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Following a 31-year tenure on the iconic Vegas strip, the dancers from the spectacle Jubilee! executed their last synchronised kick in 2016. The production, famous for its intricate costumes crafted by style icon Bob Mackie, closed its doors due to dwindling audience numbers and disappointed reviewers who described it as a spectacle “a relic of another era”.

Currently, roughly eight years later, the showgirl persona, or at least the showgirl style, is back.

The King of Sparkle

Dubbed the “master of glitz”, Mackie has made over-the-top stage sparkle his signature style, outfitting everyone from Hollywood icons to Madonna. Recently, a “barely-there” bodysuit he created for Cher in 1978 sold for $57,600, well over its projected value, while a shimmering tasseled bodysuit with reflective wings that Mackie created for Tina Turner for a 1977 performance sold for $19,200.

“I think it looks more attractive for the younger performer who is seeking something other than what they knew from childhood”, he explained to a publication. “Today's artists are embracing a glamorous, more dramatic, attention-grabbing, grand statement.”

The Mainstream Comeback

It’s a look that made its way all the way to the epicenter of popular culture in 2025 largely due to a global pop icon. Earlier this year, the cultural juggernaut wore one of Mackie’s classic Jubilee! costumes on the cover of her new musical project. The rhinestone encrusted bra and thong, feathered armbands and glittering headpiece were tailor-made for a record called The Life of a Showgirl.

She has company. This year, glamorous nods have been embraced by pop stars including Dua Lipa as they whizzed across arena stages in sequins, cut-outs and ostrich feathers, spotlighted against overstated sets. Her fashion curator a fashion expert told Vogue he wanted to bring “a stage persona” to her Radical Optimism tour – referencing pictures from the mid-century, her performers fluttered giant feathered fans.

Drawing from History

Modern stars and other hitmakers also take inspiration from classic performances, including classic theater and chorus line references. The results are worlds away from the 1990s era teen pop of revealing tops and baggy pants, and street-style dance moves that preceded this trend.

But some critics are on board with this showgirl renaissance. Nancy Hardy, a ex- Jubilee! showgirl who performed in the 00s says the trend is “confusing”. She thinks the word showgirl is being “treated as an umbrella term encompassing everything from The Radio City Rockettes to Broadway performers and now seemingly today's icons.”

The Coveted Vintage Style

For millennial and modern stars, Mackie’s classic designs have become incredibly sought-after. In 2024, Zendaya gave a nod to one of Mackie’s earliest clients, Cher, when the actress wore a semi-sheer sequined dress designed by the designer in 2001, which was similar to one he designed for Cher to wear in 1967. Later that year, a singer paid an undisclosed sum to buy the Mackie fringed mini dress she had worn at an awards show to perform at the Grammys. In September, Carpenter wore a collection of retro Mackie designs at the MTV Video Music Awards. They are also a favorite among vintage enthusiasts.

“This style evoke fond memories for a bygone era of glitz,” says an archivist, an expert at the a Las Vegas university, who researches the legacy of showgirls. “Now it is viewed as a sort of ‘toned-down’ sexy because it has been updated. It has got all the elegance, the crystals and the shine but without the exposure.”

More Than Just Style: An Symbol of Vegas

The expert says showgirls are key to the iconography of Vegas. She points to one-time leader Oscar Goodman who, during civic functions, was accompanied by two showgirls. While Las Vegas no longer has any showgirl-based productions, Jung says they are still used as an emblem of the city, showing up at gatherings and in marketing. “The showgirl is still a enduring symbol of Las Vegas glamour,” she says.

An Allure of Transformation

Nancy Hardy says the complete change of a stage character is part of the allure. This is a notion Taylor Swift hints at in a new docuseries that shows the behind-the-scenes action from her year-long 2023 Eras tour, which included gruelling rehearsals, gym sessions and 149 concerts across multiple nations, each going on for 3.5 hours.

The performer describes her own stage routines as “comparable to extreme physical exertion in heels every night”. Her headdress weighed 34lbs. “I had to support it all the way up the steps to the performance area from the dressing rooms three floors below in the basement. I had to start early for my cue so I could rest before I made my entrance. You are sweating the whole time but creating this illusion that it’s effortless and gorgeous and dreamlike.”

It could be this is where the fascination of the showgirl really resides. In the busyness of 2025 there is a longing for fantasy. What better figure to emulate than such icons, who have always embodied dreams, perfection and a realm where nobody makes a mistake.