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Following a 31-year run on the iconic Vegas strip, the dancers from the revue Jubilee! took a final choreographed kick in 2016. The extravaganza, famous for its elaborate costumes designed by celebrated designer Bob Mackie, closed its doors due to falling audience numbers and critical reviewers who called it a spectacle “stuck in the past”.

Today, almost a decade later, showgirls, or at least the showgirl aesthetic, is back.

A Master of Glitz

Dubbed the “king of sparkle”, Mackie has made dramatic showgirl glamour his defining aesthetic, dressing everyone from Hollywood icons to pop royalty. Recently, a “see-through” bodysuit he made for Cher in 1978 fetched $57,600, seven times its estimated price, while a silver and gold beaded bodysuit with reflective wings that Mackie designed for Tina Turner for a 1977 show sold for $19,200.

“In my view it looks more enticing for the new generation of stars who is desiring something other than what they grew up with”, he explained to a newspaper. “New stars are embracing a show-stopping, more dramatic, breathtaking, grand statement.”

A Pop Culture Revival

It’s a look that glided all the way to the centre of the cultural zeitgeist in 2025 largely due to a chart-topping superstar. Recently, the cultural juggernaut wore one of Mackie’s classic Jubilee! costumes on the cover of her 12th studio album. The crystal-covered bra and thong, feathered armbands and sparkly headpiece were ideal for a record called The Life of a Showgirl.

Swift isn't alone. This year, showgirl references have been adopted by music artists including Sabrina Carpenter as they zoomed across concert platforms in glitter, strategic openings and plumes, spotlighted against theatrical sets. Lipa’s stylist her creative director told a fashion magazine he wanted to bring “a stage persona” to her Radical Optimism tour – referencing pictures from the 1950s, Lipa’s dancers fluttered giant feathered fans.

Pulling from Tradition

Modern stars and other chart toppers also take inspiration from historical performances, including classic theater and chorus line references. The results are worlds away from the 90s Britney Spears era of crop tops and cargo pants, and hip-hop inspired dance moves that preceded this trend.

But certain observers are on board with this showgirl renaissance. An ex-showgirl, a ex- Jubilee! showgirl who performed in the early 2000s says the trend is “bemusing”. She thinks the word showgirl is being “used as an catch-all phrase encompassing everything from The Radio City Rockettes to Broadway performers and now apparently Taylor Swift.”

The Coveted Retro Style

For millennial and modern stars, Mackie’s classic designs have become incredibly sought-after. In 2024, a style icon paid tribute to one of Mackie’s iconic muses, Cher, when the actress wore a translucent sequined dress created by the designer in 2001, which was inspired by one he made for Cher to wear in 1967. Subsequently, another pop star 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 series of vintage Mackie designs at the MTV Video Music Awards. They are also a favorite among vintage enthusiasts.

“Showgirls inspire nostalgia for a bygone era of glitz,” says an archivist, a curator at the University of Nevada, who studies the history of showgirls. “Currently it is considered a sort of ‘toned-down’ appeal because it has been adapted. It has got all the sophistication, the crystals and the shine but without the nudity.”

A Than Simply Style: An Icon of Vegas

The expert says this figure are central to the identity of Sin City. She points to ex-mayor Oscar Goodman who, during public appearances, was surrounded by two showgirls. Although Las Vegas no longer has any showgirl-based productions, Chung says they are still featured as an emblem of the city, appearing at gatherings and in promotional material. “The showgirl is still a enduring symbol of Vegas glitz and glamour,” she says.

An Appeal of Escape

The former showgirl says the complete change of a showgirl persona is part of the allure. This idea the singer references in a latest docuseries that documents the off-camera action from her year-long 2023 Eras tour, which included gruelling preparations, gym sessions and countless concerts across 21 countries, each going on for 3.5 hours.

She explains her own nights in the spotlight as “similar to extreme physical exertion in stilettos every night”. Her feathered headdress tipped the scales at 34lbs. “I had to carry it all the way up the steps to the platform from the backstage area three floors below in the underground. I had to start early for my entrance so I could recover before I performed. One is working hard the whole time but creating this image that it’s simple and stunning and ethereal.”

It could be this is where the fascination of the showgirl fantasy really is found. In the complexity of 2025 there is a desire for fantasy. Is there anyone better to look to than such icons, who have always represented dreams, perfection and a world where nobody misses a mark.