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Following a three-decade tenure on the Las Vegas strip, the performers from the revue Jubilee! took a final synchronised kick in 2016. The show, renowned for its intricate costumes created by style icon Bob Mackie, came to an end due to falling audience numbers and critical commentators who labeled it a spectacle “trapped in time”.

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

The King of Glitz

Known as the “master of glitz”, Mackie has made dramatic showgirl glitz his signature style, clothing everyone from screen legends to Madonna. In a recent auction, a “naked” bodysuit he designed for Cher in 1978 commanded $57,600, well over its initial estimate, while a silver and gold beaded bodysuit with shiny wings that Mackie crafted for Tina Turner for a 1977 concert sold for $19,200.

“I think it looks more attractive for the new generation of stars who is looking for something other than what they knew from childhood”, he stated in an interview with a newspaper. “New stars are pushing toward a glamorous, more theatrical, show-stopping, entrance-making statement.”

A Musical Revival

It’s a look that sashayed all the way to the heart of the cultural zeitgeist in 2025 thanks to Taylor Swift. Recently, the cultural juggernaut wore one of Mackie’s vintage Jubilee! costumes on the cover of her new musical project. The crystal-covered bra and thong, feathered armbands and shimmering headpiece were tailor-made for a record called The Life of a Showgirl.

The singer isn't alone. This year, glamorous nods have been adopted by singers including Dua Lipa as they zoomed across arena stages in sequins, strategic openings and plumes, highlighted against camp sets. Her fashion curator Lorenzo Posocco told a fashion magazine he wanted to bring “a showgirl attitude” to her Radical Optimism tour – drawing from pictures from the 1950s, her performers waved giant plumed accessories.

Pulling from Tradition

Lipa, Carpenter and other hitmakers also reference historical performances, including classic theater and ensemble references. The results are vastly different from the 90s teen pop of crop tops and cargo pants, and hip-hop inspired dance moves that were popular earlier.

But not everyone are enthusiastic with this showgirl renaissance. A former performer, a former Jubilee! showgirl who entertained in the early 2000s says the trend is “confusing”. She thinks the word showgirl is being “employed as an umbrella term encompassing everything from The Radio City Rockettes to Broadway performers and now even modern pop stars.”

A Coveted Classic Style

For millennial and modern stars, Mackie’s classic designs have become extremely desirable. In 2024, a style icon gave a nod to one of Mackie’s iconic muses, Cher, when the actor wore a see-through beaded dress designed by the designer in 2001, which was inspired by one he made for Cher to wear in 1967. Months after, Miley Cyrus paid an significant price to buy the Mackie beaded mini dress she had worn at an awards show 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 hit among vintage enthusiasts.

“This style bring about fond memories for a past glamour,” says Su Kim Chung, a curator at the University of Nevada, who researches the history of showgirls. “Today it is viewed as a sort of ‘safe’ appeal because it has been updated. It has got all the elegance, the rhinestones and the glitter but without the nudity.”

A Than Simply Style: An Icon of the City

The expert says the showgirl image are key to the iconography of Vegas. She points to former mayor Oscar Goodman who, during public appearances, was flanked by two showgirls. While Las Vegas currently lacks any traditional showgirl productions, Jung says they are still employed as an symbol of the city, showing up at gatherings and in promotional material. “The showgirl is still a remaining icon of Vegas glamour,” Chung says.

An Appeal of Illusion

Nancy Hardy says the magical transformation of a showgirl persona is part of the appeal. This idea the singer alludes to in a recent behind-the-scenes film that shows the behind-the-scenes action from her year-long 2023 Eras tour, which included intense preparations, training and countless concerts across 21 countries, each going on for 3.5 hours.

Hardy describes her own stage routines as “comparable to running a marathon in stilettos every night”. Her headdress tipped the scales at 34lbs. “I had to wear it all the way up the steps to the performance area from the backstage area three floors below in the lower level. I had to head up ahead of time for my cue so I could catch my breath before I made my entrance. You are sweating the whole time but crafting this illusion that it’s simple and stunning and ethereal.”

Maybe this is where the appeal of the showgirl really lies. In the chaos of 2025 there is a craving for escapism. Who better to look to than such icons, who have always represented make-believe, flawlessness and a realm where nobody misses a mark.