Following a 31-year stint on the Las Vegas Boulevard, the dancers from the production Jubilee! took a final choreographed kick in 2016. The show, known for its intricate costumes crafted by style icon Bob Mackie, ended its run due to dwindling audience numbers and disappointed critics who called it a spectacle “stuck in the past”.
Now, nearly ten years later, showgirls, or at least the showgirl style, is experiencing a revival.
A Sultan of Sequins
Dubbed the “king of sparkle”, Mackie has made dramatic showgirl glitz his signature style, clothing everyone from Hollywood icons to pop royalty. In a recent auction, a “see-through” bodysuit he created for Cher in 1978 commanded $57,600, seven times its initial estimate, while a shimmering beaded bodysuit with reflective wings that Mackie designed for Tina Turner for a 1977 show sold for $19,200.
“In my view it looks more appealing for the new generation of stars who is looking for something other than what they grew up with”, he told a publication. “New stars are pushing toward a theatrical, more spectacular, attention-grabbing, grand statement.”
The Musical Comeback
It’s a look that sashayed all the way to the epicenter of mainstream fashion in 2025 propelled by a global pop icon. Earlier this year, the music phenomenon wore one of Mackie’s original Jubilee! costumes on the cover of her new musical project. The rhinestone encrusted bra and thong, plumed armbands and glittering headpiece were perfect for a record named The Life of a Showgirl.
Swift has company. This year, glamorous nods have been embraced by music artists including Dua Lipa as they whizzed across concert platforms in glitter, cut-outs and feathers, illuminated against theatrical sets. Lipa’s stylist a fashion expert told a fashion magazine he wanted to bring “a stage persona” to her Radical Optimism tour – drawing from pictures from the 1950s, the backup dancers fluttered giant ostrich feather fans.
Pulling from the Past
Lipa, Carpenter and other hitmakers also draw on historical performances, including vaudeville and ensemble references. The final look are worlds away from the late-century Britney Spears era of crop tops and utilitarian trousers, and urban dance moves that were popular earlier.
But some critics are convinced with this glamour resurgence. A former performer, a ex- Jubilee! showgirl who performed in the 2000s says the trend is “puzzling”. She thinks the word term is being “treated as an umbrella term covering everything from The Radio City Rockettes to Broadway performers and now even modern pop stars.”
A Coveted Classic Look
For younger and modern stars, Mackie’s vintage designs have become extremely desirable. In 2024, a famous actress gave a nod to one of Mackie’s earliest clients, Cher, when the actor wore a translucent sequined dress made 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 fringed mini dress she had worn at an awards show 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 favorite among vintage enthusiasts.
“This style bring about fond memories for a bygone era of glitz,” says a historian, a curator at the a Las Vegas university, who researches the legacy of showgirls. “Now it is considered a sort of ‘safe’ allure because it has been adapted. It has got all the glamour, the crystals and the glitter but without the nudity.”
More Than Just Style: An Icon of Vegas
She says showgirls are integral to the identity of Sin City. She points to ex-mayor Oscar Goodman who, during public appearances, was surrounded by two showgirls. While Las Vegas currently lacks any showgirl-based productions, Chung says they are still used as an emblem of the city, appearing at gatherings and in marketing. “The showgirl is still a lasting figure of Las Vegas glamour,” she says.
An Allure of Escape
Nancy Hardy says the magical transformation of a showgirl is part of the appeal. This idea Taylor Swift alludes to in a recent docuseries that captures the behind-the-scenes action from her massive 2023 Eras tour, which included exhausting rehearsals, gym sessions and countless concerts across multiple nations, each lasting 3.5 hours.
She explains her own nights in the spotlight as “comparable to extreme physical exertion in heels every night”. Her headdress was 34lbs. “I had to wear it all the way up the stairs to the performance area from the green rooms three floors below in the underground. I had to leave early for my cue so I could rest before I made my entrance. One is working hard the whole time but maintaining this fantasy that it’s simple and beautiful and ethereal.”
Maybe this is where the true allure of the showgirl really is found. In the chaos of 2025 there is a longing for fantasy. Is there anyone better to look to than showgirls, who have always represented dreams, perfection and a world where nobody makes a mistake.
