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Following a 31-year tenure on the Las Vegas Boulevard, the showgirls from the spectacle Jubilee! gave one last synchronised kick in 2016. The production, renowned for its ornate costumes designed by celebrated designer Bob Mackie, closed its doors due to falling audience numbers and disappointed reviewers who called it a spectacle “a relic of another era”.

Currently, almost a decade later, the showgirl persona, or at least the glamorous showgirl look, is making a comeback.

The Master of Sparkle

Dubbed the “king of sparkle”, Mackie has made over-the-top showgirl glitz his signature style, outfitting everyone from Marilyn Monroe to music superstars. Earlier this month, a “naked” bodysuit he designed for Cher in 1978 sold for $57,600, well over its initial estimate, while a shimmering tasseled bodysuit with reflective wings that Mackie created for Tina Turner for a 1977 performance sold for $19,200.

“I believe it looks more appealing for the new generation of stars who is looking for something other than what they were accustomed to”, he told a newspaper. “Contemporary performers are embracing a show-stopping, more dramatic, attention-grabbing, entrance-making statement.”

The Mainstream Resurgence

It’s a look that sashayed all the way to the centre of the cultural zeitgeist in 2025 propelled by a global pop icon. Earlier this year, the music phenomenon wore one of Mackie’s original Jubilee! costumes on the cover of her new musical project. The rhinestone encrusted bra and thong, ostrich-feather armbands and sparkly headpiece were tailor-made for a record titled The Life of a Showgirl.

Swift isn't alone. This year, glamorous nods have been incorporated by pop stars including Dua Lipa as they danced across world tours in sparkles, strategic openings and ostrich feathers, illuminated against camp sets. A top stylist a fashion expert told a style publication he wanted to bring “a showgirl attitude” to her Radical Optimism tour – inspired by pictures from the 50s, her performers fluttered giant plumed accessories.

Pulling from the Past

Modern stars and other hitmakers also take inspiration from classic performances, including vaudeville and dance line references. The final look are vastly different from the 1990s era Britney Spears era of revealing tops and utilitarian trousers, and hip-hop inspired dance moves that came before them.

But not everyone are convinced with this glamour resurgence. A former performer, a one-time Jubilee! showgirl who entertained in the 00s says the trend is “bemusing”. She thinks the word term is being “used as an broad label covering everything from The Radio City Rockettes to Broadway performers and now even today's icons.”

The Coveted Classic Look

For millennial and modern stars, Mackie’s retro designs have become highly covetable. In 2024, a famous actress paid tribute to one of Mackie’s iconic muses, Cher, when the actress wore a translucent sequined dress designed by the designer in 2001, which was reminiscent of one he created 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 at an awards show to perform at the Grammys. In September, the singer wore a collection of classic Mackie designs at the MTV Video Music Awards. They are also a hit among vintage enthusiasts.

“Showgirls inspire a sense of longing for a past glamour,” says an archivist, an expert at the University of Nevada, who documents the story of showgirls. “Now it is considered a sort of ‘safe’ sexy because it has been adapted. It has got all the sophistication, the rhinestones and the sparkle but without the bare skin.”

More Than Simply Fashion: An Symbol of Las Vegas

The expert says this figure are key to the identity of Las Vegas. She points to former mayor Oscar Goodman who, during official events, was accompanied by two showgirls. Even though Las Vegas no longer has any showgirl-centric productions, Jung says they are still employed as an emblem of the city, being present at corporate events and in promotional material. “The showgirl is still a enduring symbol of Las Vegas spectacle,” the expert says.

An Appeal of Escape

Hardy says the magical transformation of a showgirl persona is part of the allure. This idea Swift hints at in a new docuseries that documents the backstage action from her massive 2023 Eras tour, which included intense rehearsals, gym sessions and numerous concerts across dozens of cities, each running for 3.5 hours.

She recalls her own nights in the spotlight as “like extreme physical exertion in heels every night”. Her headpiece tipped the scales at 34lbs. “I had to wear it all the way up the stairs to the platform from the dressing rooms three floors below in the basement. I had to leave early for my moment so I could recover before I went on stage. You are sweating the whole time but crafting this illusion that it’s effortless and stunning and magical.”

It could be this is where the fascination of the showgirl fantasy really lies. In the busyness of 2025 there is a desire for escapism. Who better to turn to than such icons, who have always represented fantasy, flawlessness and a realm where nobody makes a mistake.