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After a 31-year tenure on the Las Vegas Boulevard, the performers from the revue Jubilee! took a final perfectly timed kick in 2016. The extravaganza, famous for its ornate costumes crafted by American fashion designer Bob Mackie, came to an end due to dwindling audience numbers and disappointed reviewers who described it as a spectacle “trapped in time”.

Today, almost a decade later, showgirls, or at least the showgirl aesthetic, is making a comeback.

A King of Sparkle

Known as the “king of sparkle”, Mackie has made theatrical showgirl glamour his defining aesthetic, outfitting everyone from Hollywood icons to pop royalty. Earlier this month, a “barely-there” bodysuit he created for Cher in 1978 commanded $57,600, seven times its estimated price, while a shimmering fringed bodysuit with lamé wings that Mackie crafted for Tina Turner for a 1977 performance sold for $19,200.

“I think it looks more appealing for the younger performer who is looking for something other than what they grew up with”, he explained to a publication. “Today's artists are embracing a show-stopping, more dramatic, attention-grabbing, memorable statement.”

The Mainstream Comeback

It’s a look that sashayed all the way to the centre of the cultural zeitgeist in 2025 propelled by Taylor Swift. Recently, the music phenomenon wore one of Mackie’s vintage Jubilee! costumes on the cover of her 12th studio album. The rhinestone encrusted bra and thong, feathered armbands and sparkly headpiece were perfect for a record titled The Life of a Showgirl.

The singer isn't alone. This year, glamorous nods have been adopted by pop stars including Dua Lipa as they danced across world tours in sequins, cut-outs and plumes, highlighted against theatrical sets. Her fashion curator Lorenzo Posocco explained to Vogue he wanted to bring “a showgirl spirit” to her Radical Optimism tour – referencing pictures from the mid-century, Lipa’s dancers wafted giant ostrich feather fans.

Drawing from History

Lipa, Carpenter and other chart toppers also reference historical performances, including burlesque and dance line references. The results are poles apart from the 1990s era teen pop of short shirts and baggy pants, and street-style dance moves that came before them.

But certain observers are enthusiastic 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 “treated as an broad label including everything from The Radio City Rockettes to Broadway performers and now apparently Taylor Swift.”

The Highly Sought-After Classic Look

For younger and millennial stars, Mackie’s classic designs have become highly covetable. In 2024, a famous actress gave a nod to one of Mackie’s iconic muses, Cher, when the star wore a translucent sequined dress designed by the designer in 2001, which was inspired by one he designed for Cher to wear in 1967. Subsequently, a singer paid an private amount to buy the Mackie tasseled mini dress she had worn earlier in the year to perform at the Grammys. In September, Carpenter wore a collection of retro Mackie designs at the MTV Video Music Awards. They are also a favorite among vintage enthusiasts.

“The showgirl aesthetic inspire nostalgia for a bygone era of glitz,” says an archivist, head of special collections at the a Las Vegas university, who studies the story of showgirls. “Now it is considered a sort of ‘toned-down’ appeal because it has been modified. It has got all the elegance, the rhinestones and the glitter but without the bare skin.”

A Than Just Fashion: An Symbol of the City

The expert says showgirls are integral to the identity of Las Vegas. She points to one-time leader Oscar Goodman who, during official events, was flanked by two showgirls. Although Las Vegas currently lacks any showgirl-based productions, Jung says they are still used as an emblem of the city, being present at conventions and in marketing. “The showgirl is still a remaining symbol of Las Vegas glitz and glamour,” she says.

An Appeal of Illusion

Hardy says the magical transformation of a showgirl persona is part of the attraction. It’s something Swift references in a recent docuseries that captures the off-camera action from her extensive 2023 Eras tour, which included gruelling rehearsals, gym sessions and 149 performances across dozens of cities, each going on for 3.5 hours.

Hardy describes her own nights in the spotlight as “similar to running a marathon in stilettos every night”. Her feathered headdress was 34lbs. “I had to support it all the way up the stairs to the platform from the backstage area three floors below in the lower level. I had to leave early for my entrance so I could recover before I performed. You’re perspiring the whole time but maintaining this image that it’s easy and stunning and ethereal.”

Perhaps this is where the fascination of the showgirl really is found. In the busyness of 2025 there is a desire for escapism. Is there anyone better to turn to than these performers, who have always embodied fantasy, perfection and a universe where no one misses a mark.