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After a long-running stint on the Las Vegas strip, the performers from the revue Jubilee! took a final perfectly timed kick in 2016. The show, renowned for its elaborate costumes crafted by celebrated designer Bob Mackie, closed its doors due to declining audience numbers and unimpressed reviewers who labeled it a spectacle “a relic of another era”.

Today, nearly ten years later, the showgirl persona, or at least the showgirl aesthetic, is back.

The Sultan of Sequins

Referred to as the “master of glitz”, Mackie has made dramatic stage sparkle his signature style, outfitting everyone from Hollywood icons to Madonna. Earlier this month, a “barely-there” bodysuit he created for Cher in 1978 sold for $57,600, far exceeding its projected value, while a metallic fringed bodysuit with lamé wings that Mackie crafted for Tina Turner for a 1977 performance sold for $19,200.

“I believe it looks more enticing for the new generation of stars who is desiring something other than what they grew up with”, he told a publication. “Contemporary performers are pushing toward a theatrical, more dramatic, show-stopping, entrance-making statement.”

A Pop Culture Revival

It’s a look that glided all the way to the heart of mainstream fashion in 2025 propelled by a chart-topping superstar. Earlier this year, the entertainment titan wore one of Mackie’s original Jubilee! costumes on the cover of her new musical project. The bedazzled bra and thong, feathered armbands and glittering headpiece were tailor-made 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 Dua Lipa as they danced across world tours in sparkles, strategic openings and ostrich feathers, illuminated against theatrical sets. Her fashion curator Lorenzo Posocco told a fashion magazine he wanted to bring “a stage persona” to her Radical Optimism tour – referencing pictures from the 1950s, the backup dancers fluttered giant feathered fans.

Pulling from Tradition

These artists and other chart toppers also reference 19th-century entertainment forms, including vaudeville and ensemble references. The outcome are vastly different from the 90s Britney Spears era of revealing tops and utilitarian trousers, and urban dance moves that were popular earlier.

But some critics are enthusiastic with this showgirl renaissance. An ex-showgirl, a ex- Jubilee! showgirl who danced in the early 2000s says the trend is “puzzling”. She thinks the word showgirl title is being “used as an broad label encompassing everything from The Radio City Rockettes to Broadway performers and now even modern pop stars.”

The Coveted Vintage Look

For gen Z 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 see-through embellished dress made by the designer in 2001, which was similar to one he designed for Cher to wear in 1967. Months after, another pop star paid an significant price to buy the Mackie fringed mini dress she had worn previously to perform at the Grammys. In September, Carpenter wore a collection of classic Mackie designs at the MTV Video Music Awards. They are also a popular item among collectors.

“This style inspire fond memories for a past glamour,” says an archivist, a curator at the an academic institution, who documents the story of showgirls. “Now it is viewed as a sort of ‘toned-down’ appeal because it has been modified. It has got all the sophistication, the rhinestones and the shine but without the nudity.”

More Than Simply Fashion: An Icon of Vegas

Chung says the showgirl image are integral to the identity of Vegas. She points to former mayor Oscar Goodman who, during public appearances, was flanked by two showgirls. While Las Vegas currently lacks any traditional showgirl productions, the historian says they are still employed as an logo of the city, being present at conventions and in promotional material. “The showgirl is still a lasting symbol of Las Vegas spectacle,” she says.

An Appeal of Illusion

Hardy says the complete change of a stage character is part of the appeal. It’s something Swift alludes to in a recent behind-the-scenes film that documents the behind-the-scenes action from her extensive 2023 Eras tour, which included intense rehearsals, training and 149 shows across 21 countries, each lasting 3.5 hours.

The performer explains her own stage routines as “comparable to running a marathon in high heels every night”. Her headpiece weighed 34lbs. “I had to wear it all the way up the steps to the stage from the dressing rooms three floors below in the basement. I had to head up ahead of time for my moment so I could rest before I made my entrance. You’re sweating the whole time but creating this fantasy that it’s effortless and stunning and magical.”

Perhaps this is where the true allure of the showgirl really lies. In the chaos of 2025 there is a desire for escapism. What better figure to emulate than showgirls, who have always personified dreams, perfection and a world where nobody falters.