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Following a three-decade run on the iconic Vegas strip, the showgirls from the spectacle Jubilee! gave one last choreographed kick in 2016. The extravaganza, famous for its intricate costumes designed by American fashion designer Bob Mackie, ended its run due to dwindling audience numbers and unimpressed critics who described it as a spectacle “stuck in the past”.

Now, nearly ten years later, the showgirl persona, or at least the glamorous showgirl look, is experiencing a revival.

A Master of Sequins

Dubbed the “master of glitz”, Mackie has made theatrical showgirl glitz his signature style, clothing everyone from Hollywood icons to music superstars. Earlier this month, a “barely-there” bodysuit he made for Cher in 1978 fetched $57,600, seven times its estimated price, while a silver and gold tasseled bodysuit with lamé wings that Mackie crafted for Tina Turner for a 1977 concert sold for $19,200.

“In my view it looks more appealing for the younger performer who is desiring something other than what they were accustomed to”, he stated in an interview with a newspaper. “Contemporary performers are embracing a theatrical, more dramatic, attention-grabbing, entrance-making statement.”

A Pop Culture Comeback

It’s a look that made its way all the way to the epicenter of popular culture in 2025 largely due to Taylor Swift. In the past few months, the entertainment titan wore one of Mackie’s vintage Jubilee! costumes on the cover of her latest record. The crystal-covered bra and thong, feathered armbands and sparkly headpiece were perfect for a record titled The Life of a Showgirl.

Swift is part of a trend. This year, showgirl references have been incorporated by singers including Sabrina Carpenter as they danced across world tours in sequins, strategic openings and plumes, highlighted against camp sets. Lipa’s stylist a fashion expert told Vogue he wanted to bring “a showgirl attitude” to her Radical Optimism tour – drawing from pictures from the 50s, Lipa’s dancers fluttered giant feathered fans.

Drawing from Tradition

Modern stars and other hitmakers also take inspiration from 19th-century entertainment forms, including vaudeville and dance line references. The final look are vastly different from the 1990s era teen pop of revealing tops and utilitarian trousers, and urban dance moves that preceded this trend.

But not everyone are on board with this showgirl renaissance. Nancy Hardy, a former Jubilee! showgirl who entertained in the 2000s says the trend is “puzzling”. She thinks the word showgirl is being “used as an umbrella term encompassing everything from The Radio City Rockettes to Broadway performers and now apparently modern pop stars.”

The Coveted Vintage Style

For gen Z and young adult stars, Mackie’s classic designs have become highly covetable. In 2024, Zendaya honored to one of Mackie’s iconic muses, Cher, when the actor wore a see-through sequined dress designed by the designer in 2001, which was reminiscent of one he made for Cher to wear in 1967. Later that year, Miley Cyrus paid an undisclosed sum to buy the Mackie tasseled mini dress she had worn earlier in the year to perform at the Grammys. In September, Carpenter wore a collection of vintage Mackie designs at the MTV Video Music Awards. They are also a favorite among vintage enthusiasts.

“Showgirls evoke fond memories for a historical elegance,” says an archivist, a curator at the an academic institution, who studies the history of showgirls. “Today it is considered a sort of ‘acceptable’ allure because it has been adapted. It has got all the sophistication, the crystals and the glitter but without the bare skin.”

More Than Simply Fashion: An Icon of Las Vegas

Chung says this figure are integral to the iconography of Las Vegas. She points to former mayor Oscar Goodman who, during official events, was surrounded by two showgirls. Even though Las Vegas does not host any showgirl-centric productions, Chung says they are still featured as an symbol of the city, showing up at conventions and in advertisements. “The showgirl is still a remaining icon of Vegas glamour,” Chung says.

An Appeal of Escape

Hardy says the complete change of a showgirl persona is part of the allure. It’s something the singer references in a recent documentary series that captures the off-camera action from her year-long 2023 Eras tour, which included intense rehearsals, gym sessions and numerous performances across multiple nations, each running for 3.5 hours.

The performer explains her own showgirl performances as “similar to running a marathon in heels every night”. Her feathered headdress weighed 34lbs. “I had to support it all the way up the stairs to the performance area from the backstage area three floors below in the basement. I had to start early for my entrance so I could catch my breath before I went on stage. You are sweating the whole time but crafting this image that it’s effortless and gorgeous and ethereal.”

Perhaps this is where the fascination of the showgirl really is found. In the complexity of 2025 there is a longing for a break from reality. Who better to emulate than showgirls, who have always personified make-believe, perfection and a realm where nobody falters.