After a 31-year stint on the iconic Vegas strip, the showgirls from the revue Jubilee! gave one last synchronised kick in 2016. The show, renowned for its elaborate costumes crafted by style icon Bob Mackie, came to an end due to declining audience numbers and disappointed reviewers who called it a spectacle “stuck in the past”.
Now, roughly eight years later, showgirls, or at least the glamorous showgirl look, is making a comeback.
The Sultan of Sparkle
Dubbed the “master of glitz”, Mackie has made dramatic showgirl glitz his signature style, outfitting everyone from Marilyn Monroe to music superstars. Earlier this month, a “see-through” bodysuit he created for Cher in 1978 sold for $57,600, seven times its projected value, while a silver and gold fringed bodysuit with lamé wings that Mackie created for Tina Turner for a 1977 show sold for $19,200.
“In my view it looks more appealing for the younger performer who is seeking something other than what they were accustomed to”, he explained to a media outlet. “Contemporary performers are striving for a glamorous, more spectacular, attention-grabbing, grand statement.”
A Mainstream Revival
It’s a look that sashayed all the way to the epicenter of mainstream fashion in 2025 largely due to 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 crystal-covered bra and thong, feathered armbands and sparkly headpiece were perfect for a record called The Life of a Showgirl.
She has company. This year, showgirl inspirations have been incorporated by singers including Dua Lipa as they whizzed across arena stages in sequins, cut-outs and ostrich feathers, illuminated against overstated sets. A top stylist her creative director explained to Vogue he wanted to bring “a showgirl attitude” to her Radical Optimism tour – referencing pictures from the 50s, her performers wafted giant ostrich feather fans.
Pulling from Tradition
Lipa, Carpenter and other hitmakers also reference classic performances, including classic theater and chorus line references. The final look are vastly different from the late-century Britney Spears era of crop tops and baggy pants, and street-style dance moves that came before them.
But certain observers are on board with this showgirl renaissance. Nancy Hardy, a former Jubilee! showgirl who danced in the early 2000s says the trend is “confusing”. She thinks the word showgirl is being “used as an umbrella term covering everything from The Radio City Rockettes to Broadway performers and now even modern pop stars.”
A Highly Sought-After Vintage Style
For gen Z and modern stars, Mackie’s classic designs have become extremely desirable. In 2024, a famous actress gave a nod to one of Mackie’s earliest clients, Cher, when the actress wore a translucent embellished dress designed by the designer in 2001, which was similar to one he created for Cher to wear in 1967. Subsequently, another pop star paid an undisclosed sum to buy the Mackie beaded mini dress she had worn previously to perform at the Grammys. In September, the singer wore a series of retro Mackie designs at the MTV Video Music Awards. They are also a favorite among fashion collectors.
“The showgirl aesthetic evoke a sense of longing for a bygone era of glitz,” says an archivist, a curator at the a Las Vegas university, who studies the history of showgirls. “Currently it is considered a sort of ‘safe’ allure because it has been modified. It has got all the glamour, the rhinestones and the sparkle but without the bare skin.”
More Than Just Style: An Symbol of Las Vegas
Chung says this figure are integral to the identity of Las Vegas. She points to ex-mayor Oscar Goodman who, during official events, was surrounded by two showgirls. Even though Las Vegas currently lacks any showgirl-centric productions, Chung says they are still employed as an symbol of the city, appearing at gatherings and in marketing. “The showgirl is still a lasting symbol of Las Vegas spectacle,” she says.
The Appeal of Illusion
Nancy Hardy says the magical transformation of a showgirl persona is part of the appeal. It’s something Taylor Swift alludes to in a latest behind-the-scenes film that documents the behind-the-scenes action from her massive 2023 Eras tour, which included exhausting rehearsals, gym sessions and 149 concerts across multiple nations, each running for 3.5 hours.
The performer explains her own stage routines as “comparable to running a marathon in heels every night”. Her headpiece weighed 34lbs. “I had to carry it all the way up the steps to the performance area from the backstage area three floors below in the basement. I had to start early for my moment so I could catch my breath before I went on stage. You are perspiring the whole time but creating this illusion that it’s simple and beautiful and magical.”
It could be this is where the appeal of the showgirl really resides. In the chaos of 2025 there is a longing for escapism. What better figure to emulate than showgirls, who have always embodied dreams, perfection and a world where no one falters.
