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Following a long-running run on the Las Vegas strip, the showgirls from the production Jubilee! gave one last synchronised kick in 2016. The extravaganza, famous for its ornate costumes crafted by style icon Bob Mackie, ended its run due to declining audience numbers and unimpressed commentators who described it as a spectacle “a relic of another era”.

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

The Sultan of Glitz

Referred to as the “sultan of sequins”, Mackie has made dramatic showgirl glitz his defining aesthetic, dressing everyone from Marilyn Monroe to music superstars. In a recent auction, a “barely-there” bodysuit he designed for Cher in 1978 sold for $57,600, seven times its estimated price, while a silver and gold beaded bodysuit with shiny wings that Mackie created for Tina Turner for a 1977 show sold for $19,200.

“I think it looks more enticing for the younger performer who is looking for something other than what they were accustomed to”, he told a media outlet. “Today's artists are embracing a glamorous, more theatrical, show-stopping, memorable statement.”

The Musical Resurgence

It’s a look that made its way all the way to the heart of the cultural zeitgeist in 2025 largely due to Taylor Swift. Earlier this year, the entertainment titan wore one of Mackie’s original Jubilee! costumes on the cover of her 12th studio album. The crystal-covered bra and thong, plumed armbands and glittering headpiece were perfect for a record titled The Life of a Showgirl.

She isn't alone. This year, showgirl inspirations have been embraced by pop stars including Dua Lipa as they danced across world tours in sequins, strategic openings and feathers, illuminated against overstated sets. A top stylist Lorenzo Posocco mentioned in an interview with a fashion magazine he wanted to bring “a showgirl attitude” to her Radical Optimism tour – drawing from pictures from the 1950s, Lipa’s dancers fluttered giant plumed accessories.

Drawing from the Past

These artists and other chart toppers also draw on historical entertainment forms, including classic theater and chorus line references. The outcome are vastly different from the late-century pop style of revealing tops and baggy pants, and urban dance moves that were popular earlier.

But certain observers are on board with this glamour resurgence. A former performer, a one-time Jubilee! showgirl who performed in the 00s says the trend is “puzzling”. She thinks the word showgirl is being “used as an umbrella term encompassing everything from The Radio City Rockettes to Broadway performers and now apparently Taylor Swift.”

A Highly Sought-After Vintage Style

For younger and millennial stars, Mackie’s vintage designs have become extremely desirable. In 2024, Zendaya paid tribute to one of Mackie’s earliest clients, Cher, when the star wore a see-through sequined dress designed by the designer in 2001, which was similar to one he designed for Cher to wear in 1967. Subsequently, Miley Cyrus paid an private amount to buy the Mackie beaded mini dress she had worn earlier in the year to perform at the Grammys. In September, the singer wore a collection of vintage Mackie designs at the MTV Video Music Awards. They are also a hit among fashion collectors.

“This style evoke fond memories for a bygone era of glitz,” says Su Kim Chung, a curator at the University of Nevada, who documents the legacy of showgirls. “Currently it is viewed as a sort of ‘toned-down’ sexy because it has been adapted. It has got all the elegance, the rhinestones and the shine but without the nudity.”

A Than Just Fashion: An Icon of Las Vegas

The expert says the showgirl image are key to the identity of Vegas. She points to one-time leader Oscar Goodman who, during official events, was flanked by two showgirls. Even though Las Vegas currently lacks any showgirl-centric productions, Jung says they are still used as an logo of the city, appearing at gatherings and in marketing. “The showgirl is still a remaining symbol of Vegas spectacle,” she says.

The Allure of Transformation

The former showgirl says the magical transformation of a showgirl persona is part of the attraction. It’s something the singer references in a recent documentary series that documents the backstage action from her year-long 2023 Eras tour, which included intense preparations, training and countless shows across dozens of cities, each lasting 3.5 hours.

Hardy describes her own nights in the spotlight as “comparable to extreme physical exertion in heels every night”. Her headpiece weighed 34lbs. “I had to wear it all the way up the staircase to the stage from the backstage area three floors below in the underground. I had to start early for my entrance so I could rest before I went on stage. You’re sweating the whole time but creating this image that it’s easy and beautiful and dreamlike.”

Perhaps this is where the fascination of the showgirl really is found. In the chaos of 2025 there is a craving for fantasy. What better figure to turn to than these performers, who have always represented fantasy, idealism and a universe where nobody falters.