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After a long-running stint on the iconic Vegas strip, the dancers from the revue Jubilee! gave one last perfectly timed kick in 2016. The show, famous for its intricate costumes created by style icon Bob Mackie, ended its run due to dwindling audience numbers and disappointed reviewers who described it as a spectacle “stuck in the past”.

Currently, roughly eight years later, the showgirl, or at least the showgirl style, is making a comeback.

A Sultan of Sequins

Dubbed the “master of glitz”, Mackie has made theatrical stage sparkle his defining aesthetic, clothing everyone from Marilyn Monroe to Madonna. In a recent auction, a “see-through” bodysuit he designed for Cher in 1978 sold for $57,600, far exceeding its estimated price, while a shimmering tasseled bodysuit with reflective wings that Mackie crafted for Tina Turner for a 1977 concert sold for $19,200.

“I believe it looks more appealing for the emerging artists who is looking for something other than what they grew up with”, he told a publication. “Contemporary performers are embracing a glamorous, more dramatic, attention-grabbing, memorable statement.”

The Mainstream Resurgence

It’s a look that made its way all the way to the heart of the cultural zeitgeist in 2025 largely due to a chart-topping superstar. In the past few months, the cultural juggernaut wore one of Mackie’s classic Jubilee! costumes on the cover of her 12th studio album. The rhinestone encrusted bra and thong, feathered armbands and glittering headpiece were ideal for a record called The Life of a Showgirl.

The singer isn't alone. This year, showgirl references have been incorporated by pop stars including Dua Lipa as they whizzed across arena stages in sparkles, revealing designs and feathers, highlighted against theatrical sets. Lipa’s stylist a fashion expert explained to Vogue he wanted to bring “a showgirl attitude” to her Radical Optimism tour – referencing pictures from the 1950s, her performers wafted giant feathered fans.

Drawing from History

Modern stars and other hitmakers also draw on 19th-century entertainment forms, including burlesque and chorus line references. The outcome are worlds away from the 1990s era teen pop of revealing tops and cargo pants, and hip-hop inspired dance moves that came before them.

But certain observers are enthusiastic with this showgirl revival. Nancy Hardy, a ex- Jubilee! showgirl who performed in the early 2000s says the trend is “puzzling”. She thinks the word term is being “employed as an broad label including everything from The Radio City Rockettes to Broadway performers and now seemingly today's icons.”

The Coveted Retro Style

For younger and young adult stars, Mackie’s retro designs have become incredibly sought-after. In 2024, a famous actress paid tribute to one of Mackie’s iconic muses, Cher, when the actress wore a translucent sequined dress made by the designer in 2001, which was reminiscent of one he made for Cher to wear in 1967. Subsequently, another pop star 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, the singer wore a trio of vintage Mackie designs at the MTV Video Music Awards. They are also a hit among fashion collectors.

“The showgirl aesthetic bring about nostalgia for a historical elegance,” says Su Kim Chung, head of special collections at the an academic institution, who documents the story of showgirls. “Now it is viewed as a sort of ‘toned-down’ allure because it has been adapted. It has got all the sophistication, the sparkles and the glitter but without the bare skin.”

A Than Simply Style: An Icon of Las Vegas

She says this figure are integral to the iconography of Sin City. She points to one-time leader Oscar Goodman who, during public appearances, was accompanied by two showgirls. Even though Las Vegas currently lacks any showgirl-based productions, Jung says they are still featured as an logo of the city, showing up at corporate events and in promotional material. “The showgirl is still a enduring icon of Vegas glamour,” she says.

An Allure of Illusion

Hardy says the transformative effect of a showgirl persona is part of the appeal. It’s something Swift alludes to in a latest behind-the-scenes film that shows the backstage action from her year-long 2023 Eras tour, which included intense practice sessions, gym sessions and numerous shows across 21 countries, each running for 3.5 hours.

She recalls her own showgirl performances as “comparable to extreme physical exertion in heels every night”. Her headpiece tipped the scales at 34lbs. “I had to support it all the way up the stairs to the performance area from the dressing rooms three floors below in the underground. I had to leave early for my cue so I could recover before I made my entrance. You are working hard the whole time but crafting this image that it’s effortless and stunning and magical.”

It could be this is where the true allure of the showgirl really is found. In the chaos of 2025 there is a craving for fantasy. What better figure to turn to than these performers, who have always personified dreams, perfection and a universe where nobody falters.