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Following a three-decade stint on the Las Vegas Boulevard, the performers from the revue Jubilee! gave one last perfectly timed kick in 2016. The show, known for its intricate costumes designed by style icon Bob Mackie, ended its run due to dwindling audience numbers and unimpressed reviewers who called it a spectacle “trapped in time”.

Now, almost a decade later, the showgirl persona, or at least the showgirl style, is making a comeback.

A King of Sequins

Dubbed the “master of glitz”, Mackie has made theatrical stage sparkle his signature style, outfitting everyone from screen legends to pop royalty. Recently, a “barely-there” bodysuit he created for Cher in 1978 commanded $57,600, well over its estimated price, while a shimmering beaded bodysuit with shiny wings that Mackie designed for Tina Turner for a 1977 show sold for $19,200.

“I believe it looks more appealing for the younger performer who is desiring something other than what they knew from childhood”, he explained to a newspaper. “New stars are embracing a glamorous, more theatrical, breathtaking, memorable statement.”

A Musical Resurgence

It’s a look that sashayed all the way to the epicenter of mainstream fashion in 2025 thanks to Taylor Swift. Recently, the music phenomenon wore one of Mackie’s vintage Jubilee! costumes on the cover of her latest record. The rhinestone encrusted bra and thong, ostrich-feather armbands and sparkly headpiece were perfect for a record named The Life of a Showgirl.

Swift is part of a trend. This year, showgirl references have been incorporated by music artists including Miley Cyrus as they whizzed across arena stages in sequins, cut-outs and plumes, illuminated against overstated sets. Her fashion curator a fashion expert told Vogue he wanted to bring “a showgirl attitude” to her Radical Optimism tour – referencing pictures from the 1950s, the backup dancers wafted giant ostrich feather fans.

Drawing from Tradition

Lipa, Carpenter and other hitmakers also reference classic performances, including classic theater and ensemble references. The outcome are worlds away from the 90s pop style of short shirts and utilitarian trousers, and street-style dance moves that preceded this trend.

But certain observers are on board with this showgirl revival. A former performer, a one-time Jubilee! showgirl who danced in the early 2000s says the trend is “bemusing”. She thinks the word showgirl title is being “treated as an umbrella term including everything from The Radio City Rockettes to Broadway performers and now apparently today's icons.”

A Coveted Vintage Look

For younger and millennial stars, Mackie’s retro designs have become extremely desirable. In 2024, a style icon honored to one of Mackie’s earliest clients, Cher, when the actress wore a semi-sheer beaded dress created by the designer in 2001, which was inspired by one he created for Cher to wear in 1967. Subsequently, Miley Cyrus paid an significant price to buy the Mackie tasseled mini dress she had worn at an awards show 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 vintage enthusiasts.

“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 researches the story of showgirls. “Currently it is considered a sort of ‘safe’ appeal because it has been modified. It has got all the sophistication, the rhinestones and the glitter but without the exposure.”

More Than Simply Style: An Symbol of Vegas

The expert says the showgirl image are key to the imagery of Vegas. She points to one-time leader Oscar Goodman who, during public appearances, was accompanied by two showgirls. Even though Las Vegas no longer has any showgirl-centric productions, the historian says they are still employed as an logo of the city, showing up at gatherings and in marketing. “The showgirl is still a enduring figure of Vegas glamour,” the expert says.

The Appeal of Escape

Nancy Hardy says the magical transformation of a showgirl is part of the attraction. This is a notion Swift references in a new documentary series that shows the off-camera action from her extensive 2023 Eras tour, which included gruelling rehearsals, workouts and numerous shows across 21 countries, each going on for 3.5 hours.

The performer explains her own nights in the spotlight as “like running a marathon in high heels every night”. Her headpiece was 34lbs. “I had to wear it all the way up the stairs to the stage from the green rooms three floors below in the basement. I had to head up ahead of time for my entrance so I could catch my breath before I performed. You are sweating the whole time but maintaining this image that it’s easy and beautiful and dreamlike.”

Perhaps this is where the appeal of the showgirl fantasy really resides. In the busyness of 2025 there is a craving for a break from reality. Who better to look to than such icons, who have always embodied dreams, flawlessness and a universe where nobody misses a mark.