Following a three-decade tenure on the iconic Vegas strip, the showgirls from the spectacle Jubilee! gave one last perfectly timed kick in 2016. The show, renowned for its intricate costumes crafted by style icon Bob Mackie, closed its doors due to dwindling audience numbers and critical critics who called it a spectacle “trapped in time”.
Now, almost a decade later, showgirls, or at least the showgirl style, is experiencing a revival.
A Master of Sequins
Known as the “king of sparkle”, Mackie has made theatrical stage sparkle his signature style, outfitting everyone from Hollywood icons to music superstars. Recently, a “barely-there” bodysuit he designed for Cher in 1978 commanded $57,600, far exceeding its initial estimate, while a metallic fringed bodysuit with shiny wings that Mackie designed for Tina Turner for a 1977 performance sold for $19,200.
“I believe it looks more appealing for the younger performer who is desiring something other than what they grew up with”, he told a media outlet. “Contemporary performers are pushing toward a theatrical, more spectacular, breathtaking, memorable statement.”
A Musical Resurgence
It’s a look that glided all the way to the centre of mainstream fashion in 2025 propelled by Taylor Swift. In the past few months, the entertainment titan wore one of Mackie’s vintage Jubilee! costumes on the cover of her new musical project. The bedazzled bra and thong, plumed armbands and shimmering headpiece were tailor-made for a record titled The Life of a Showgirl.
The singer has company. This year, showgirl inspirations have been incorporated by pop stars including Miley Cyrus as they zoomed across arena stages in sparkles, cut-outs and feathers, highlighted against overstated sets. Her fashion curator a fashion expert mentioned in an interview with Vogue he wanted to bring “a stage persona” to her Radical Optimism tour – referencing pictures from the 50s, Lipa’s dancers fluttered giant feathered fans.
Drawing from the Past
These artists and other hitmakers also draw on classic performances, including classic theater and chorus line references. The final look are poles apart from the 90s pop style of short shirts and cargo pants, and urban dance moves that preceded this trend.
But not everyone are on board with this showgirl revival. An ex-showgirl, a one-time Jubilee! showgirl who performed in the 00s says the trend is “confusing”. She thinks the word showgirl is being “treated as an catch-all phrase covering everything from The Radio City Rockettes to Broadway performers and now seemingly today's icons.”
The Coveted Classic Look
For gen Z and millennial stars, Mackie’s classic designs have become incredibly sought-after. In 2024, a style icon honored to one of Mackie’s earliest clients, Cher, when the star wore a semi-sheer embellished dress designed by the designer in 2001, which was similar to one he designed for Cher to wear in 1967. Later that year, a singer paid an private amount to buy the Mackie fringed 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 vintage enthusiasts.
“Showgirls evoke a sense of longing for a bygone era of glitz,” says a historian, head of special collections at the an academic institution, who researches the story of showgirls. “Currently it is considered a sort of ‘safe’ sexy because it has been updated. It has got all the sophistication, the sparkles and the glitter but without the nudity.”
A Than Just Style: An Icon of Vegas
Chung says this figure are key to the iconography of Sin City. She points to one-time leader Oscar Goodman who, during official events, was flanked by two showgirls. Although Las Vegas currently lacks any showgirl-centric productions, Chung says they are still employed as an emblem of the city, showing up at corporate events and in marketing. “The showgirl is still a lasting figure of Las Vegas glamour,” she says.
An Appeal of Illusion
Nancy Hardy says the transformative effect of a showgirl is part of the appeal. This idea Swift alludes to in a new docuseries that captures the backstage action from her year-long 2023 Eras tour, which included exhausting rehearsals, workouts and countless concerts across dozens of cities, each going on for 3.5 hours.
She explains her own nights in the spotlight as “similar to running a marathon in stilettos every night”. Her headdress weighed 34lbs. “I had to carry it all the way up the staircase to the stage from the dressing rooms three floors below in the underground. I had to start early for my moment so I could catch my breath before I made my entrance. You’re working hard the whole time but maintaining this illusion that it’s effortless and beautiful and dreamlike.”
Perhaps this is where the true allure of the showgirl really resides. In the chaos of 2025 there is a desire for fantasy. Is there anyone better to emulate than these performers, who have always personified dreams, flawlessness and a realm where nobody misses a mark.
