After a three-decade tenure on the iconic Vegas strip, the showgirls from the spectacle Jubilee! took a final synchronised kick in 2016. The show, renowned for its elaborate costumes created by style icon Bob Mackie, ended its run due to declining audience numbers and critical critics who labeled it a spectacle “stuck in the past”.
Currently, almost a decade later, the showgirl persona, or at least the glamorous showgirl look, is back.
A Sultan of Glitz
Dubbed the “sultan of sequins”, Mackie has made theatrical stage sparkle his signature style, dressing everyone from Hollywood icons to music superstars. Earlier this month, a “see-through” bodysuit he created for Cher in 1978 commanded $57,600, far exceeding its projected value, while a silver and gold beaded bodysuit with shiny wings that Mackie created for Tina Turner for a 1977 show sold for $19,200.
“In my view it looks more appealing for the new generation of stars who is looking for something other than what they grew up with”, he explained to a publication. “Today's artists are striving for a glamorous, more spectacular, attention-grabbing, entrance-making statement.”
The Pop Culture Comeback
It’s a look that glided all the way to the epicenter of mainstream fashion in 2025 thanks to a global pop icon. Recently, the entertainment titan wore one of Mackie’s vintage Jubilee! costumes on the cover of her new musical project. The crystal-covered bra and thong, feathered armbands and glittering headpiece were tailor-made for a record called The Life of a Showgirl.
The singer is part of a trend. This year, showgirl references have been incorporated by music artists including Sabrina Carpenter as they whizzed across concert platforms in sequins, revealing designs and plumes, illuminated against theatrical sets. Her fashion curator Lorenzo Posocco told a style publication he wanted to bring “a showgirl spirit” to her Radical Optimism tour – drawing from pictures from the mid-century, her performers wafted giant plumed accessories.
Pulling from the Past
These artists and other hitmakers also reference historical entertainment forms, including burlesque and chorus line references. The final look are poles apart from the 90s pop style of crop tops and cargo pants, and urban dance moves that came before them.
But some critics are on board with this glamour resurgence. A former performer, a one-time Jubilee! showgirl who entertained in the 00s says the trend is “puzzling”. She thinks the word showgirl title is being “treated as an broad label including everything from The Radio City Rockettes to Broadway performers and now even today's icons.”
The Coveted Retro Look
For millennial and modern stars, Mackie’s classic designs have become highly covetable. In 2024, Zendaya honored to one of Mackie’s first major stars, Cher, when the star wore a translucent beaded dress created by the designer in 2001, which was similar to one he designed for Cher to wear in 1967. Months after, a singer paid an private amount to buy the Mackie tasseled 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 hit among fashion collectors.
“This style bring about fond memories for a bygone era of glitz,” says Su Kim Chung, head of special collections at the a Las Vegas university, who researches the story of showgirls. “Today it is viewed as a sort of ‘acceptable’ allure because it has been adapted. It has got all the elegance, the crystals and the sparkle but without the exposure.”
More Than Simply Fashion: An Symbol of Las Vegas
She says showgirls are central to the identity of Sin City. She points to one-time leader Oscar Goodman who, during official events, was accompanied by two showgirls. Even though Las Vegas no longer has any showgirl-based productions, Jung says they are still used as an symbol of the city, being present at gatherings and in marketing. “The showgirl is still a remaining symbol of Vegas glitz and glamour,” Chung says.
An Allure of Transformation
Hardy says the transformative effect of a showgirl is part of the appeal. This idea Swift hints at in a recent documentary series that shows the behind-the-scenes action from her extensive 2023 Eras tour, which included exhausting practice sessions, workouts and countless concerts across 21 countries, each running for 3.5 hours.
She explains her own showgirl performances as “like completing an endurance race in high heels every night”. Her feathered headdress tipped the scales at 34lbs. “I had to wear it all the way up the steps to the platform from the green rooms three floors below in the basement. I had to head up ahead of time for my entrance so I could recover before I went on stage. You are sweating the whole time but maintaining this image that it’s easy and stunning and dreamlike.”
Perhaps this is where the fascination of the showgirl really lies. In the complexity of 2025 there is a longing for fantasy. Is there anyone better to emulate than such icons, who have always embodied fantasy, idealism and a realm where nobody misses a mark.
