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After a long-running tenure on the Las Vegas strip, the showgirls from the spectacle Jubilee! gave one last perfectly timed kick in 2016. The show, known for its elaborate costumes designed by celebrated designer Bob Mackie, ended its run due to dwindling audience numbers and unimpressed critics who described it as a spectacle “stuck in the past”.

Currently, nearly ten years later, the showgirl persona, or at least the showgirl style, is experiencing a revival.

The Master of Glitz

Referred to as the “sultan of sequins”, Mackie has made theatrical showgirl glamour his defining aesthetic, outfitting everyone from Hollywood icons to Madonna. Earlier this month, a “barely-there” bodysuit he made for Cher in 1978 sold for $57,600, well over its initial estimate, while a metallic beaded bodysuit with reflective wings that Mackie crafted for Tina Turner for a 1977 show sold for $19,200.

“In my view it looks more appealing for the new generation of stars who is looking for something other than what they knew from childhood”, he explained to a media outlet. “New stars are pushing toward a show-stopping, more theatrical, show-stopping, memorable statement.”

The Musical Comeback

It’s a look that made its way all the way to the centre of the cultural zeitgeist in 2025 propelled by a global pop icon. Earlier this year, the entertainment titan wore one of Mackie’s original Jubilee! costumes on the cover of her new musical project. The crystal-covered bra and thong, plumed armbands and sparkly headpiece were perfect for a record called The Life of a Showgirl.

She is part of a trend. This year, glamorous nods have been embraced by pop stars including Dua Lipa as they whizzed across world tours in sequins, cut-outs and feathers, spotlighted against camp sets. Her fashion curator a fashion expert told a fashion magazine he wanted to bring “a stage persona” to her Radical Optimism tour – referencing pictures from the 50s, her performers wafted giant plumed accessories.

Pulling from Tradition

Lipa, Carpenter and other successful musicians also draw on historical performances, including vaudeville and dance line references. The outcome are poles apart from the late-century teen pop of short shirts and cargo pants, and urban dance moves that were popular earlier.

But certain observers are enthusiastic with this showgirl revival. Nancy Hardy, a former Jubilee! showgirl who entertained in the early 2000s says the trend is “confusing”. She thinks the word showgirl title is being “treated as an catch-all phrase including everything from The Radio City Rockettes to Broadway performers and now seemingly today's icons.”

The Highly Sought-After Retro Look

For gen Z and millennial stars, Mackie’s retro designs have become incredibly sought-after. In 2024, a famous actress honored to one of Mackie’s iconic muses, Cher, when the actor wore a translucent sequined dress designed by the designer in 2001, which was reminiscent of one he created for Cher to wear in 1967. Months after, 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 retro Mackie designs at the MTV Video Music Awards. They are also a popular item among collectors.

“The showgirl aesthetic inspire fond memories for a bygone era of glitz,” says an archivist, head of special collections at the a Las Vegas university, who studies the story of showgirls. “Today it is seen as a sort of ‘toned-down’ allure because it has been adapted. It has got all the sophistication, the crystals and the sparkle but without the nudity.”

More Than Simply Style: An Symbol of the City

The expert says this figure are integral to the iconography of Las Vegas. She points to one-time leader Oscar Goodman who, during public appearances, was surrounded by two showgirls. Although Las Vegas currently lacks any traditional showgirl productions, Jung says they are still employed as an emblem of the city, being present at gatherings and in advertisements. “The showgirl is still a lasting icon of Vegas glamour,” she says.

The Appeal of Transformation

Nancy Hardy says the transformative effect of a stage character is part of the allure. This idea Taylor Swift alludes to in a recent documentary series that shows the off-camera action from her extensive 2023 Eras tour, which included exhausting rehearsals, training and 149 shows across 21 countries, each going on for 3.5 hours.

Hardy explains her own showgirl performances as “similar to running a marathon in heels every night”. Her headpiece weighed 34lbs. “I had to support it all the way up the steps to the stage from the backstage area three floors below in the basement. I had to head up ahead of time for my moment so I could catch my breath before I went on stage. One is working hard the whole time but crafting this image that it’s effortless and gorgeous and ethereal.”

It could be this is where the appeal of the showgirl really resides. In the busyness of 2025 there is a desire for a break from reality. What better figure to look to than such icons, who have always embodied fantasy, flawlessness and a realm where nobody makes a mistake.