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After a long-running tenure on the iconic Vegas strip, the performers from the production Jubilee! executed their last synchronised kick in 2016. The show, famous for its elaborate costumes created by celebrated designer Bob Mackie, ended its run due to falling audience numbers and critical commentators who described it as a spectacle “trapped in time”.

Currently, roughly eight years later, the showgirl persona, or at least the showgirl aesthetic, is back.

A Master of Glitz

Dubbed the “sultan of sequins”, Mackie has made dramatic stage sparkle his trademark look, clothing everyone from Marilyn Monroe to music superstars. Recently, a “barely-there” bodysuit he created for Cher in 1978 sold for $57,600, far exceeding its projected value, while a shimmering tasseled bodysuit with lamé wings that Mackie designed for Tina Turner for a 1977 show sold for $19,200.

“I believe it looks more enticing for the emerging artists who is seeking something other than what they were accustomed to”, he explained to a publication. “New stars are embracing a glamorous, more dramatic, show-stopping, memorable statement.”

The Musical Resurgence

It’s a look that sashayed all the way to the heart of mainstream fashion in 2025 propelled by Taylor Swift. In the past few months, 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 sparkly headpiece were ideal for a record named The Life of a Showgirl.

Swift is part of a trend. This year, glamorous nods have been embraced by singers including Dua Lipa as they danced across world tours in glitter, strategic openings and feathers, illuminated against theatrical sets. Lipa’s stylist her creative director told Vogue he wanted to bring “a showgirl spirit” to her Radical Optimism tour – referencing pictures from the 50s, her performers waved giant ostrich feather fans.

Pulling from History

These artists and other hitmakers also reference historical performances, including vaudeville and chorus line references. The results are worlds away from the 1990s era pop style of crop tops and baggy pants, and hip-hop inspired dance moves that were popular earlier.

But certain observers are on board with this glamour resurgence. An ex-showgirl, a former Jubilee! showgirl who entertained in the 00s says the trend is “confusing”. She thinks the word term is being “used as an catch-all phrase covering everything from The Radio City Rockettes to Broadway performers and now even modern pop stars.”

A Highly Sought-After Vintage Look

For gen Z and millennial stars, Mackie’s classic designs have become highly covetable. In 2024, a style icon gave a nod to one of Mackie’s earliest clients, Cher, when the actress wore a translucent beaded dress created by the designer in 2001, which was reminiscent of one he made for Cher to wear in 1967. Later that year, another pop star paid an significant price to buy the Mackie fringed mini dress she had worn previously to perform at the Grammys. In September, Carpenter wore a series of vintage Mackie designs at the MTV Video Music Awards. They are also a hit among collectors.

“The showgirl aesthetic evoke nostalgia for a past glamour,” says Su Kim Chung, a curator at the a Las Vegas university, who studies the story of showgirls. “Now it is seen as a sort of ‘toned-down’ allure because it has been updated. It has got all the glamour, the sparkles and the shine but without the nudity.”

A Than Just Style: An Icon of Vegas

Chung says this figure are integral to the imagery of Las Vegas. She points to ex-mayor Oscar Goodman who, during public appearances, was accompanied by two showgirls. Even though Las Vegas does not host any showgirl-based productions, the historian says they are still used as an symbol of the city, showing up at gatherings and in advertisements. “The showgirl is still a lasting figure of Vegas spectacle,” Chung says.

An Appeal of Transformation

The former showgirl says the transformative effect of a showgirl persona is part of the appeal. It’s something Swift hints at in a latest docuseries that documents the behind-the-scenes action from her year-long 2023 Eras tour, which included gruelling preparations, workouts and countless concerts across multiple nations, each going on for 3.5 hours.

Hardy recalls her own showgirl performances as “like extreme physical exertion in high heels every night”. Her headdress was 34lbs. “I had to support it all the way up the stairs to the stage from the green rooms three floors below in the basement. I had to head up ahead of time for my moment so I could recover before I went on stage. You are working hard the whole time but crafting this image that it’s effortless and stunning and magical.”

Perhaps this is where the appeal of the showgirl really lies. In the complexity of 2025 there is a longing for escapism. Who better to emulate than these performers, who have always personified make-believe, flawlessness and a realm where nobody falters.