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After a three-decade tenure on the iconic Vegas strip, the performers from the revue Jubilee! executed their last synchronised kick in 2016. The show, renowned for its elaborate costumes designed by American fashion designer Bob Mackie, ended its run due to dwindling audience numbers and unimpressed reviewers who described it as a spectacle “stuck in the past”.

Today, nearly ten years later, the showgirl persona, or at least the showgirl style, is experiencing a revival.

The Sultan of Glitz

Dubbed the “master of glitz”, Mackie has made theatrical showgirl glamour his defining aesthetic, clothing everyone from screen legends to Madonna. Earlier this month, a “barely-there” bodysuit he designed for Cher in 1978 commanded $57,600, seven times its estimated price, while a shimmering tasseled bodysuit with shiny wings that Mackie created for Tina Turner for a 1977 concert sold for $19,200.

“I believe it looks more attractive for the younger performer who is looking for something other than what they were accustomed to”, he told a publication. “Today's artists are embracing a theatrical, more dramatic, attention-grabbing, entrance-making statement.”

The Mainstream Revival

It’s a look that glided all the way to the epicenter of popular culture in 2025 thanks to a global pop icon. Earlier this year, the cultural juggernaut wore one of Mackie’s original Jubilee! costumes on the cover of her new musical project. The rhinestone encrusted bra and thong, plumed armbands and sparkly headpiece were perfect for a record titled The Life of a Showgirl.

The singer has company. This year, showgirl inspirations have been adopted by singers including Sabrina Carpenter as they danced across arena stages in glitter, strategic openings and ostrich feathers, highlighted against camp sets. Her fashion curator a fashion expert mentioned in an interview with a fashion magazine he wanted to bring “a stage persona” to her Radical Optimism tour – drawing from pictures from the mid-century, Lipa’s dancers fluttered giant ostrich feather fans.

Pulling from History

These artists and other successful musicians also take inspiration from historical performances, including vaudeville and chorus line references. The results are worlds away from the 1990s era Britney Spears era of short shirts and cargo pants, and urban dance moves that came before them.

But some critics are on board with this showgirl revival. An ex-showgirl, a ex- Jubilee! showgirl who entertained in the 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 even Taylor Swift.”

A Highly Sought-After Classic Style

For gen Z and young adult stars, Mackie’s retro designs have become extremely desirable. In 2024, Zendaya gave a nod to one of Mackie’s earliest clients, Cher, when the actor wore a translucent embellished dress designed by the designer in 2001, which was reminiscent of one he made for Cher to wear in 1967. Subsequently, another pop star 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, Sabrina Carpenter wore a collection of classic Mackie designs at the MTV Video Music Awards. They are also a hit among collectors.

“This style evoke a sense of longing for a past glamour,” says an archivist, a curator at the a Las Vegas university, who researches the story of showgirls. “Today it is viewed as a sort of ‘safe’ appeal 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 Las Vegas

The expert says showgirls are key to the imagery of Las Vegas. She points to ex-mayor Oscar Goodman who, during official events, was flanked by two showgirls. While Las Vegas does not host any traditional showgirl productions, Chung says they are still featured as an logo of the city, being present at conventions and in promotional material. “The showgirl is still a enduring icon of Las Vegas glamour,” she says.

The Appeal of Illusion

The former showgirl says the transformative effect of a showgirl is part of the appeal. This is a notion Swift references in a latest docuseries that shows the backstage action from her massive 2023 Eras tour, which included exhausting practice sessions, training and countless performances across dozens of cities, each lasting 3.5 hours.

The performer recalls her own stage routines as “like running a marathon in heels every night”. Her headpiece weighed 34lbs. “I had to carry it all the way up the staircase to the platform from the dressing rooms three floors below in the underground. I had to start early for my moment so I could recover before I made my entrance. You’re working hard the whole time but maintaining this image that it’s simple and beautiful and magical.”

Maybe this is where the true allure of the showgirl fantasy really is found. In the chaos of 2025 there is a desire for escapism. What better figure to emulate than these performers, who have always personified fantasy, perfection and a realm where nobody makes a mistake.