🔗 Share this article

Following a long-running run on the iconic Vegas strip, the showgirls from the revue Jubilee! executed their last choreographed kick in 2016. The production, renowned for its intricate costumes designed by celebrated designer Bob Mackie, closed its doors due to falling audience numbers and critical reviewers who described it as a spectacle “a relic of another era”.

Currently, nearly ten years later, the showgirl, or at least the glamorous showgirl look, is experiencing a revival.

A King of Sparkle

Referred to as the “sultan of sequins”, Mackie has made over-the-top stage sparkle his signature style, outfitting everyone from Marilyn Monroe to music superstars. Recently, a “barely-there” bodysuit he designed for Cher in 1978 commanded $57,600, far exceeding its projected value, while a shimmering fringed bodysuit with reflective wings that Mackie created for Tina Turner for a 1977 performance sold for $19,200.

“I think it looks more enticing for the new generation of stars who is seeking something other than what they grew up with”, he stated in an interview with a publication. “New stars are pushing toward a show-stopping, more spectacular, show-stopping, entrance-making statement.”

A Musical Revival

It’s a look that glided all the way to the heart of the cultural zeitgeist in 2025 thanks to a chart-topping superstar. Earlier this year, the cultural juggernaut wore one of Mackie’s classic Jubilee! costumes on the cover of her latest record. The bedazzled bra and thong, feathered armbands and glittering headpiece were perfect for a record named The Life of a Showgirl.

Swift has company. This year, showgirl references have been incorporated by singers including Sabrina Carpenter as they zoomed across concert platforms in sparkles, cut-outs and ostrich feathers, highlighted against overstated sets. A top stylist a fashion expert explained to a fashion magazine he wanted to bring “a showgirl attitude” to her Radical Optimism tour – inspired by pictures from the mid-century, the backup dancers fluttered giant ostrich feather fans.

Drawing from the Past

These artists and other successful musicians also reference 19th-century performances, including burlesque and dance line references. The results are worlds away from the 90s pop style of short shirts and cargo pants, and urban dance moves that preceded this trend.

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

A Highly Sought-After Vintage Style

For gen Z and millennial stars, Mackie’s retro designs have become incredibly sought-after. In 2024, a style icon gave a nod to one of Mackie’s iconic muses, Cher, when the star wore a translucent sequined dress created by the designer in 2001, which was reminiscent of one he designed for Cher to wear in 1967. Months after, another pop star paid an private amount to buy the Mackie tasseled mini dress she had worn previously to perform at the Grammys. In September, the singer wore a trio of retro Mackie designs at the MTV Video Music Awards. They are also a popular item among vintage enthusiasts.

“The showgirl aesthetic inspire a sense of longing for a bygone era of glitz,” says an archivist, head of special collections at the University of Nevada, who researches the legacy of showgirls. “Now it is considered a sort of ‘safe’ sexy because it has been adapted. It has got all the glamour, the crystals and the shine but without the exposure.”

A Than Simply Fashion: An Icon of Las Vegas

She says the showgirl image are key to the identity of Vegas. She points to one-time leader Oscar Goodman who, during official events, was surrounded by two showgirls. Even though Las Vegas does not host any traditional showgirl productions, Jung says they are still featured as an symbol of the city, being present at corporate events and in promotional material. “The showgirl is still a enduring figure of Vegas glamour,” she says.

The Allure of Escape

Hardy says the transformative effect of a stage character is part of the attraction. It’s something Taylor Swift hints at in a new docuseries that shows the behind-the-scenes action from her year-long 2023 Eras tour, which included gruelling practice sessions, gym sessions and 149 shows across multiple nations, each lasting 3.5 hours.

She recalls her own nights in the spotlight as “like running a marathon in stilettos every night”. Her headpiece tipped the scales at 34lbs. “I had to wear it all the way up the staircase to the stage from the green rooms three floors below in the basement. I had to leave early for my moment so I could recover before I performed. One is working hard the whole time but creating this fantasy that it’s effortless and beautiful and magical.”

Maybe this is where the appeal of the showgirl fantasy really resides. In the complexity of 2025 there is a desire for escapism. What better figure to turn to than showgirls, who have always personified dreams, flawlessness and a world where nobody falters.