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After a three-decade run on the Las Vegas Boulevard, the dancers from the revue Jubilee! executed their last choreographed kick in 2016. The extravaganza, famous for its elaborate costumes crafted by American fashion designer Bob Mackie, came to an end due to dwindling audience numbers and critical commentators who labeled it a spectacle “a relic of another era”.

Now, roughly eight years later, the showgirl, or at least the showgirl style, is back.

The Master of Glitz

Referred to as the “sultan of sequins”, Mackie has made dramatic stage sparkle his trademark look, dressing everyone from Marilyn Monroe to music superstars. Earlier this month, a “barely-there” bodysuit he designed for Cher in 1978 fetched $57,600, far exceeding its initial estimate, while a silver and gold beaded bodysuit with shiny wings that Mackie created for Tina Turner for a 1977 performance sold for $19,200.

“I believe it looks more attractive for the younger performer who is seeking something other than what they were accustomed to”, he stated in an interview with a publication. “Today's artists are embracing a show-stopping, more theatrical, breathtaking, grand statement.”

A Pop Culture Resurgence

It’s a look that sashayed all the way to the epicenter of popular culture in 2025 thanks to Taylor Swift. In the past few months, the cultural juggernaut wore one of Mackie’s classic Jubilee! costumes on the cover of her new musical project. The rhinestone encrusted bra and thong, feathered armbands and glittering headpiece were tailor-made for a record called The Life of a Showgirl.

Swift isn't alone. This year, showgirl references have been adopted by music artists including Dua Lipa as they whizzed across concert platforms in sparkles, strategic openings and feathers, illuminated against theatrical sets. Her fashion curator Lorenzo Posocco explained to a fashion magazine he wanted to bring “a showgirl spirit” to her Radical Optimism tour – drawing from pictures from the 1950s, Lipa’s dancers wafted giant ostrich feather fans.

Drawing from History

These artists and other chart toppers also take inspiration from historical entertainment forms, including vaudeville and chorus line references. The outcome are poles apart from the 90s pop style of short shirts and cargo pants, and hip-hop inspired dance moves that preceded this trend.

But certain observers are convinced with this glamour resurgence. Nancy Hardy, a ex- Jubilee! showgirl who danced in the early 2000s says the trend is “puzzling”. She thinks the word showgirl title is being “employed as an umbrella term covering everything from The Radio City Rockettes to Broadway performers and now even modern pop stars.”

A Coveted Vintage Style

For millennial and young adult stars, Mackie’s vintage designs have become highly covetable. In 2024, Zendaya paid tribute to one of Mackie’s earliest clients, Cher, when the star wore a semi-sheer embellished dress created by the designer in 2001, which was similar to one he designed for Cher to wear in 1967. Later that year, another pop star paid an undisclosed sum to buy the Mackie fringed mini dress she had worn at an awards show to perform at the Grammys. In September, Carpenter wore a series of retro Mackie designs at the MTV Video Music Awards. They are also a hit among collectors.

“This style evoke fond memories for a bygone era of glitz,” says an archivist, a curator at the an academic institution, who researches the history of showgirls. “Now it is seen as a sort of ‘safe’ sexy because it has been updated. It has got all the sophistication, the rhinestones and the glitter but without the exposure.”

More Than Just Style: An Icon of Las Vegas

Chung says the showgirl image are key to the identity of Vegas. She points to ex-mayor Oscar Goodman who, during civic functions, was flanked by two showgirls. While Las Vegas currently lacks any traditional showgirl productions, the historian says they are still employed as an emblem of the city, being present at conventions and in promotional material. “The showgirl is still a lasting icon of Las Vegas glamour,” Chung says.

The Appeal of Transformation

Nancy Hardy says the transformative effect of a showgirl persona is part of the allure. This is a notion Taylor Swift alludes to in a new docuseries that documents the off-camera action from her year-long 2023 Eras tour, which included intense preparations, workouts and countless performances across dozens of cities, each running for 3.5 hours.

She explains her own nights in the spotlight as “similar to completing an endurance race in high heels every night”. Her headpiece was 34lbs. “I had to support it all the way up the staircase to the platform from the green rooms three floors below in the basement. I had to leave early for my entrance so I could catch my breath before I performed. You’re working hard the whole time but creating this image that it’s simple and stunning and magical.”

Perhaps this is where the fascination of the showgirl fantasy really lies. In the complexity of 2025 there is a craving for a break from reality. Is there anyone better to emulate than these performers, who have always embodied dreams, flawlessness and a universe where nobody misses a mark.