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After a three-decade tenure on the Las Vegas strip, the performers from the revue Jubilee! took a final perfectly timed kick in 2016. The production, renowned for its intricate costumes crafted by American fashion designer Bob Mackie, ended its run due to declining audience numbers and critical reviewers who described it as a spectacle “a relic of another era”.

Now, nearly ten years later, the showgirl, or at least the glamorous showgirl look, is experiencing a revival.

The King of Glitz

Dubbed the “king of sparkle”, Mackie has made over-the-top showgirl glamour his signature style, clothing everyone from Marilyn Monroe to Madonna. Recently, a “barely-there” bodysuit he made for Cher in 1978 fetched $57,600, far exceeding its estimated price, while a metallic tasseled bodysuit with reflective wings that Mackie crafted for Tina Turner for a 1977 concert sold for $19,200.

“I think it looks more enticing for the new generation of stars who is seeking something other than what they were accustomed to”, he told a publication. “Contemporary performers are embracing a glamorous, more theatrical, attention-grabbing, entrance-making statement.”

The Pop Culture Comeback

It’s a look that sashayed all the way to the heart of popular culture in 2025 propelled by a chart-topping superstar. In the past few months, the entertainment titan wore one of Mackie’s classic Jubilee! costumes on the cover of her latest record. The crystal-covered bra and thong, plumed armbands and shimmering headpiece were tailor-made for a record named The Life of a Showgirl.

She is part of a trend. This year, showgirl references have been incorporated by singers including Sabrina Carpenter as they whizzed across world tours in sequins, strategic openings and feathers, spotlighted against theatrical sets. A top stylist Lorenzo Posocco explained to a style publication he wanted to bring “a showgirl attitude” to her Radical Optimism tour – drawing from pictures from the 50s, her performers wafted giant ostrich feather fans.

Pulling from the Past

These artists and other chart toppers also take inspiration from 19th-century entertainment forms, including vaudeville and ensemble references. The outcome are poles apart from the 1990s era pop style of short shirts and cargo pants, and hip-hop inspired dance moves that preceded this trend.

But certain observers are on board with this glamour resurgence. A former performer, a ex- Jubilee! showgirl who entertained in the 00s says the trend is “bemusing”. She thinks the word showgirl is being “employed as an catch-all phrase encompassing everything from The Radio City Rockettes to Broadway performers and now seemingly Taylor Swift.”

The Coveted Classic Look

For younger and young adult stars, Mackie’s classic designs have become highly covetable. In 2024, Zendaya honored to one of Mackie’s first major stars, Cher, when the star wore a translucent beaded dress made by the designer in 2001, which was inspired by one he created for Cher to wear in 1967. Later that year, another pop star paid an significant price to buy the Mackie beaded mini dress she had worn earlier in the year to perform at the Grammys. In September, Carpenter wore a collection of vintage Mackie designs at the MTV Video Music Awards. They are also a favorite among vintage enthusiasts.

“This style bring about a sense of longing for a historical elegance,” says a historian, an expert at the a Las Vegas university, who studies the history of showgirls. “Today it is seen as a sort of ‘acceptable’ sexy because it has been adapted. It has got all the glamour, the sparkles and the sparkle but without the exposure.”

A Than Simply Fashion: An Icon of Vegas

Chung says this figure are central to the imagery of Las Vegas. She points to former mayor Oscar Goodman who, during official events, was accompanied by two showgirls. Even though Las Vegas no longer has any showgirl-centric productions, Jung says they are still featured as an logo of the city, appearing at conventions and in promotional material. “The showgirl is still a enduring symbol of Las Vegas spectacle,” the expert says.

An Appeal of Illusion

The former showgirl says the transformative effect of a showgirl is part of the appeal. This is a notion Taylor Swift references in a latest documentary series that documents the behind-the-scenes action from her year-long 2023 Eras tour, which included exhausting preparations, gym sessions and countless performances across 21 countries, each running for 3.5 hours.

The performer describes her own nights in the spotlight as “like completing an endurance race in heels every night”. Her feathered headdress was 34lbs. “I had to support it all the way up the steps to the platform from the backstage area three floors below in the basement. I had to start early for my cue so I could rest before I made my entrance. You’re working hard the whole time but crafting this image that it’s effortless and stunning and ethereal.”

Maybe this is where the fascination of the showgirl fantasy really resides. In the busyness of 2025 there is a craving for escapism. What better figure to emulate than such icons, who have always personified dreams, perfection and a world where nobody makes a mistake.