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Following a 31-year stint on the Las Vegas Boulevard, the performers from the production Jubilee! took a final synchronised kick in 2016. The extravaganza, famous for its intricate costumes created by style icon Bob Mackie, closed its doors due to falling audience numbers and unimpressed commentators who called it a spectacle “stuck in the past”.

Currently, nearly ten years later, the showgirl, or at least the showgirl style, is experiencing a revival.

The Sultan of Glitz

Referred to as the “master of glitz”, Mackie has made over-the-top showgirl glitz his trademark look, dressing everyone from Marilyn Monroe to pop royalty. Recently, a “barely-there” bodysuit he created for Cher in 1978 fetched $57,600, far exceeding its projected value, while a shimmering fringed bodysuit with reflective wings that Mackie created for Tina Turner for a 1977 show sold for $19,200.

“I believe it looks more enticing for the younger performer who is desiring something other than what they grew up with”, he stated in an interview with a media outlet. “New stars are pushing toward a glamorous, more theatrical, show-stopping, memorable statement.”

A Musical Resurgence

It’s a look that glided all the way to the centre of the cultural zeitgeist in 2025 largely due to Taylor Swift. Earlier this year, the music phenomenon wore one of Mackie’s vintage Jubilee! costumes on the cover of her 12th studio album. The bedazzled bra and thong, feathered armbands and shimmering headpiece were perfect for a record called The Life of a Showgirl.

Swift isn't alone. This year, showgirl references have been adopted by music artists including Miley Cyrus as they zoomed across concert platforms in sequins, cut-outs and ostrich feathers, illuminated against overstated sets. Her fashion curator Lorenzo Posocco told a style publication he wanted to bring “a showgirl attitude” to her Radical Optimism tour – inspired by pictures from the 50s, Lipa’s dancers fluttered giant ostrich feather fans.

Drawing from History

These artists and other hitmakers also draw on historical performances, including classic theater and chorus line references. The results are poles apart from the 90s Britney Spears era of crop tops and cargo pants, and hip-hop inspired dance moves that were popular earlier.

But certain observers are enthusiastic with this showgirl renaissance. A former performer, a one-time Jubilee! showgirl who performed in the early 2000s says the trend is “confusing”. She thinks the word term is being “employed as an broad label including everything from The Radio City Rockettes to Broadway performers and now seemingly today's icons.”

A Highly Sought-After Classic Style

For millennial and millennial stars, Mackie’s vintage designs have become incredibly sought-after. In 2024, a style icon gave a nod to one of Mackie’s iconic muses, Cher, when the actress wore a translucent embellished dress created by the designer in 2001, which was inspired by one he made for Cher to wear in 1967. Months after, Miley Cyrus paid an significant price to buy the Mackie tasseled mini dress she had worn earlier in the year 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 popular item among vintage enthusiasts.

“The showgirl aesthetic inspire nostalgia for a historical elegance,” says an archivist, head of special collections at the University of Nevada, who studies the legacy of showgirls. “Currently it is considered a sort of ‘safe’ allure because it has been modified. It has got all the elegance, the sparkles and the glitter but without the nudity.”

A Than Just Fashion: An Icon of Vegas

She says showgirls are integral to the identity of Las Vegas. She points to former mayor Oscar Goodman who, during official events, was flanked by two showgirls. Although Las Vegas no longer has any showgirl-centric productions, the historian says they are still featured as an symbol of the city, showing up at conventions and in marketing. “The showgirl is still a lasting icon of Las Vegas spectacle,” she says.

The Allure of Illusion

Nancy Hardy says the complete change of a showgirl is part of the appeal. This is a notion Swift alludes to in a latest documentary series that shows the backstage action from her extensive 2023 Eras tour, which included intense practice sessions, gym sessions and countless shows across 21 countries, each going on for 3.5 hours.

Hardy describes her own showgirl performances as “similar to running a marathon in heels every night”. Her headdress weighed 34lbs. “I had to carry it all the way up the steps to the stage from the green rooms three floors below in the lower level. I had to leave early for my cue so I could recover before I made my entrance. You are sweating the whole time but maintaining this illusion that it’s simple and beautiful and magical.”

Perhaps this is where the appeal of the showgirl fantasy really is found. In the complexity of 2025 there is a longing for fantasy. Is there anyone better to emulate than these performers, who have always personified make-believe, perfection and a realm where no one falters.