34lbs. “I had to wear it all the way up the steps to the platform from the green rooms three floors below in the underground. I had to leave early for my moment so I could catch my breath before I performed. You are sweating the whole time but creating this illusion that it’s easy and beautiful and dreamlike.”

Perhaps this is where the appeal of the showgirl really resides. In the busyness of 2025 there is a desire for fantasy. What better figure to emulate than these performers, who have always personified fantasy, flawlessness and a realm where nobody falters.