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After a long-running tenure on the Las Vegas Boulevard, the dancers from the spectacle Jubilee! executed their last choreographed kick in 2016. The production, famous for its ornate costumes crafted by American fashion designer Bob Mackie, came to an end due to dwindling audience numbers and critical commentators who called it a spectacle “trapped in time”.

Today, roughly eight years later, the showgirl persona, or at least the showgirl aesthetic, is making a comeback.

A Master of Glitz

Known as the “king of sparkle”, Mackie has made theatrical showgirl glamour his trademark look, clothing everyone from Marilyn Monroe to music superstars. Recently, a “see-through” bodysuit he made for Cher in 1978 fetched $57,600, well over its estimated price, while a silver and gold beaded bodysuit with shiny wings that Mackie crafted for Tina Turner for a 1977 performance sold for $19,200.

“I believe it looks more appealing for the emerging artists who is desiring something other than what they were accustomed to”, he told a publication. “Today's artists are striving for a theatrical, more dramatic, show-stopping, grand statement.”

The Musical Resurgence

It’s a look that glided all the way to the centre of mainstream fashion in 2025 largely due to Taylor Swift. In the past few months, the cultural juggernaut wore one of Mackie’s original Jubilee! costumes on the cover of her new musical project. The crystal-covered bra and thong, ostrich-feather armbands and shimmering headpiece were ideal for a record called The Life of a Showgirl.

She has company. This year, glamorous nods have been adopted by music artists including Dua Lipa as they zoomed across concert platforms in sparkles, strategic openings and plumes, highlighted against theatrical sets. A top stylist her creative director mentioned in an interview with a fashion magazine he wanted to bring “a stage persona” to her Radical Optimism tour – inspired by pictures from the 50s, the backup dancers fluttered giant plumed accessories.

Pulling from History

These artists and other chart toppers also take inspiration from classic performances, including vaudeville and dance 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 came before them.

But not everyone are convinced with this showgirl renaissance. A former performer, a ex- Jubilee! showgirl who performed in the 2000s says the trend is “puzzling”. She thinks the word showgirl is being “treated as an umbrella term encompassing everything from The Radio City Rockettes to Broadway performers and now seemingly Taylor Swift.”

The Coveted Classic Style

For younger and young adult stars, Mackie’s vintage designs have become incredibly sought-after. In 2024, a famous actress paid tribute to one of Mackie’s first major stars, Cher, when the star wore a see-through sequined dress designed by the designer in 2001, which was reminiscent of one he designed for Cher to wear in 1967. Months after, Miley Cyrus paid an undisclosed sum to buy the Mackie tasseled mini dress she had worn previously to perform at the Grammys. In September, Carpenter wore a trio of classic Mackie designs at the MTV Video Music Awards. They are also a favorite among vintage enthusiasts.

“The showgirl aesthetic evoke a sense of longing for a historical elegance,” says an archivist, head of special collections at the University of Nevada, who studies the story of showgirls. “Currently it is viewed as a sort of ‘toned-down’ appeal because it has been adapted. It has got all the elegance, the rhinestones and the shine but without the nudity.”

More Than Simply Style: An Symbol of Vegas

She says the showgirl image are integral to the imagery of Las Vegas. She points to one-time leader Oscar Goodman who, during official events, was surrounded by two showgirls. While Las Vegas does not host any traditional showgirl productions, Jung says they are still featured as an emblem of the city, appearing at gatherings and in advertisements. “The showgirl is still a remaining symbol of Vegas spectacle,” she says.

An Allure of Escape

Nancy Hardy says the transformative effect of a showgirl persona is part of the appeal. This is a notion the singer hints at in a latest documentary series that documents the behind-the-scenes action from her year-long 2023 Eras tour, which included intense preparations, training and 149 shows across dozens of cities, each lasting 3.5 hours.

She explains her own stage routines as “comparable to completing an endurance race in high heels every night”. Her feathered headdress weighed 34lbs. “I had to carry 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 recover before I went on stage. You’re sweating the whole time but maintaining this illusion that it’s simple and gorgeous and ethereal.”

Perhaps this is where the appeal of the showgirl fantasy really is found. In the complexity of 2025 there is a longing for a break from reality. Who better to turn to than showgirls, who have always personified dreams, flawlessness and a world where nobody makes a mistake.