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After a long-running tenure on the iconic Vegas strip, the performers from the revue Jubilee! executed their last perfectly timed kick in 2016. The show, known for its elaborate costumes created by style icon Bob Mackie, ended its run due to falling audience numbers and disappointed commentators who described it as a spectacle “a relic of another era”.

Today, almost a decade later, the showgirl, or at least the glamorous showgirl look, is experiencing a revival.

The King of Sequins

Referred to as the “master of glitz”, Mackie has made theatrical showgirl glitz his defining aesthetic, clothing everyone from Hollywood icons to pop royalty. Earlier this month, a “barely-there” bodysuit he created for Cher in 1978 commanded $57,600, well over its estimated price, while a silver and gold fringed bodysuit with shiny wings that Mackie created for Tina Turner for a 1977 show sold for $19,200.

“In my view it looks more attractive for the younger performer who is desiring something other than what they grew up with”, he told a newspaper. “Contemporary performers are embracing a glamorous, more dramatic, show-stopping, grand statement.”

The Musical Revival

It’s a look that made its way all the way to the heart of popular culture in 2025 propelled by Taylor Swift. Earlier this year, the cultural juggernaut wore one of Mackie’s original Jubilee! costumes on the cover of her latest record. The bedazzled bra and thong, feathered armbands and glittering headpiece were tailor-made for a record called The Life of a Showgirl.

She is part of a trend. This year, showgirl references have been incorporated by singers including Miley Cyrus as they whizzed across arena stages in sequins, cut-outs and plumes, highlighted against overstated sets. A top stylist Lorenzo Posocco mentioned in an interview with a fashion magazine he wanted to bring “a stage persona” to her Radical Optimism tour – inspired by pictures from the 1950s, her performers waved giant plumed accessories.

Pulling from History

These artists and other successful musicians also reference historical performances, including burlesque and ensemble references. The final look are poles apart from the 1990s era teen pop of revealing tops and baggy pants, and urban dance moves that preceded this trend.

But certain observers are enthusiastic with this showgirl renaissance. An ex-showgirl, a former Jubilee! showgirl who danced in the 2000s says the trend is “puzzling”. She thinks the word showgirl title is being “treated as an umbrella term covering everything from The Radio City Rockettes to Broadway performers and now seemingly modern pop stars.”

A Coveted Vintage Look

For gen Z and millennial stars, Mackie’s retro designs have become incredibly sought-after. In 2024, a style icon gave a nod to one of Mackie’s first major stars, Cher, when the star wore a semi-sheer embellished dress created by the designer in 2001, which was inspired by one he designed for Cher to wear in 1967. Months after, Miley Cyrus paid an significant price to buy the Mackie tasseled mini dress she had worn at an awards show to perform at the Grammys. In September, Sabrina Carpenter wore a trio of classic Mackie designs at the MTV Video Music Awards. They are also a popular item among collectors.

“Showgirls evoke a sense of longing for a historical elegance,” says a historian, head of special collections at the an academic institution, who researches the legacy of showgirls. “Currently it is seen as a sort of ‘toned-down’ allure because it has been modified. It has got all the elegance, the sparkles and the glitter but without the exposure.”

More Than Simply Style: An Icon of Vegas

Chung says showgirls are central to the imagery of Las Vegas. She points to one-time leader Oscar Goodman who, during official events, was accompanied by two showgirls. Although Las Vegas does not host any showgirl-based productions, Chung says they are still used as an emblem of the city, appearing at corporate events and in marketing. “The showgirl is still a enduring symbol of Las Vegas spectacle,” Chung says.

The Appeal of Illusion

The former showgirl says the magical transformation of a showgirl is part of the appeal. It’s something Taylor Swift hints at in a latest behind-the-scenes film that captures the backstage action from her extensive 2023 Eras tour, which included intense preparations, workouts and numerous performances across multiple nations, each lasting 3.5 hours.

The performer describes her own stage routines as “similar to running a marathon in high heels every night”. Her feathered headdress weighed 34lbs. “I had to carry it all the way up the staircase to the platform from the green rooms three floors below in the underground. I had to start early for my entrance so I could recover before I went on stage. You are sweating the whole time but maintaining this fantasy that it’s easy and beautiful and magical.”

Perhaps this is where the fascination of the showgirl really is found. In the busyness of 2025 there is a longing for a break from reality. Is there anyone better to turn to than showgirls, who have always represented make-believe, idealism and a universe where no one misses a mark.