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After a long-running tenure on the Las Vegas strip, the showgirls from the revue Jubilee! gave one last synchronised kick in 2016. The show, renowned for its elaborate costumes crafted by American fashion designer Bob Mackie, came to an end due to declining audience numbers and critical commentators who described it as a spectacle “stuck in the past”.

Now, roughly eight years later, the showgirl persona, or at least the glamorous showgirl look, is making a comeback.

The Master of Glitz

Referred to as the “sultan of sequins”, Mackie has made dramatic stage sparkle his defining aesthetic, clothing everyone from Hollywood icons to Madonna. Recently, a “naked” bodysuit he created for Cher in 1978 commanded $57,600, seven times its initial estimate, while a shimmering fringed bodysuit with shiny wings that Mackie designed for Tina Turner for a 1977 performance sold for $19,200.

“I think it looks more enticing for the new generation of stars who is seeking something other than what they were accustomed to”, he told a media outlet. “Today's artists are embracing a glamorous, more dramatic, attention-grabbing, entrance-making statement.”

A Mainstream Comeback

It’s a look that glided all the way to the heart of mainstream fashion in 2025 thanks to Taylor Swift. Earlier this year, 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, plumed armbands and shimmering headpiece were tailor-made for a record titled The Life of a Showgirl.

The singer isn't alone. This year, showgirl references have been adopted by pop stars including Sabrina Carpenter as they zoomed across world tours in sparkles, strategic openings and feathers, highlighted against overstated sets. A top stylist her creative director mentioned in an interview with a style publication he wanted to bring “a showgirl attitude” to her Radical Optimism tour – inspired by pictures from the mid-century, the backup dancers waved giant feathered fans.

Drawing from the Past

These artists and other hitmakers also take inspiration from classic performances, including burlesque and ensemble references. The results are vastly different from the 1990s era pop style of revealing tops and baggy pants, and hip-hop inspired dance moves that were popular earlier.

But some critics are on board with this showgirl renaissance. A former performer, a ex- Jubilee! showgirl who performed in the early 2000s says the trend is “puzzling”. She thinks the word term is being “treated as an umbrella term including everything from The Radio City Rockettes to Broadway performers and now apparently Taylor Swift.”

A Coveted Vintage Look

For gen Z and young adult stars, Mackie’s retro designs have become extremely desirable. In 2024, a style icon paid tribute to one of Mackie’s earliest clients, Cher, when the actress wore a see-through embellished dress created by the designer in 2001, which was similar to one he created for Cher to wear in 1967. Later that year, another pop star paid an private amount to buy the Mackie fringed mini dress she had worn earlier in the year to perform at the Grammys. In September, Sabrina Carpenter wore a trio of retro Mackie designs at the MTV Video Music Awards. They are also a favorite among collectors.

“The showgirl aesthetic bring about a sense of longing for a past glamour,” says a historian, head of special collections at the an academic institution, who studies the legacy of showgirls. “Now it is seen as a sort of ‘acceptable’ sexy because it has been updated. It has got all the elegance, the sparkles and the glitter but without the nudity.”

More Than Simply Fashion: An Symbol of Vegas

She says this figure are key to the imagery of Vegas. She points to former mayor Oscar Goodman who, during official events, was surrounded by two showgirls. Even though Las Vegas no longer has any showgirl-centric productions, the historian says they are still used as an emblem of the city, being present at gatherings and in advertisements. “The showgirl is still a enduring symbol of Las Vegas glitz and glamour,” the expert says.

The Appeal of Escape

Hardy says the complete change of a showgirl is part of the allure. This is a notion Swift references in a new documentary series that documents the behind-the-scenes action from her year-long 2023 Eras tour, which included intense practice sessions, gym sessions and countless concerts across dozens of cities, each running for 3.5 hours.

The performer describes her own stage routines as “like extreme physical exertion in heels every night”. Her feathered headdress was 34lbs. “I had to support it all the way up the steps to the performance area from the green rooms three floors below in the underground. I had to head up ahead of time for my moment so I could recover before I made my entrance. You are working hard the whole time but crafting this illusion that it’s simple and gorgeous and magical.”

Perhaps this is where the true allure of the showgirl really lies. In the busyness of 2025 there is a desire for escapism. Who better to turn to than these performers, who have always personified fantasy, idealism and a world where nobody falters.