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Following a three-decade tenure on the Las Vegas Boulevard, the showgirls from the revue Jubilee! took a final perfectly timed kick in 2016. The production, famous for its ornate costumes crafted by American fashion designer Bob Mackie, closed its doors due to falling audience numbers and disappointed critics who labeled it a spectacle “trapped in time”.

Now, roughly eight years later, showgirls, or at least the showgirl style, is experiencing a revival.

A King of Glitz

Dubbed the “master of glitz”, Mackie has made over-the-top showgirl glamour his signature style, outfitting everyone from Hollywood icons to Madonna. Earlier this month, a “naked” bodysuit he made for Cher in 1978 sold for $57,600, well over its estimated price, while a silver and gold tasseled bodysuit with shiny wings that Mackie designed for Tina Turner for a 1977 show sold for $19,200.

“I believe it looks more enticing for the emerging artists who is seeking something other than what they grew up with”, he told a publication. “Contemporary performers are embracing a show-stopping, more dramatic, breathtaking, grand statement.”

A Musical Resurgence

It’s a look that glided all the way to the heart of popular culture in 2025 thanks to a global pop icon. In the past few months, the cultural juggernaut wore one of Mackie’s classic Jubilee! costumes on the cover of her new musical project. The bedazzled bra and thong, ostrich-feather armbands and glittering headpiece were perfect for a record named The Life of a Showgirl.

Swift is part of a trend. This year, glamorous nods have been incorporated by music artists including Sabrina Carpenter as they danced across concert platforms in sparkles, revealing designs and feathers, spotlighted against theatrical sets. A top stylist a fashion expert told a fashion magazine he wanted to bring “a showgirl attitude” to her Radical Optimism tour – drawing from pictures from the 50s, Lipa’s dancers wafted giant ostrich feather fans.

Drawing from the Past

These artists and other hitmakers also take inspiration from historical performances, including burlesque and ensemble references. The results are vastly different from the late-century teen pop of crop tops and utilitarian trousers, and street-style dance moves that came before them.

But not everyone are enthusiastic with this showgirl renaissance. A former performer, a ex- Jubilee! showgirl who entertained in the early 2000s says the trend is “confusing”. She thinks the word showgirl title is being “treated as an broad label including everything from The Radio City Rockettes to Broadway performers and now apparently modern pop stars.”

The Coveted Classic Style

For millennial and modern stars, Mackie’s vintage designs have become incredibly sought-after. In 2024, Zendaya gave a nod to one of Mackie’s iconic muses, Cher, when the actor wore a semi-sheer beaded dress made by the designer in 2001, which was reminiscent of one he made for Cher to wear in 1967. Later that year, another pop star paid an undisclosed sum to buy the Mackie tasseled mini dress she had worn previously to perform at the Grammys. In September, Sabrina Carpenter wore a collection of vintage Mackie designs at the MTV Video Music Awards. They are also a hit among collectors.

“The showgirl aesthetic inspire fond memories for a past glamour,” says an archivist, a curator at the a Las Vegas university, who studies the history of showgirls. “Currently it is considered a sort of ‘safe’ sexy because it has been adapted. It has got all the sophistication, the sparkles and the sparkle but without the nudity.”

A Than Simply Fashion: An Symbol of Las Vegas

Chung says this figure are key to the iconography of Vegas. She points to one-time leader Oscar Goodman who, during official events, was surrounded by two showgirls. Although Las Vegas does not host any showgirl-based productions, Chung says they are still employed as an symbol of the city, appearing at corporate events and in advertisements. “The showgirl is still a remaining figure of Vegas glitz and glamour,” Chung says.

The Allure of Escape

The former showgirl says the transformative effect of a showgirl is part of the appeal. It’s something the singer alludes to in a recent docuseries that captures the off-camera action from her extensive 2023 Eras tour, which included gruelling rehearsals, gym sessions and numerous performances across dozens of cities, each running for 3.5 hours.

The performer recalls her own showgirl performances as “like completing an endurance race in high heels every night”. Her headpiece tipped the scales at 34lbs. “I had to support it all the way up the steps to the stage from the green rooms three floors below in the basement. I had to start early for my entrance so I could rest before I went on stage. One is perspiring the whole time but crafting this image that it’s easy and stunning and magical.”

It could be this is where the fascination of the showgirl really is found. In the busyness of 2025 there is a desire for a break from reality. Is there anyone better to emulate than such icons, who have always personified make-believe, flawlessness and a universe where nobody falters.