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Following a 31-year run on the Las Vegas strip, the dancers from the revue Jubilee! gave one last synchronised kick in 2016. The show, known for its intricate costumes created by celebrated designer Bob Mackie, came to an end due to declining audience numbers and disappointed commentators who described it as a spectacle “a relic of another era”.

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

A Master of Sparkle

Referred to as the “master of glitz”, Mackie has made theatrical showgirl glamour his trademark look, clothing everyone from Hollywood icons to music superstars. Recently, a “naked” bodysuit he created for Cher in 1978 fetched $57,600, far exceeding its projected value, while a silver and gold beaded bodysuit with lamé wings that Mackie created for Tina Turner for a 1977 show sold for $19,200.

“In my view it looks more attractive for the emerging artists who is seeking something other than what they grew up with”, he explained to a media outlet. “Contemporary performers are striving for a show-stopping, more theatrical, show-stopping, memorable statement.”

A Musical Resurgence

It’s a look that made its way all the way to the centre of mainstream fashion in 2025 largely due to Taylor Swift. Recently, the cultural juggernaut wore one of Mackie’s classic Jubilee! costumes on the cover of her latest record. The bedazzled bra and thong, plumed armbands and glittering headpiece were tailor-made for a record titled The Life of a Showgirl.

The singer isn't alone. This year, showgirl references have been incorporated by music artists including Dua Lipa as they whizzed across arena stages in sequins, cut-outs and feathers, highlighted against camp sets. Her fashion curator her creative director mentioned in an interview with a fashion magazine he wanted to bring “a showgirl attitude” to her Radical Optimism tour – drawing from pictures from the 1950s, Lipa’s dancers wafted giant feathered fans.

Drawing from the Past

These artists and other chart toppers also take inspiration from historical performances, including classic theater and ensemble references. The results are vastly different from the 1990s era pop style of short shirts and utilitarian trousers, and street-style dance moves that preceded this trend.

But not everyone are on board with this showgirl renaissance. Nancy Hardy, a one-time Jubilee! showgirl who danced in the early 2000s says the trend is “confusing”. She thinks the word showgirl is being “used as an umbrella term including everything from The Radio City Rockettes to Broadway performers and now seemingly today's icons.”

A Highly Sought-After Vintage Style

For millennial and modern stars, Mackie’s classic designs have become highly covetable. In 2024, a style icon gave a nod to one of Mackie’s first major stars, Cher, when the star wore a translucent embellished dress created by the designer in 2001, which was similar to one he designed for Cher to wear in 1967. Months after, Miley Cyrus paid an significant price 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 trio of vintage Mackie designs at the MTV Video Music Awards. They are also a favorite among fashion collectors.

“Showgirls evoke fond memories for a bygone era of glitz,” says a historian, an expert at the an academic institution, who researches the legacy of showgirls. “Currently it is considered a sort of ‘acceptable’ appeal because it has been modified. It has got all the sophistication, the sparkles and the glitter but without the bare skin.”

A Than Just Style: An Symbol of the City

The expert says this figure are integral to the iconography of Sin City. She points to former mayor Oscar Goodman who, during public appearances, was accompanied by two showgirls. Although Las Vegas does not host any traditional showgirl productions, Jung says they are still used as an symbol of the city, being present at gatherings and in promotional material. “The showgirl is still a remaining figure of Vegas glamour,” she says.

An Allure of Escape

Nancy Hardy says the transformative effect of a showgirl is part of the attraction. This is a notion Swift hints at in a latest documentary series that captures the behind-the-scenes action from her extensive 2023 Eras tour, which included intense preparations, training and numerous performances across dozens of cities, each going on for 3.5 hours.

Hardy explains her own nights in the spotlight as “like extreme physical exertion in heels every night”. Her headdress tipped the scales at 34lbs. “I had to support it all the way up the stairs to the stage from the backstage area three floors below in the underground. I had to start early for my entrance so I could recover before I made my entrance. You are sweating the whole time but creating this image that it’s simple and gorgeous and dreamlike.”

Perhaps this is where the fascination of the showgirl really resides. In the chaos of 2025 there is a desire for escapism. Who better to emulate than these performers, who have always personified dreams, perfection and a realm where no one misses a mark.