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After a long-running tenure on the Las Vegas strip, the showgirls from the production Jubilee! executed their last perfectly timed kick in 2016. The extravaganza, famous for its intricate costumes crafted by American fashion designer Bob Mackie, came to an end due to falling audience numbers and critical critics who called it a spectacle “trapped in time”.

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

A King of Sparkle

Referred to as the “master of glitz”, Mackie has made dramatic showgirl glitz his signature style, outfitting everyone from Hollywood icons to music superstars. In a recent auction, a “naked” bodysuit he created for Cher in 1978 commanded $57,600, far exceeding its estimated price, while a metallic fringed bodysuit with shiny wings that Mackie crafted for Tina Turner for a 1977 concert sold for $19,200.

“I think it looks more attractive for the new generation of stars who is desiring something other than what they knew from childhood”, he explained to a publication. “Today's artists are striving for a show-stopping, more spectacular, breathtaking, grand statement.”

The Mainstream Comeback

It’s a look that sashayed all the way to the centre of popular culture in 2025 propelled by a chart-topping superstar. Earlier this year, the entertainment titan wore one of Mackie’s vintage Jubilee! costumes on the cover of her new musical project. The rhinestone encrusted bra and thong, feathered armbands and shimmering headpiece were ideal for a record named The Life of a Showgirl.

She is part of a trend. This year, glamorous nods have been embraced by singers including Sabrina Carpenter as they whizzed across arena stages in sparkles, strategic openings and feathers, spotlighted against theatrical sets. Her fashion curator Lorenzo Posocco explained to a style publication he wanted to bring “a stage persona” to her Radical Optimism tour – inspired by pictures from the mid-century, her performers fluttered giant plumed accessories.

Pulling from History

Modern stars and other hitmakers also reference historical entertainment forms, including burlesque and ensemble references. The outcome are poles apart from the 1990s era Britney Spears era of short shirts and baggy pants, and street-style dance moves that were popular earlier.

But not everyone are on board with this showgirl revival. An ex-showgirl, a former Jubilee! showgirl who danced in the early 2000s says the trend is “confusing”. She thinks the word term is being “employed as an umbrella term encompassing everything from The Radio City Rockettes to Broadway performers and now even today's icons.”

The Coveted Vintage Style

For gen Z and millennial stars, Mackie’s vintage designs have become incredibly sought-after. In 2024, a famous actress honored to one of Mackie’s earliest clients, Cher, when the actress wore a see-through embellished dress created by the designer in 2001, which was inspired by 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 previously to perform at the Grammys. In September, the singer wore a collection of vintage Mackie designs at the MTV Video Music Awards. They are also a hit among vintage enthusiasts.

“The showgirl aesthetic bring about fond memories for a past glamour,” says a historian, an expert at the University of Nevada, who documents the story of showgirls. “Currently it is considered a sort of ‘safe’ sexy because it has been adapted. It has got all the sophistication, the crystals and the sparkle but without the bare skin.”

A Than Simply Fashion: An Icon of Las Vegas

Chung says showgirls are integral to the identity of Sin City. She points to ex-mayor Oscar Goodman who, during public appearances, was flanked by two showgirls. While Las Vegas does not host any traditional showgirl productions, Chung says they are still employed as an emblem of the city, being present at conventions and in advertisements. “The showgirl is still a enduring figure of Las Vegas spectacle,” the expert says.

An Appeal of Transformation

The former showgirl says the transformative effect of a stage character is part of the attraction. It’s something Swift hints at in a new documentary series that shows the off-camera action from her year-long 2023 Eras tour, which included intense rehearsals, training and countless performances across 21 countries, each going on for 3.5 hours.

She explains her own nights in the spotlight as “like completing an endurance race in heels every night”. Her headdress tipped the scales at 34lbs. “I had to support it all the way up the stairs to the stage from the dressing rooms three floors below in the lower level. I had to head up ahead of time for my moment so I could rest before I went on stage. You’re sweating the whole time but crafting this fantasy that it’s easy and gorgeous and magical.”

It could be this is where the fascination of the showgirl really lies. In the chaos of 2025 there is a craving for a break from reality. Who better to turn to than such icons, who have always represented fantasy, idealism and a universe where nobody misses a mark.