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Following a 31-year stint on the iconic Vegas strip, the dancers from the production Jubilee! took a final perfectly timed kick in 2016. The production, known for its ornate costumes created by American fashion designer Bob Mackie, closed its doors due to falling audience numbers and critical critics who called it a spectacle “a relic of another era”.

Now, nearly ten years later, the showgirl, or at least the showgirl style, is back.

A King of Sequins

Dubbed the “sultan of sequins”, Mackie has made theatrical stage sparkle his signature style, dressing everyone from Hollywood icons to Madonna. Recently, a “barely-there” bodysuit he designed for Cher in 1978 commanded $57,600, seven times its projected value, while a metallic fringed bodysuit with shiny wings that Mackie crafted for Tina Turner for a 1977 performance sold for $19,200.

“In my view it looks more appealing for the younger performer who is desiring something other than what they knew from childhood”, he told a media outlet. “Contemporary performers are pushing toward a glamorous, more theatrical, show-stopping, entrance-making statement.”

A Pop Culture Resurgence

It’s a look that glided all the way to the centre of mainstream fashion in 2025 propelled by a chart-topping superstar. Recently, the entertainment titan wore one of Mackie’s vintage Jubilee! costumes on the cover of her new musical project. The rhinestone encrusted bra and thong, ostrich-feather armbands and sparkly headpiece were tailor-made for a record titled The Life of a Showgirl.

The singer is part of a trend. This year, showgirl references have been adopted by music artists including Sabrina Carpenter as they zoomed across world tours in sparkles, revealing designs and feathers, highlighted against overstated sets. Lipa’s stylist her creative director told a style publication he wanted to bring “a showgirl spirit” to her Radical Optimism tour – inspired by pictures from the 50s, Lipa’s dancers wafted giant feathered fans.

Drawing from History

These artists and other successful musicians also reference historical performances, including classic theater and chorus line references. The final look are worlds away from the late-century teen pop of revealing tops and baggy pants, and street-style dance moves that preceded this trend.

But certain observers are enthusiastic with this glamour resurgence. A former performer, a ex- Jubilee! showgirl who danced in the 00s says the trend is “puzzling”. She thinks the word showgirl title is being “used as an catch-all phrase encompassing everything from The Radio City Rockettes to Broadway performers and now seemingly modern pop stars.”

The Coveted Vintage Style

For gen Z and millennial stars, Mackie’s retro designs have become extremely desirable. In 2024, a style icon gave a nod to one of Mackie’s iconic muses, Cher, when the actor wore a see-through embellished dress created by the designer in 2001, which was similar to one he made for Cher to wear in 1967. Later that year, a singer paid an private amount to buy the Mackie tasseled mini dress she had worn at an awards show to perform at the Grammys. In September, Sabrina Carpenter wore a series of vintage Mackie designs at the MTV Video Music Awards. They are also a hit among fashion collectors.

“This style bring about nostalgia for a historical elegance,” says Su Kim Chung, an expert at the an academic institution, who documents the legacy of showgirls. “Now it is seen as a sort of ‘toned-down’ appeal because it has been updated. It has got all the glamour, the rhinestones and the glitter but without the exposure.”

A Than Just Fashion: An Symbol of Las Vegas

The expert says showgirls are integral to the iconography of Las Vegas. She points to one-time leader Oscar Goodman who, during official events, was accompanied by two showgirls. While Las Vegas no longer has any traditional showgirl productions, Chung says they are still featured as an symbol of the city, being present at conventions and in advertisements. “The showgirl is still a enduring figure of Las Vegas glamour,” the expert says.

The Appeal of Escape

The former showgirl says the magical transformation of a showgirl is part of the appeal. It’s something Swift hints at in a recent behind-the-scenes film that documents the off-camera action from her massive 2023 Eras tour, which included exhausting practice sessions, workouts and numerous concerts across multiple nations, each going on for 3.5 hours.

The performer describes her own nights in the spotlight as “similar to running a marathon in stilettos every night”. Her feathered headdress weighed 34lbs. “I had to support it all the way up the stairs to the performance area from the green rooms three floors below in the underground. I had to head up ahead of time for my cue so I could rest before I performed. You are working hard the whole time but maintaining this fantasy that it’s simple and stunning and ethereal.”

Perhaps this is where the true allure of the showgirl really is found. In the complexity of 2025 there is a desire for escapism. Who better to look to than showgirls, who have always represented make-believe, idealism and a world where no one falters.