Following a long-running tenure on the Las Vegas Boulevard, the showgirls from the spectacle Jubilee! executed their last choreographed kick in 2016. The extravaganza, famous for its ornate costumes designed by style icon Bob Mackie, ended its run due to declining audience numbers and unimpressed critics who called it a spectacle “a relic of another era”.
Now, almost a decade later, showgirls, or at least the showgirl aesthetic, is making a comeback.
The Sultan of Sequins
Referred to as the “master of glitz”, Mackie has made theatrical stage sparkle his trademark look, outfitting everyone from Marilyn Monroe to Madonna. Recently, a “see-through” bodysuit he made for Cher in 1978 commanded $57,600, seven times its projected value, while a metallic beaded bodysuit with shiny wings that Mackie crafted for Tina Turner for a 1977 show sold for $19,200.
“I believe it looks more appealing for the younger performer who is looking for something other than what they knew from childhood”, he told a media outlet. “New stars are striving for a theatrical, more dramatic, attention-grabbing, memorable statement.”
A Mainstream Comeback
It’s a look that made its way all the way to the heart of mainstream fashion in 2025 propelled by a global pop icon. In the past few months, the music phenomenon wore one of Mackie’s original Jubilee! costumes on the cover of her 12th studio album. The bedazzled bra and thong, ostrich-feather armbands and sparkly headpiece were ideal for a record called The Life of a Showgirl.
The singer is part of a trend. This year, glamorous nods have been embraced by pop stars including Miley Cyrus as they zoomed across concert platforms in glitter, strategic openings and ostrich feathers, illuminated against overstated sets. Lipa’s stylist Lorenzo Posocco explained to Vogue he wanted to bring “a showgirl attitude” to her Radical Optimism tour – drawing from pictures from the 50s, her performers wafted giant plumed accessories.
Drawing from the Past
These artists and other chart toppers also reference historical performances, including burlesque and chorus line references. The outcome are vastly different from the 90s Britney Spears era of revealing tops and cargo pants, and urban dance moves that were popular earlier.
But certain observers are enthusiastic with this showgirl renaissance. An ex-showgirl, a ex- Jubilee! showgirl who performed in the 00s says the trend is “puzzling”. She thinks the word showgirl is being “employed as an umbrella term encompassing everything from The Radio City Rockettes to Broadway performers and now seemingly Taylor Swift.”
The Highly Sought-After Retro Style
For millennial and young adult stars, Mackie’s vintage designs have become extremely desirable. In 2024, Zendaya honored to one of Mackie’s first major stars, Cher, when the actor wore a translucent sequined dress designed by the designer in 2001, which was inspired by one he designed for Cher to wear in 1967. Months after, another pop star paid an significant price to buy the Mackie fringed 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 favorite among fashion collectors.
“Showgirls bring about a sense of longing for a bygone era of glitz,” says Su Kim Chung, a curator at the University of Nevada, who researches the legacy of showgirls. “Today it is seen as a sort of ‘safe’ allure because it has been updated. It has got all the glamour, the sparkles and the sparkle but without the nudity.”
More Than Just Style: An Symbol of the City
The expert says this figure are central to the imagery of Vegas. She points to former mayor Oscar Goodman who, during official events, was accompanied by two showgirls. Even though Las Vegas does not host any showgirl-based productions, Chung says they are still employed as an logo of the city, appearing at corporate events and in marketing. “The showgirl is still a remaining icon of Las Vegas glamour,” Chung says.
The Allure of Illusion
Hardy says the transformative effect of a showgirl persona is part of the attraction. It’s something the singer references in a recent docuseries that documents the off-camera action from her year-long 2023 Eras tour, which included intense preparations, gym sessions and numerous concerts across multiple nations, each running for 3.5 hours.
The performer explains her own showgirl performances as “comparable to running a marathon in stilettos every night”. Her headpiece weighed 34lbs. “I had to support it all the way up the staircase to the performance area from the green rooms three floors below in the basement. I had to start early for my moment so I could rest before I performed. You are perspiring the whole time but creating this fantasy that it’s simple and gorgeous and magical.”
It could be this is where the true allure of the showgirl fantasy really is found. In the busyness of 2025 there is a longing for escapism. Who better to turn to than such icons, who have always personified fantasy, flawlessness and a world where no one falters.
