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After a long-running run on the Las Vegas strip, the dancers from the spectacle Jubilee! took a final perfectly timed kick in 2016. The production, famous for its elaborate costumes created by celebrated designer Bob Mackie, came to an end due to falling audience numbers and unimpressed critics who described it as a spectacle “stuck in the past”.

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

A Sultan of Glitz

Referred to as the “master of glitz”, Mackie has made dramatic showgirl glitz his defining aesthetic, outfitting everyone from screen legends to pop royalty. In a recent auction, a “naked” bodysuit he created for Cher in 1978 fetched $57,600, far exceeding its estimated price, while a shimmering fringed bodysuit with shiny wings that Mackie designed for Tina Turner for a 1977 concert sold for $19,200.

“In my view it looks more enticing for the emerging artists who is seeking something other than what they were accustomed to”, he explained to a publication. “Today's artists are striving for a theatrical, more dramatic, attention-grabbing, grand statement.”

The Pop Culture Comeback

It’s a look that made its way all the way to the centre of mainstream fashion in 2025 propelled by a chart-topping superstar. In the past few months, the entertainment titan wore one of Mackie’s original Jubilee! costumes on the cover of her latest record. The rhinestone encrusted bra and thong, ostrich-feather armbands and shimmering headpiece were perfect for a record called The Life of a Showgirl.

She isn't alone. This year, showgirl inspirations have been embraced by pop stars including Miley Cyrus as they whizzed across world tours in sparkles, cut-outs and plumes, spotlighted against camp sets. A top stylist a fashion expert explained to a style publication he wanted to bring “a showgirl spirit” to her Radical Optimism tour – drawing from pictures from the 50s, the backup dancers wafted giant ostrich feather fans.

Drawing from Tradition

Lipa, Carpenter and other hitmakers also reference historical performances, including classic theater and ensemble references. The results are poles apart from the 90s teen pop of short shirts and cargo pants, and hip-hop inspired dance moves that preceded this trend.

But not everyone are convinced with this showgirl renaissance. An ex-showgirl, a one-time Jubilee! showgirl who entertained in the 2000s says the trend is “bemusing”. She thinks the word term is being “used as an catch-all phrase covering everything from The Radio City Rockettes to Broadway performers and now apparently Taylor Swift.”

A Highly Sought-After Classic Look

For gen Z and young adult stars, Mackie’s vintage designs have become incredibly sought-after. In 2024, Zendaya paid tribute to one of Mackie’s iconic muses, Cher, when the actress wore a translucent beaded dress created by the designer in 2001, which was similar to one he made for Cher to wear in 1967. Later that year, Miley Cyrus 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, Sabrina Carpenter wore a collection of retro Mackie designs at the MTV Video Music Awards. They are also a hit among fashion collectors.

“This style bring about nostalgia for a historical elegance,” says Su Kim Chung, a curator at the University of Nevada, who studies the legacy of showgirls. “Today it is considered a sort of ‘toned-down’ allure because it has been updated. It has got all the elegance, the rhinestones and the shine but without the exposure.”

More Than Simply Style: An Icon of Las Vegas

The expert says the showgirl image are central to the iconography of Vegas. She points to former mayor Oscar Goodman who, during public appearances, was surrounded by two showgirls. Even though Las Vegas currently lacks any showgirl-centric productions, the historian says they are still featured as an symbol of the city, showing up at corporate events and in promotional material. “The showgirl is still a lasting figure of Las Vegas spectacle,” she says.

The Allure of Illusion

Hardy says the complete change of a showgirl persona is part of the allure. It’s something Taylor Swift references in a latest behind-the-scenes film that shows the behind-the-scenes action from her massive 2023 Eras tour, which included intense rehearsals, gym sessions and numerous performances across 21 countries, each going on for 3.5 hours.

She describes her own showgirl performances as “comparable to completing an endurance race in stilettos every night”. Her feathered headdress tipped the scales at 34lbs. “I had to wear it all the way up the stairs to the platform from the backstage area three floors below in the basement. I had to start early for my cue so I could catch my breath before I went on stage. You’re perspiring the whole time but crafting this image that it’s easy and gorgeous and magical.”

Maybe this is where the appeal of the showgirl fantasy really is found. In the chaos of 2025 there is a longing for a break from reality. Who better to turn to than such icons, who have always personified dreams, idealism and a world where no one falters.