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After a long-running stint on the Las Vegas strip, the dancers from the production Jubilee! executed their last choreographed kick in 2016. The show, famous for its intricate costumes created by American fashion designer Bob Mackie, came to an end due to declining audience numbers and unimpressed commentators who described it as a spectacle “trapped in time”.

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

A Master of Sparkle

Dubbed the “king of sparkle”, Mackie has made dramatic showgirl glamour his signature style, outfitting everyone from screen legends to music superstars. Earlier this month, a “barely-there” bodysuit he made for Cher in 1978 commanded $57,600, far exceeding its initial estimate, while a silver and gold beaded bodysuit with reflective wings that Mackie crafted for Tina Turner for a 1977 show sold for $19,200.

“In my view it looks more attractive for the emerging artists who is seeking something other than what they grew up with”, he explained to a newspaper. “Today's artists are pushing toward a show-stopping, more spectacular, attention-grabbing, entrance-making statement.”

A Musical Comeback

It’s a look that glided all the way to the heart of popular culture in 2025 largely due to a chart-topping superstar. Earlier this year, the entertainment titan wore one of Mackie’s classic Jubilee! costumes on the cover of her latest record. The rhinestone encrusted bra and thong, ostrich-feather armbands and glittering headpiece were ideal for a record called The Life of a Showgirl.

Swift has company. This year, showgirl references have been incorporated by singers including Miley Cyrus as they danced across world tours in glitter, revealing designs and ostrich feathers, highlighted against overstated sets. Her fashion curator Lorenzo Posocco told Vogue he wanted to bring “a showgirl spirit” to her Radical Optimism tour – referencing pictures from the 50s, her performers fluttered giant ostrich feather fans.

Pulling from the Past

These artists and other successful musicians also take inspiration from classic performances, including burlesque and dance line references. The outcome are worlds away from the 1990s era teen pop of crop tops and utilitarian trousers, and hip-hop inspired dance moves that were popular earlier.

But certain observers are enthusiastic with this showgirl renaissance. A former performer, a former Jubilee! showgirl who entertained in the 00s says the trend is “bemusing”. She thinks the word showgirl title is being “used as an broad label encompassing everything from The Radio City Rockettes to Broadway performers and now even Taylor Swift.”

A Coveted Classic Style

For gen Z and modern stars, Mackie’s vintage designs have become highly covetable. In 2024, a style icon gave a nod to one of Mackie’s first major stars, Cher, when the actress wore a translucent embellished dress designed by the designer in 2001, which was inspired by one he made for Cher to wear in 1967. Later that year, a singer paid an undisclosed sum to buy the Mackie beaded mini dress she had worn previously to perform at the Grammys. In September, Carpenter wore a trio of classic Mackie designs at the MTV Video Music Awards. They are also a favorite among collectors.

“The showgirl aesthetic evoke fond memories for a past glamour,” says a historian, an expert at the University of Nevada, who documents the story of showgirls. “Today it is seen as a sort of ‘toned-down’ allure because it has been adapted. It has got all the glamour, the sparkles and the glitter but without the bare skin.”

More Than Just Style: An Icon of Vegas

Chung says this figure are central to the imagery of Vegas. She points to former mayor Oscar Goodman who, during public appearances, was accompanied by two showgirls. Although Las Vegas does not host any traditional showgirl productions, Chung says they are still featured as an symbol of the city, showing up at corporate events and in promotional material. “The showgirl is still a lasting icon of Vegas glitz and glamour,” she says.

The Allure of Illusion

Hardy says the magical transformation of a showgirl persona is part of the attraction. It’s something Taylor Swift alludes to in a new documentary series that documents the off-camera action from her extensive 2023 Eras tour, which included exhausting practice sessions, gym sessions and countless shows across dozens of cities, each lasting 3.5 hours.

The performer describes her own showgirl performances as “like completing an endurance race in heels every night”. Her feathered headdress weighed 34lbs. “I had to support it all the way up the stairs to the stage from the dressing rooms three floors below in the basement. I had to head up ahead of time for my entrance so I could recover before I performed. One is perspiring the whole time but maintaining this image that it’s effortless and gorgeous and ethereal.”

It could be this is where the fascination of the showgirl fantasy really resides. In the complexity of 2025 there is a craving for a break from reality. What better figure to look to than these performers, who have always personified make-believe, perfection and a realm where nobody makes a mistake.