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After a three-decade run on the iconic Vegas strip, the showgirls from the spectacle Jubilee! executed their last choreographed kick in 2016. The show, renowned for its elaborate costumes designed by style icon Bob Mackie, ended its run due to declining audience numbers and critical reviewers who called it a spectacle “stuck in the past”.

Currently, roughly eight years later, showgirls, or at least the showgirl aesthetic, is back.

The Sultan of Glitz

Known as the “king of sparkle”, Mackie has made theatrical showgirl glitz his signature style, clothing everyone from screen legends to Madonna. Recently, a “barely-there” bodysuit he created for Cher in 1978 commanded $57,600, well over its estimated price, while a shimmering tasseled bodysuit with shiny wings that Mackie designed for Tina Turner for a 1977 concert sold for $19,200.

“I believe it looks more enticing for the younger performer who is looking for something other than what they were accustomed to”, he told a publication. “Contemporary performers are pushing toward a show-stopping, more dramatic, attention-grabbing, memorable statement.”

A Musical Revival

It’s a look that made its way all the way to the heart of mainstream fashion in 2025 thanks to a global pop icon. In the past few months, the cultural juggernaut wore one of Mackie’s original Jubilee! costumes on the cover of her latest record. The bedazzled bra and thong, feathered armbands and glittering headpiece were tailor-made for a record named The Life of a Showgirl.

She is part of a trend. This year, showgirl references have been adopted by music artists including Miley Cyrus as they zoomed across concert platforms in sequins, cut-outs and feathers, spotlighted against overstated sets. A top stylist her creative director mentioned in an interview with Vogue he wanted to bring “a showgirl attitude” to her Radical Optimism tour – referencing pictures from the 1950s, her performers waved giant feathered fans.

Pulling from History

Modern stars and other successful musicians also reference historical entertainment forms, including vaudeville and ensemble references. The final look are worlds away from the 90s teen pop of revealing tops and cargo pants, and hip-hop inspired dance moves that were popular earlier.

But not everyone are convinced with this showgirl renaissance. A former performer, a one-time Jubilee! showgirl who danced in the 00s says the trend is “bemusing”. 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 today's icons.”

A Coveted Vintage Look

For younger and young adult stars, Mackie’s retro designs have become incredibly sought-after. In 2024, a famous actress paid tribute to one of Mackie’s earliest clients, Cher, when the star wore a translucent beaded dress made by the designer in 2001, which was similar to one he created for Cher to wear in 1967. Subsequently, another pop star paid an private amount to buy the Mackie beaded mini dress she had worn previously 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 popular item among fashion collectors.

“Showgirls evoke a sense of longing for a bygone era of glitz,” says a historian, an expert at the University of Nevada, who documents the history of showgirls. “Today it is seen as a sort of ‘acceptable’ sexy because it has been adapted. It has got all the elegance, the rhinestones and the shine but without the bare skin.”

More Than Just Style: An Icon of Vegas

The expert says the showgirl image are integral to the identity of Vegas. She points to ex-mayor Oscar Goodman who, during public appearances, was flanked by two showgirls. Although Las Vegas no longer has any showgirl-centric productions, Chung says they are still featured as an emblem of the city, appearing at gatherings and in promotional material. “The showgirl is still a remaining figure of Las Vegas spectacle,” she says.

An Allure of Escape

The former showgirl says the complete change of a showgirl persona is part of the attraction. This idea Swift references in a new behind-the-scenes film that documents the backstage action from her massive 2023 Eras tour, which included gruelling practice sessions, training and 149 shows across 21 countries, each going on for 3.5 hours.

Hardy recalls her own stage routines as “like extreme physical exertion in stilettos every night”. Her headdress weighed 34lbs. “I had to support it all the way up the steps to the platform from the green rooms three floors below in the basement. I had to start early for my moment so I could recover before I went on stage. You’re perspiring the whole time but crafting this illusion that it’s easy and gorgeous and magical.”

It could be this is where the fascination of the showgirl really is found. In the chaos of 2025 there is a longing for fantasy. What better figure to turn to than showgirls, who have always represented dreams, perfection and a world where nobody misses a mark.