Following a 31-year tenure on the Las Vegas Boulevard, the performers from the production Jubilee! executed their last synchronised 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 critical reviewers who called it a spectacle “stuck in the past”.
Currently, nearly ten years later, showgirls, or at least the showgirl style, is back.
The King of Sequins
Known as the “sultan of sequins”, Mackie has made theatrical showgirl glamour his trademark look, dressing everyone from Hollywood icons to music superstars. In a recent auction, a “naked” bodysuit he designed for Cher in 1978 fetched $57,600, far exceeding its initial estimate, while a silver and gold fringed bodysuit with reflective wings that Mackie created for Tina Turner for a 1977 show sold for $19,200.
“I believe it looks more appealing for the emerging artists who is desiring something other than what they grew up with”, he told a media outlet. “Contemporary performers are pushing toward a glamorous, more spectacular, breathtaking, entrance-making statement.”
The Musical Revival
It’s a look that glided all the way to the centre of popular culture in 2025 propelled by a global pop icon. In the past few months, the music phenomenon wore one of Mackie’s classic Jubilee! costumes on the cover of her latest record. The bedazzled bra and thong, ostrich-feather armbands and shimmering headpiece were ideal for a record called The Life of a Showgirl.
She isn't alone. This year, showgirl references have been embraced by singers including Sabrina Carpenter as they danced across world tours in glitter, revealing designs and feathers, illuminated against camp sets. A top stylist a fashion expert mentioned in an interview with a fashion magazine he wanted to bring “a stage persona” to her Radical Optimism tour – drawing from pictures from the 1950s, her performers wafted giant plumed accessories.
Pulling from History
Lipa, Carpenter and other successful musicians also take inspiration from classic entertainment forms, including burlesque and dance line references. The results are worlds away from the 90s teen pop of short shirts and cargo pants, and street-style dance moves that came before them.
But some critics are convinced with this glamour resurgence. An ex-showgirl, a ex- Jubilee! showgirl who danced in the 00s says the trend is “puzzling”. She thinks the word showgirl title is being “used as an catch-all phrase including everything from The Radio City Rockettes to Broadway performers and now seemingly today's icons.”
A Coveted Retro Style
For millennial and millennial stars, Mackie’s retro designs have become extremely desirable. In 2024, Zendaya gave a nod to one of Mackie’s first major stars, Cher, when the actor wore a see-through beaded dress designed by the designer in 2001, which was reminiscent of one he made for Cher to wear in 1967. Later that year, another pop star paid an significant price to buy the Mackie beaded 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 favorite among vintage enthusiasts.
“The showgirl aesthetic bring about fond memories for a historical elegance,” says Su Kim Chung, head of special collections at the a Las Vegas university, who documents the legacy of showgirls. “Today it is seen as a sort of ‘acceptable’ appeal because it has been adapted. It has got all the sophistication, the rhinestones and the sparkle but without the nudity.”
More Than Just Style: An Icon of Vegas
Chung says showgirls are integral to the imagery of Las Vegas. She points to former mayor Oscar Goodman who, during civic functions, was surrounded by two showgirls. Even though Las Vegas does not host any traditional showgirl productions, the historian says they are still used as an logo of the city, showing up at corporate events and in promotional material. “The showgirl is still a lasting icon of Vegas spectacle,” the expert says.
The Allure of Illusion
Nancy Hardy says the magical transformation of a showgirl persona is part of the attraction. It’s something Swift hints at in a new documentary series that documents the behind-the-scenes action from her extensive 2023 Eras tour, which included exhausting preparations, training and numerous concerts across 21 countries, each lasting 3.5 hours.
Hardy describes her own nights in the spotlight as “like running a marathon in high heels every night”. Her feathered headdress weighed 34lbs. “I had to support it all the way up the stairs to the performance area from the green rooms three floors below in the underground. I had to start early for my moment so I could catch my breath before I performed. One is sweating the whole time but crafting this image that it’s effortless and stunning and ethereal.”
Perhaps this is where the appeal of the showgirl really lies. In the chaos of 2025 there is a desire for a break from reality. Who better to emulate than showgirls, who have always embodied dreams, perfection and a world where nobody misses a mark.
