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After a long-running stint on the Las Vegas strip, the dancers from the production Jubilee! executed their last perfectly timed kick in 2016. The extravaganza, known for its elaborate costumes crafted by style icon Bob Mackie, closed its doors due to dwindling audience numbers and unimpressed commentators who labeled it a spectacle “a relic of another era”.

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

A Master of Sequins

Dubbed the “master of glitz”, Mackie has made over-the-top stage sparkle his defining aesthetic, outfitting everyone from screen legends to pop royalty. In a recent auction, a “see-through” bodysuit he created for Cher in 1978 commanded $57,600, seven times its projected value, while a metallic beaded bodysuit with lamé wings that Mackie created for Tina Turner for a 1977 concert sold for $19,200.

“I think it looks more attractive for the emerging artists who is desiring something other than what they knew from childhood”, he told a publication. “Today's artists are pushing toward a show-stopping, more spectacular, show-stopping, memorable statement.”

A Mainstream Resurgence

It’s a look that sashayed all the way to the centre of popular culture in 2025 propelled by a chart-topping superstar. In the past few months, the entertainment titan wore one of Mackie’s original Jubilee! costumes on the cover of her new musical project. The crystal-covered bra and thong, feathered armbands and shimmering headpiece were ideal for a record called The Life of a Showgirl.

Swift has company. This year, glamorous nods have been embraced by pop stars including Dua Lipa as they zoomed across concert platforms in sparkles, revealing designs and plumes, spotlighted against overstated sets. Lipa’s stylist Lorenzo Posocco explained to a fashion magazine he wanted to bring “a showgirl attitude” to her Radical Optimism tour – referencing pictures from the 50s, Lipa’s dancers waved giant feathered fans.

Drawing from the Past

Lipa, Carpenter and other successful musicians also reference 19th-century entertainment forms, including classic theater and ensemble references. The final look are worlds away from the 1990s era pop style of revealing tops and cargo pants, and urban dance moves that preceded this trend.

But some critics are convinced with this glamour resurgence. Nancy Hardy, a ex- Jubilee! showgirl who danced in the early 2000s says the trend is “bemusing”. She thinks the word showgirl is being “treated as an broad label covering everything from The Radio City Rockettes to Broadway performers and now apparently today's icons.”

The Coveted Classic Style

For gen Z and millennial stars, Mackie’s vintage designs have become incredibly sought-after. In 2024, a style icon paid tribute to one of Mackie’s earliest clients, Cher, when the actress wore a semi-sheer beaded dress made by the designer in 2001, which was similar to one he made for Cher to wear in 1967. Subsequently, a singer paid an undisclosed sum to buy the Mackie beaded mini dress she had worn at an awards show to perform at the Grammys. In September, the singer wore a collection of vintage Mackie designs at the MTV Video Music Awards. They are also a popular item among vintage enthusiasts.

“This style bring about nostalgia for a bygone era of glitz,” says an archivist, an expert at the University of Nevada, who documents the legacy of showgirls. “Currently it is viewed as a sort of ‘toned-down’ allure because it has been adapted. It has got all the elegance, the sparkles and the sparkle but without the exposure.”

A Than Simply Style: An Icon of the City

The expert says this figure are central to the iconography of Vegas. She points to one-time leader Oscar Goodman who, during official events, was flanked by two showgirls. Even though Las Vegas no longer has any traditional showgirl productions, the historian says they are still featured as an symbol of the city, appearing at gatherings and in promotional material. “The showgirl is still a lasting symbol of Las Vegas glamour,” she says.

An Allure of Illusion

The former showgirl says the magical transformation of a showgirl persona is part of the appeal. This idea Swift hints at in a new behind-the-scenes film that documents the backstage action from her massive 2023 Eras tour, which included exhausting practice sessions, training and countless shows across multiple nations, each lasting 3.5 hours.

Hardy describes her own showgirl performances as “similar to completing an endurance race in stilettos every night”. Her headpiece tipped the scales at 34lbs. “I had to carry it all the way up the stairs to the stage from the backstage area three floors below in the lower level. I had to leave early for my moment so I could rest before I made my entrance. You’re working hard the whole time but crafting this illusion that it’s easy and stunning and dreamlike.”

It could be this is where the fascination of the showgirl fantasy really is found. In the busyness of 2025 there is a craving for escapism. Who better to turn to than such icons, who have always embodied make-believe, idealism and a realm where no one makes a mistake.