After a three-decade run on the iconic Vegas strip, the showgirls from the production Jubilee! gave one last synchronised kick in 2016. The production, famous for its intricate costumes created by style icon Bob Mackie, ended its run due to falling audience numbers and critical reviewers who labeled it a spectacle “stuck in the past”.
Currently, roughly eight years later, the showgirl persona, or at least the showgirl style, is back.
A Sultan of Sequins
Referred to as the “master of glitz”, Mackie has made theatrical stage sparkle his defining aesthetic, outfitting everyone from Hollywood icons to pop royalty. Recently, a “see-through” bodysuit he designed for Cher in 1978 commanded $57,600, well over its projected value, while a metallic tasseled bodysuit with lamé wings that Mackie created for Tina Turner for a 1977 performance sold for $19,200.
“I think it looks more enticing for the emerging artists who is seeking something other than what they knew from childhood”, he told a media outlet. “Contemporary performers are striving for a theatrical, more spectacular, show-stopping, grand statement.”
The Pop Culture Resurgence
It’s a look that made its way all the way to the epicenter of mainstream fashion in 2025 thanks to Taylor Swift. Earlier this year, the entertainment titan wore one of Mackie’s vintage Jubilee! costumes on the cover of her latest record. The bedazzled bra and thong, plumed armbands and shimmering headpiece were ideal for a record called The Life of a Showgirl.
Swift isn't alone. This year, glamorous nods have been embraced by music artists including Miley Cyrus as they whizzed across arena stages in glitter, revealing designs and ostrich feathers, illuminated against camp sets. A top stylist a fashion expert told a style publication he wanted to bring “a showgirl spirit” to her Radical Optimism tour – drawing from pictures from the 50s, the backup dancers fluttered giant ostrich feather fans.
Pulling from the Past
Modern stars and other hitmakers also reference historical performances, including burlesque and dance line references. The final look are vastly different from the 1990s era Britney Spears era of revealing tops and utilitarian trousers, and urban dance moves that preceded this trend.
But not everyone are convinced with this glamour resurgence. A former performer, a ex- Jubilee! showgirl who performed in the early 2000s says the trend is “bemusing”. She thinks the word showgirl title is being “treated as an umbrella term covering everything from The Radio City Rockettes to Broadway performers and now apparently modern pop stars.”
A Coveted Classic Style
For millennial and millennial stars, Mackie’s classic designs have become highly covetable. In 2024, a famous actress paid tribute to one of Mackie’s iconic muses, Cher, when the actor wore a translucent beaded dress created by the designer in 2001, which was inspired by one he made for Cher to wear in 1967. Months after, a singer paid an private amount to buy the Mackie tasseled mini dress she had worn previously to perform at the Grammys. In September, Sabrina Carpenter wore a series of retro Mackie designs at the MTV Video Music Awards. They are also a hit among collectors.
“This style bring about fond memories for a past glamour,” says a historian, a curator at the University of Nevada, who researches the history of showgirls. “Today it is seen as a sort of ‘safe’ allure because it has been modified. It has got all the glamour, the sparkles and the shine but without the bare skin.”
More Than Just Style: An Icon of the City
She says showgirls are central to the identity of Sin City. She points to one-time leader Oscar Goodman who, during public appearances, was flanked by two showgirls. While Las Vegas does not host any traditional showgirl productions, the historian says they are still featured as an symbol of the city, appearing at corporate events and in marketing. “The showgirl is still a lasting symbol of Las Vegas spectacle,” Chung says.
An Allure of Illusion
The former showgirl says the magical transformation of a showgirl persona is part of the attraction. This idea the singer references in a new documentary series that shows the behind-the-scenes action from her year-long 2023 Eras tour, which included gruelling practice sessions, workouts and 149 shows across 21 countries, each going on for 3.5 hours.
The performer explains her own showgirl performances as “comparable to running a marathon in high heels every night”. Her headdress was 34lbs. “I had to carry it all the way up the steps to the stage from the green rooms three floors below in the underground. I had to start early for my moment so I could catch my breath before I went on stage. You’re working hard the whole time but creating this illusion that it’s effortless and gorgeous and dreamlike.”
Maybe this is where the appeal of the showgirl fantasy really resides. In the complexity of 2025 there is a longing for escapism. Is there anyone better to emulate than these performers, who have always embodied make-believe, perfection and a realm where no one makes a mistake.
