After a long-running run on the Las Vegas Boulevard, the dancers from the production Jubilee! took a final choreographed kick in 2016. The show, known for its intricate costumes designed by American fashion designer Bob Mackie, ended its run due to declining audience numbers and critical reviewers who described it as a spectacle “a relic of another era”.
Today, roughly eight years later, the showgirl, or at least the showgirl aesthetic, is back.
The King of Sequins
Known as the “master of glitz”, Mackie has made theatrical stage sparkle his signature style, clothing everyone from screen legends to pop royalty. Recently, a “naked” bodysuit he created for Cher in 1978 sold for $57,600, seven times its initial estimate, while a shimmering beaded bodysuit with lamé 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 grew up with”, he told a media outlet. “New stars are pushing toward a show-stopping, more theatrical, show-stopping, entrance-making statement.”
A Pop Culture Resurgence
It’s a look that made its way all the way to the heart of mainstream fashion in 2025 thanks to Taylor Swift. Recently, the entertainment titan wore one of Mackie’s vintage Jubilee! costumes on the cover of her 12th studio album. The bedazzled bra and thong, ostrich-feather armbands and sparkly headpiece were perfect for a record titled The Life of a Showgirl.
The singer has company. This year, showgirl inspirations have been adopted by pop stars including Dua Lipa as they whizzed across arena stages in sequins, strategic openings and ostrich feathers, highlighted against overstated sets. Lipa’s stylist her creative director explained to a style publication he wanted to bring “a showgirl spirit” to her Radical Optimism tour – referencing pictures from the 1950s, Lipa’s dancers waved giant feathered fans.
Pulling from the Past
These artists and other chart toppers also reference historical entertainment forms, including classic theater and dance line references. The outcome are poles apart from the late-century pop style of short shirts and baggy pants, and street-style dance moves that preceded this trend.
But some critics are on board with this glamour resurgence. Nancy Hardy, a ex- Jubilee! showgirl who performed in the 00s says the trend is “confusing”. She thinks the word showgirl title is being “treated as an umbrella term including everything from The Radio City Rockettes to Broadway performers and now seemingly modern pop stars.”
A Highly Sought-After Classic Style
For millennial and millennial stars, Mackie’s classic designs have become extremely desirable. In 2024, Zendaya honored to one of Mackie’s iconic muses, Cher, when the actor 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. Months after, another pop star paid an private amount to buy the Mackie fringed mini dress she had worn at an awards show to perform at the Grammys. In September, Sabrina Carpenter wore a collection of classic Mackie designs at the MTV Video Music Awards. They are also a favorite among collectors.
“The showgirl aesthetic bring about fond memories for a bygone era of glitz,” says a historian, an expert at the University of Nevada, who researches the legacy of showgirls. “Today it is considered a sort of ‘safe’ appeal because it has been modified. It has got all the sophistication, the sparkles and the sparkle but without the nudity.”
A Than Simply Fashion: An Symbol of Las Vegas
Chung says this figure are central to the imagery of Sin City. She points to former mayor Oscar Goodman who, during official events, was accompanied by two showgirls. While Las Vegas does not host any showgirl-based productions, Jung says they are still employed as an symbol of the city, being present at gatherings and in marketing. “The showgirl is still a lasting symbol of Vegas glamour,” she says.
An Allure of Escape
Nancy Hardy says the magical transformation of a showgirl is part of the attraction. This idea Swift alludes to in a recent documentary series that captures the behind-the-scenes action from her massive 2023 Eras tour, which included gruelling rehearsals, workouts and 149 shows across dozens of cities, each running for 3.5 hours.
She describes her own nights in the spotlight as “similar to running a marathon in heels every night”. Her headpiece tipped the scales at 34lbs. “I had to support it all the way up the stairs to the performance area from the dressing rooms three floors below in the underground. I had to head up ahead of time for my moment so I could rest before I performed. You are sweating the whole time but crafting this image that it’s simple and gorgeous and ethereal.”
Perhaps this is where the true allure of the showgirl really resides. In the complexity of 2025 there is a desire for a break from reality. Who better to turn to than these performers, who have always embodied fantasy, flawlessness and a universe where nobody falters.
