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After a three-decade run on the iconic Vegas strip, the dancers from the revue Jubilee! executed their last choreographed kick in 2016. The production, renowned for its elaborate costumes designed by American fashion designer Bob Mackie, ended its run due to declining audience numbers and unimpressed critics who described it as a spectacle “a relic of another era”.

Now, nearly ten years later, the showgirl, or at least the glamorous showgirl look, is making a comeback.

The Master of Sequins

Known as the “master of glitz”, Mackie has made theatrical stage sparkle his signature style, dressing everyone from Hollywood icons to Madonna. In a recent auction, a “barely-there” bodysuit he created for Cher in 1978 sold for $57,600, seven times its estimated price, while a metallic 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 younger performer who is seeking something other than what they were accustomed to”, he stated in an interview with a publication. “Today's artists are striving for a show-stopping, more spectacular, show-stopping, memorable statement.”

A Mainstream Comeback

It’s a look that sashayed all the way to the epicenter of popular culture in 2025 largely due to a chart-topping superstar. In the past few months, the cultural juggernaut wore one of Mackie’s vintage Jubilee! costumes on the cover of her latest record. The rhinestone encrusted bra and thong, ostrich-feather armbands and sparkly headpiece were ideal for a record named The Life of a Showgirl.

Swift is part of a trend. This year, showgirl inspirations have been incorporated by singers including Dua Lipa as they whizzed across world tours in glitter, cut-outs and plumes, spotlighted against overstated sets. Lipa’s stylist a fashion expert mentioned in an interview with Vogue he wanted to bring “a showgirl spirit” to her Radical Optimism tour – inspired by pictures from the 1950s, her performers fluttered giant feathered fans.

Pulling from History

Modern stars and other successful musicians also take inspiration from classic entertainment forms, including burlesque and chorus line references. The results are worlds away from the 90s Britney Spears era of crop tops and utilitarian trousers, and urban dance moves that preceded this trend.

But certain observers are on board with this glamour resurgence. A former performer, a former Jubilee! showgirl who performed in the 2000s says the trend is “confusing”. She thinks the word term is being “employed as an catch-all phrase including everything from The Radio City Rockettes to Broadway performers and now even modern pop stars.”

The Highly Sought-After Vintage Look

For millennial and modern stars, Mackie’s classic designs have become highly covetable. In 2024, a famous actress paid tribute to one of Mackie’s earliest clients, Cher, when the actor wore a see-through embellished dress designed by the designer in 2001, which was similar to one he designed for Cher to wear in 1967. Subsequently, Miley Cyrus paid an undisclosed sum to buy the Mackie tasseled mini dress she had worn at an awards show to perform at the Grammys. In September, the singer wore a collection of classic Mackie designs at the MTV Video Music Awards. They are also a popular item among collectors.

“The showgirl aesthetic bring about fond memories for a historical elegance,” says an archivist, an expert at the a Las Vegas university, who documents the story of showgirls. “Currently it is seen as a sort of ‘acceptable’ sexy because it has been adapted. It has got all the sophistication, the crystals and the glitter but without the nudity.”

A Than Just Fashion: An Icon of Las Vegas

The expert says showgirls are key to the imagery of Vegas. She points to former mayor Oscar Goodman who, during civic functions, was surrounded by two showgirls. Even though Las Vegas currently lacks any traditional showgirl productions, Chung says they are still employed as an logo of the city, being present at corporate events and in marketing. “The showgirl is still a lasting figure of Vegas spectacle,” the expert says.

An Allure of Illusion

Nancy Hardy says the magical transformation of a stage character is part of the appeal. It’s something Swift references in a new behind-the-scenes film that documents the off-camera action from her extensive 2023 Eras tour, which included intense practice sessions, workouts and countless performances across multiple nations, each running for 3.5 hours.

The performer describes her own stage routines as “similar to completing an endurance race in high heels every night”. Her feathered headdress tipped the scales at 34lbs. “I had to wear it all the way up the staircase to the performance area from the dressing rooms three floors below in the underground. I had to leave early for my moment so I could catch my breath before I made my entrance. One is sweating the whole time but creating this image that it’s effortless and gorgeous and dreamlike.”

It could be this is where the true allure of the showgirl fantasy really lies. In the chaos of 2025 there is a longing for escapism. What better figure to emulate than such icons, who have always embodied make-believe, flawlessness and a world where no one falters.