🔗 Share this article

After a three-decade tenure on the iconic Vegas strip, the showgirls from the spectacle Jubilee! gave one last synchronised kick in 2016. The extravaganza, renowned for its intricate costumes created by style icon Bob Mackie, ended its run due to falling audience numbers and unimpressed critics who called it a spectacle “a relic of another era”.

Currently, nearly ten years later, showgirls, or at least the showgirl aesthetic, is back.

A Master of Sparkle

Dubbed the “king of sparkle”, Mackie has made theatrical showgirl glitz his trademark look, clothing everyone from Marilyn Monroe to music superstars. In a recent auction, a “barely-there” bodysuit he designed for Cher in 1978 sold for $57,600, well over its projected value, while a metallic tasseled bodysuit with lamé wings that Mackie created for Tina Turner for a 1977 concert sold for $19,200.

“I believe it looks more appealing for the new generation of stars who is desiring something other than what they knew from childhood”, he explained to a publication. “Contemporary performers are embracing a show-stopping, more dramatic, attention-grabbing, grand statement.”

A Mainstream Resurgence

It’s a look that glided all the way to the heart of mainstream fashion in 2025 thanks to a chart-topping superstar. In the past few months, the entertainment titan wore one of Mackie’s vintage Jubilee! costumes on the cover of her latest record. The bedazzled bra and thong, feathered armbands and sparkly headpiece were tailor-made for a record titled The Life of a Showgirl.

The singer is part of a trend. This year, glamorous nods have been adopted by singers including Dua Lipa as they whizzed across world tours in glitter, cut-outs and ostrich feathers, highlighted against overstated sets. A top stylist a fashion expert told a style publication he wanted to bring “a showgirl spirit” to her Radical Optimism tour – inspired by pictures from the mid-century, the backup dancers waved giant plumed accessories.

Drawing from the Past

These artists and other successful musicians also reference historical entertainment forms, including vaudeville and chorus line references. The final look are worlds away from the late-century pop style of crop tops and utilitarian trousers, and street-style dance moves that were popular earlier.

But certain observers are on board with this showgirl revival. Nancy Hardy, a one-time Jubilee! showgirl who entertained in the early 2000s says the trend is “confusing”. She thinks the word showgirl is being “employed as an broad label including everything from The Radio City Rockettes to Broadway performers and now seemingly modern pop stars.”

The Highly Sought-After Classic Style

For younger and modern stars, Mackie’s vintage designs have become incredibly sought-after. In 2024, a style icon honored to one of Mackie’s earliest clients, Cher, when the actress wore a translucent sequined dress designed by the designer in 2001, which was inspired by one he designed for Cher to wear in 1967. Later that year, another pop star paid an private amount to buy the Mackie tasseled mini dress she had worn previously to perform at the Grammys. In September, the singer wore a series of vintage Mackie designs at the MTV Video Music Awards. They are also a hit among vintage enthusiasts.

“The showgirl aesthetic bring about nostalgia for a historical elegance,” says Su Kim Chung, a curator at the an academic institution, who researches the history of showgirls. “Now it is viewed as a sort of ‘toned-down’ allure because it has been updated. It has got all the glamour, the crystals and the glitter but without the exposure.”

More Than Just Style: An Symbol of Vegas

She says this figure are integral to the imagery of Vegas. She points to former mayor Oscar Goodman who, during official events, was accompanied by two showgirls. Although Las Vegas currently lacks any traditional showgirl productions, Jung says they are still employed as an symbol of the city, appearing at gatherings and in advertisements. “The showgirl is still a lasting symbol of Vegas spectacle,” Chung says.

The Allure of Transformation

Nancy Hardy says the complete change of a showgirl is part of the appeal. This is a notion the singer alludes to in a recent docuseries that shows the backstage action from her year-long 2023 Eras tour, which included exhausting preparations, gym sessions and 149 shows across dozens of cities, each running for 3.5 hours.

The performer describes her own stage routines as “similar to extreme physical exertion in stilettos every night”. Her feathered headdress was 34lbs. “I had to support it all the way up the staircase to the performance area from the green rooms three floors below in the basement. I had to start early for my cue so I could rest before I made my entrance. You are sweating the whole time but maintaining this illusion that it’s simple and gorgeous and ethereal.”

It could be this is where the fascination of the showgirl fantasy really is found. In the chaos of 2025 there is a desire for a break from reality. Who better to look to than these performers, who have always represented dreams, idealism and a universe where nobody falters.