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Following a three-decade stint on the Las Vegas Boulevard, the performers from the production Jubilee! executed their last synchronised kick in 2016. The extravaganza, known for its elaborate costumes created by American fashion designer Bob Mackie, closed its doors due to falling audience numbers and critical critics who described it as a spectacle “a relic of another era”.

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

A Sultan of Sparkle

Known as the “master of glitz”, Mackie has made theatrical showgirl glamour his trademark look, outfitting everyone from Marilyn Monroe to pop royalty. Recently, a “see-through” bodysuit he created for Cher in 1978 sold for $57,600, seven times its projected value, while a shimmering beaded bodysuit with shiny wings that Mackie crafted for Tina Turner for a 1977 concert sold for $19,200.

“In my view it looks more appealing for the new generation of stars who is seeking something other than what they knew from childhood”, he told a media outlet. “Today's artists are pushing toward a theatrical, more dramatic, breathtaking, grand statement.”

The Pop Culture Resurgence

It’s a look that sashayed all the way to the heart of mainstream fashion in 2025 largely due to a global pop icon. Recently, the entertainment titan wore one of Mackie’s classic Jubilee! costumes on the cover of her 12th studio album. The rhinestone encrusted bra and thong, plumed armbands and sparkly headpiece were ideal for a record named The Life of a Showgirl.

She is part of a trend. This year, glamorous nods have been adopted by music artists including Sabrina Carpenter as they danced across concert platforms in sparkles, cut-outs and plumes, illuminated against overstated sets. Lipa’s stylist Lorenzo Posocco mentioned in an interview with Vogue he wanted to bring “a showgirl spirit” to her Radical Optimism tour – referencing pictures from the 50s, Lipa’s dancers fluttered giant plumed accessories.

Drawing from History

These artists and other successful musicians also reference 19th-century entertainment forms, including burlesque and chorus line references. The outcome are poles apart from the late-century teen pop of crop tops and utilitarian trousers, and urban dance moves that were popular earlier.

But not everyone are convinced with this glamour resurgence. A former performer, a former Jubilee! showgirl who danced in the early 2000s says the trend is “puzzling”. She thinks the word showgirl is being “treated as an broad label covering everything from The Radio City Rockettes to Broadway performers and now apparently Taylor Swift.”

A Coveted Vintage Style

For millennial and young adult stars, Mackie’s retro designs have become extremely desirable. In 2024, Zendaya paid tribute to one of Mackie’s iconic muses, Cher, when the star wore a translucent sequined dress created by the designer in 2001, which was similar to one he created for Cher to wear in 1967. Months after, a singer paid an undisclosed sum to buy the Mackie tasseled mini dress she had worn earlier in the year to perform at the Grammys. In September, Sabrina Carpenter wore a series of vintage Mackie designs at the MTV Video Music Awards. They are also a favorite among vintage enthusiasts.

“The showgirl aesthetic inspire fond memories for a historical elegance,” says a historian, an expert at the University of Nevada, who studies the legacy of showgirls. “Currently it is considered a sort of ‘acceptable’ sexy because it has been modified. It has got all the elegance, the sparkles and the glitter but without the bare skin.”

More Than Just Fashion: An Symbol of Vegas

Chung says the showgirl image are key to the identity of Las Vegas. She points to former mayor Oscar Goodman who, during public appearances, was surrounded by two showgirls. Even though Las Vegas does not host any showgirl-centric productions, Jung says they are still featured as an symbol of the city, showing up at corporate events and in marketing. “The showgirl is still a enduring icon of Las Vegas spectacle,” she says.

An Allure of Escape

Nancy Hardy says the complete change of a showgirl persona is part of the appeal. It’s something the singer alludes to in a new docuseries that shows the off-camera action from her year-long 2023 Eras tour, which included intense practice sessions, gym sessions and 149 concerts across multiple nations, each running for 3.5 hours.

Hardy describes her own stage routines as “similar to completing an endurance race in heels every night”. Her feathered headdress weighed 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 entrance so I could rest before I performed. One is perspiring the whole time but creating this fantasy that it’s effortless and stunning and dreamlike.”

Perhaps this is where the appeal of the showgirl fantasy really lies. In the complexity of 2025 there is a desire for a break from reality. What better figure to look to than showgirls, who have always personified make-believe, flawlessness and a realm where nobody makes a mistake.