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After a long-running stint on the Las Vegas strip, the dancers from the production Jubilee! gave one last choreographed kick in 2016. The extravaganza, famous for its elaborate costumes created by American fashion designer Bob Mackie, closed its doors due to declining audience numbers and disappointed reviewers who labeled it a spectacle “a relic of another era”.

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

The Master of Sparkle

Referred to as the “sultan of sequins”, Mackie has made dramatic showgirl glitz his signature style, dressing everyone from Marilyn Monroe to pop royalty. In a recent auction, a “barely-there” bodysuit he made for Cher in 1978 fetched $57,600, far exceeding its projected value, while a silver and gold beaded bodysuit with reflective wings that Mackie crafted for Tina Turner for a 1977 performance sold for $19,200.

“In my view it looks more enticing for the younger performer who is looking for something other than what they were accustomed to”, he stated in an interview with a newspaper. “Today's artists are striving for a show-stopping, more spectacular, breathtaking, grand statement.”

A Musical Resurgence

It’s a look that sashayed all the way to the epicenter of the cultural zeitgeist in 2025 propelled by a chart-topping superstar. Earlier this year, the music phenomenon wore one of Mackie’s vintage Jubilee! costumes on the cover of her new musical project. The bedazzled bra and thong, feathered armbands and sparkly headpiece were ideal for a record titled The Life of a Showgirl.

The singer has company. This year, showgirl inspirations have been incorporated by pop stars including Sabrina Carpenter as they danced across concert platforms in sequins, revealing designs and ostrich feathers, highlighted against theatrical sets. Lipa’s stylist her creative director mentioned in an interview with Vogue he wanted to bring “a showgirl attitude” to her Radical Optimism tour – drawing from pictures from the 1950s, her performers waved giant feathered fans.

Drawing from History

Lipa, Carpenter and other successful musicians also take inspiration from historical performances, including burlesque and dance line references. The outcome are worlds away from the 90s Britney Spears era of short shirts and cargo pants, and street-style dance moves that were popular earlier.

But some critics are enthusiastic with this glamour resurgence. An ex-showgirl, a former Jubilee! showgirl who performed in the 2000s says the trend is “confusing”. She thinks the word showgirl is being “employed as an catch-all phrase including everything from The Radio City Rockettes to Broadway performers and now even today's icons.”

A Highly Sought-After Classic Style

For gen Z and millennial stars, Mackie’s vintage designs have become extremely desirable. In 2024, Zendaya paid tribute to one of Mackie’s iconic muses, Cher, when the actress wore a see-through beaded dress made by the designer in 2001, which was inspired by one he made for Cher to wear in 1967. Months after, Miley Cyrus 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 series of vintage Mackie designs at the MTV Video Music Awards. They are also a hit among vintage enthusiasts.

“Showgirls inspire fond memories for a past glamour,” says a historian, an expert at the University of Nevada, who documents the story of showgirls. “Currently it is viewed as a sort of ‘toned-down’ appeal because it has been adapted. It has got all the elegance, the sparkles and the sparkle but without the exposure.”

More Than Just Style: An Symbol of Vegas

The expert says this figure are integral to the identity of Vegas. She points to former mayor Oscar Goodman who, during public appearances, was surrounded by two showgirls. Even though Las Vegas currently lacks any showgirl-based productions, Jung says they are still used as an symbol of the city, appearing at corporate events and in promotional material. “The showgirl is still a enduring symbol of Las Vegas glamour,” she says.

The Appeal of Illusion

Hardy says the magical transformation of a stage character is part of the attraction. This idea the singer alludes to in a recent documentary series that documents the backstage action from her massive 2023 Eras tour, which included exhausting rehearsals, workouts and numerous concerts across dozens of cities, each running for 3.5 hours.

The performer describes her own stage routines as “similar to extreme physical exertion in heels every night”. Her headdress weighed 34lbs. “I had to support it all the way up the staircase to the stage from the backstage area three floors below in the lower level. I had to start early for my entrance so I could catch my breath before I made my entrance. You are working hard the whole time but crafting this fantasy that it’s effortless and beautiful and magical.”

Perhaps this is where the appeal of the showgirl really is found. In the chaos of 2025 there is a desire for escapism. Is there anyone better to turn to than showgirls, who have always embodied fantasy, perfection and a realm where nobody falters.