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After a 31-year stint on the iconic Vegas strip, the showgirls from the production Jubilee! executed their last perfectly timed kick in 2016. The extravaganza, famous for its ornate costumes designed by style icon Bob Mackie, ended its run due to dwindling audience numbers and critical commentators who labeled it a spectacle “stuck in the past”.

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

The King of Sequins

Known as the “sultan of sequins”, Mackie has made theatrical stage sparkle his trademark look, dressing everyone from Hollywood icons to music superstars. In a recent auction, a “naked” bodysuit he made for Cher in 1978 commanded $57,600, far exceeding its estimated price, while a metallic beaded bodysuit with lamé wings that Mackie crafted for Tina Turner for a 1977 performance sold for $19,200.

“I think it looks more enticing for the younger performer who is looking for something other than what they knew from childhood”, he explained to a newspaper. “New stars are pushing toward a theatrical, more spectacular, attention-grabbing, grand statement.”

A Pop Culture Revival

It’s a look that made its way all the way to the centre of mainstream fashion in 2025 propelled by Taylor Swift. Recently, the cultural juggernaut wore one of Mackie’s classic Jubilee! costumes on the cover of her new musical project. The rhinestone encrusted bra and thong, ostrich-feather armbands and shimmering headpiece were ideal for a record titled The Life of a Showgirl.

Swift is part of a trend. This year, showgirl references have been incorporated by pop stars including Miley Cyrus as they danced across arena stages in sequins, revealing designs and ostrich feathers, highlighted against camp sets. Lipa’s stylist her creative director mentioned in an interview with Vogue he wanted to bring “a showgirl spirit” to her Radical Optimism tour – referencing pictures from the 1950s, the backup dancers wafted giant plumed accessories.

Pulling from the Past

Modern stars and other hitmakers also reference historical performances, including classic theater and ensemble references. The results are poles apart from the 1990s era Britney Spears era of short shirts and utilitarian trousers, and urban dance moves that came before them.

But some critics are enthusiastic with this glamour resurgence. An ex-showgirl, a ex- Jubilee! showgirl who danced in the 2000s says the trend is “bemusing”. She thinks the word term is being “treated as an umbrella term encompassing everything from The Radio City Rockettes to Broadway performers and now even today's icons.”

A Highly Sought-After Vintage Look

For gen Z and young adult stars, Mackie’s vintage designs have become highly covetable. In 2024, Zendaya gave a nod to one of Mackie’s first major stars, Cher, when the actress wore a translucent beaded dress designed by the designer in 2001, which was similar to one he created for Cher to wear in 1967. Subsequently, Miley Cyrus paid an private amount to buy the Mackie tasseled mini dress she had worn earlier in the year to perform at the Grammys. In September, the singer wore a collection of retro Mackie designs at the MTV Video Music Awards. They are also a popular item among fashion collectors.

“Showgirls bring about fond memories for a historical elegance,” says a historian, head of special collections at the an academic institution, who researches the story of showgirls. “Now it is considered a sort of ‘toned-down’ allure because it has been modified. It has got all the glamour, the sparkles and the shine but without the nudity.”

A Than Simply Style: An Symbol of Las Vegas

She says the showgirl image are central to the imagery of Vegas. She points to ex-mayor Oscar Goodman who, during official events, was surrounded by two showgirls. Although Las Vegas currently lacks any traditional showgirl productions, Chung says they are still used as an symbol of the city, appearing at corporate events and in promotional material. “The showgirl is still a lasting icon of Vegas spectacle,” Chung says.

The Appeal of Escape

Nancy Hardy says the magical transformation of a showgirl persona is part of the appeal. It’s something Swift hints at in a recent documentary series that captures the behind-the-scenes action from her extensive 2023 Eras tour, which included gruelling practice sessions, gym sessions and 149 performances across multiple nations, each running for 3.5 hours.

Hardy recalls her own nights in the spotlight as “comparable to running a marathon in high heels every night”. Her headpiece tipped the scales at 34lbs. “I had to support it all the way up the steps to the stage from the green rooms three floors below in the lower level. I had to start early for my moment so I could rest before I went on stage. You are sweating the whole time but crafting this illusion that it’s effortless and stunning and dreamlike.”

It could be this is where the fascination of the showgirl really lies. In the busyness of 2025 there is a longing for a break from reality. What better figure to emulate than such icons, who have always represented dreams, perfection and a realm where no one misses a mark.