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Following a three-decade run on the Las Vegas strip, the dancers from the production Jubilee! took a final synchronised kick in 2016. The production, famous for its intricate costumes designed by celebrated designer Bob Mackie, ended its run due to dwindling audience numbers and disappointed critics who labeled it a spectacle “trapped in time”.

Now, roughly eight years later, the showgirl persona, or at least the showgirl style, is experiencing a revival.

A Master of Glitz

Dubbed the “king of sparkle”, Mackie has made dramatic showgirl glitz his trademark look, outfitting everyone from Hollywood icons to music superstars. Recently, a “barely-there” bodysuit he designed for Cher in 1978 commanded $57,600, well over its initial estimate, while a shimmering tasseled bodysuit with reflective wings that Mackie designed for Tina Turner for a 1977 concert sold for $19,200.

“I think it looks more appealing for the emerging artists who is looking for something other than what they knew from childhood”, he stated in an interview with a newspaper. “New stars are embracing a theatrical, more dramatic, show-stopping, entrance-making statement.”

A Musical Comeback

It’s a look that glided all the way to the heart of mainstream fashion in 2025 propelled by a global pop icon. Recently, the music phenomenon wore one of Mackie’s classic Jubilee! costumes on the cover of her 12th studio album. The bedazzled bra and thong, feathered armbands and shimmering headpiece were perfect for a record named The Life of a Showgirl.

The singer is part of a trend. This year, showgirl inspirations have been incorporated by singers including Miley Cyrus as they danced across arena stages in sequins, revealing designs and plumes, spotlighted against overstated sets. Lipa’s stylist a fashion expert told a fashion magazine he wanted to bring “a stage persona” to her Radical Optimism tour – referencing pictures from the mid-century, Lipa’s dancers fluttered giant ostrich feather fans.

Drawing from the Past

Lipa, Carpenter and other hitmakers also take inspiration from historical entertainment forms, including burlesque and dance line references. The outcome are vastly different from the late-century teen pop of short shirts and cargo pants, and street-style dance moves that were popular earlier.

But certain observers are on board with this showgirl revival. Nancy Hardy, a ex- Jubilee! showgirl who danced in the early 2000s says the trend is “puzzling”. She thinks the word showgirl is being “treated as an catch-all phrase including everything from The Radio City Rockettes to Broadway performers and now seemingly Taylor Swift.”

A Coveted Classic Look

For gen Z and modern stars, Mackie’s classic designs have become highly covetable. In 2024, Zendaya honored to one of Mackie’s earliest clients, Cher, when the actress wore a translucent beaded dress created by the designer in 2001, which was reminiscent of one he made for Cher to wear in 1967. Subsequently, another pop star paid an undisclosed sum to buy the Mackie fringed mini dress she had worn previously to perform at the Grammys. In September, the singer wore a collection of classic Mackie designs at the MTV Video Music Awards. They are also a popular item among collectors.

“This style evoke fond memories for a past glamour,” says an archivist, head of special collections at the an academic institution, who documents the history of showgirls. “Now it is considered a sort of ‘acceptable’ appeal because it has been modified. It has got all the glamour, the sparkles and the sparkle but without the bare skin.”

More Than Simply Style: An Symbol of the City

The expert says showgirls are key to the iconography of Las Vegas. She points to ex-mayor Oscar Goodman who, during civic functions, was flanked by two showgirls. Even though Las Vegas no longer has any showgirl-based productions, the historian says they are still used as an emblem of the city, showing up at conventions and in advertisements. “The showgirl is still a remaining figure of Las Vegas glitz and glamour,” Chung says.

The Allure of Escape

Hardy says the transformative effect of a showgirl is part of the appeal. This idea the singer alludes to in a new docuseries that captures the off-camera action from her massive 2023 Eras tour, which included intense rehearsals, gym sessions and numerous performances across dozens of cities, each going on for 3.5 hours.

She recalls her own showgirl performances as “comparable to completing an endurance race in stilettos every night”. Her feathered headdress was 34lbs. “I had to wear it all the way up the steps to the performance area from the dressing rooms three floors below in the lower level. I had to leave early for my entrance so I could catch my breath before I performed. You’re perspiring the whole time but creating this fantasy that it’s simple and stunning and magical.”

Maybe this is where the true allure of the showgirl fantasy really resides. In the busyness of 2025 there is a desire for escapism. Is there anyone better to turn to than showgirls, who have always embodied make-believe, idealism and a world where no one falters.