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Following a three-decade tenure on the iconic Vegas strip, the showgirls from the spectacle Jubilee! gave one last synchronised kick in 2016. The production, known for its elaborate costumes crafted by American fashion designer Bob Mackie, closed its doors due to dwindling audience numbers and critical 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.

A King of Glitz

Referred to as the “master of glitz”, Mackie has made theatrical showgirl glamour his trademark look, clothing everyone from Hollywood icons to pop royalty. Earlier this month, a “see-through” bodysuit he made for Cher in 1978 sold for $57,600, well over 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 appealing for the younger performer who is desiring something other than what they grew up with”, he explained to a media outlet. “Contemporary performers are striving for a theatrical, more spectacular, show-stopping, memorable statement.”

The Pop Culture Comeback

It’s a look that made its way all the way to the epicenter of mainstream fashion in 2025 thanks to a global pop icon. Earlier this year, the music phenomenon wore one of Mackie’s classic Jubilee! costumes on the cover of her 12th studio album. The rhinestone encrusted bra and thong, feathered armbands and sparkly headpiece were tailor-made for a record named The Life of a Showgirl.

Swift isn't alone. This year, showgirl inspirations have been incorporated by pop stars including Dua Lipa as they zoomed across arena stages in sparkles, cut-outs and feathers, illuminated against overstated sets. Her fashion curator her creative director told a style publication he wanted to bring “a stage persona” to her Radical Optimism tour – inspired by pictures from the mid-century, her performers fluttered giant ostrich feather fans.

Drawing from the Past

These artists and other successful musicians also draw on historical entertainment forms, including vaudeville and chorus line references. The results are poles apart from the 90s pop style of short shirts and cargo pants, and hip-hop inspired dance moves that came before them.

But not everyone are on board with this showgirl renaissance. An ex-showgirl, a former Jubilee! showgirl who danced in the 00s says the trend is “bemusing”. She thinks the word showgirl title is being “treated as an broad label encompassing everything from The Radio City Rockettes to Broadway performers and now even modern pop stars.”

A Coveted Vintage Look

For millennial and young adult stars, Mackie’s vintage designs have become highly covetable. In 2024, Zendaya 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 inspired by one he created for Cher to wear in 1967. Subsequently, Miley Cyrus 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 favorite among vintage enthusiasts.

“Showgirls inspire a sense of longing for a bygone era of glitz,” says Su Kim Chung, a curator at the University of Nevada, who documents the story of showgirls. “Now it is viewed as a sort of ‘acceptable’ allure because it has been updated. It has got all the glamour, the rhinestones and the sparkle but without the bare skin.”

More Than Just Fashion: An Icon of Las Vegas

She says the showgirl image are key to the imagery of Vegas. She points to one-time leader Oscar Goodman who, during public appearances, was surrounded by two showgirls. Even though Las Vegas no longer has any traditional showgirl productions, Jung says they are still employed as an logo of the city, being present at corporate events and in promotional material. “The showgirl is still a lasting symbol of Las Vegas spectacle,” Chung says.

The Appeal of Escape

Hardy says the complete change of a stage character is part of the attraction. It’s something Swift hints at in a new behind-the-scenes film that documents the backstage action from her massive 2023 Eras tour, which included exhausting preparations, gym sessions and numerous shows across dozens of cities, each lasting 3.5 hours.

Hardy recalls her own stage routines as “similar to extreme physical exertion in heels every night”. Her feathered headdress tipped the scales at 34lbs. “I had to carry it all the way up the steps to the performance area from the green rooms three floors below in the lower level. I had to leave early for my moment so I could recover before I went on stage. You are perspiring the whole time but maintaining this illusion that it’s effortless and beautiful and dreamlike.”

Maybe this is where the appeal of the showgirl really resides. In the chaos of 2025 there is a craving for a break from reality. What better figure to look to than these performers, who have always personified fantasy, perfection and a world where nobody makes a mistake.