Following a 31-year stint on the Las Vegas Boulevard, the showgirls from the revue Jubilee! gave one last choreographed kick in 2016. The extravaganza, known for its ornate costumes crafted by style icon Bob Mackie, ended its run due to declining audience numbers and critical critics who called it a spectacle “trapped in time”.
Now, almost a decade later, the showgirl, or at least the showgirl style, is experiencing a revival.
A King of Sequins
Known as the “master of glitz”, Mackie has made dramatic showgirl glamour his signature style, outfitting everyone from screen legends to Madonna. Earlier this month, a “barely-there” bodysuit he designed for Cher in 1978 fetched $57,600, well over its projected value, while a metallic fringed bodysuit with lamé wings that Mackie created for Tina Turner for a 1977 show sold for $19,200.
“I think it looks more appealing for the younger performer who is looking for something other than what they knew from childhood”, he told a publication. “Contemporary performers are pushing toward a show-stopping, more theatrical, breathtaking, memorable statement.”
The Pop Culture Revival
It’s a look that glided all the way to the heart of mainstream fashion in 2025 propelled by a chart-topping superstar. In the past few months, the entertainment titan wore one of Mackie’s classic Jubilee! costumes on the cover of her 12th studio album. The crystal-covered bra and thong, feathered armbands and shimmering headpiece were ideal for a record titled The Life of a Showgirl.
She has company. This year, showgirl references have been adopted by music artists including Miley Cyrus as they zoomed across world tours in glitter, revealing designs and plumes, spotlighted against theatrical sets. Lipa’s stylist Lorenzo Posocco told a fashion magazine he wanted to bring “a showgirl attitude” to her Radical Optimism tour – inspired by pictures from the mid-century, the backup dancers fluttered giant feathered fans.
Pulling from History
Modern stars and other chart toppers also draw on historical performances, including classic theater and dance line references. The outcome are vastly different from the late-century Britney Spears era of short shirts and utilitarian trousers, and street-style dance moves that preceded this trend.
But certain observers are convinced with this glamour resurgence. Nancy Hardy, a former Jubilee! showgirl who entertained in the early 2000s says the trend is “confusing”. She thinks the word showgirl is being “treated as an broad label including everything from The Radio City Rockettes to Broadway performers and now apparently Taylor Swift.”
The Highly Sought-After Vintage Look
For gen Z and millennial stars, Mackie’s retro designs have become extremely desirable. In 2024, a style icon gave a nod to one of Mackie’s iconic muses, Cher, when the actor wore a see-through beaded dress made by the designer in 2001, which was reminiscent of one he designed for Cher to wear in 1967. Later that year, Miley Cyrus paid an private amount to buy the Mackie beaded mini dress she had worn previously to perform at the Grammys. In September, Sabrina Carpenter wore a series of vintage Mackie designs at the MTV Video Music Awards. They are also a favorite among fashion collectors.
“Showgirls inspire fond memories for a past glamour,” says an archivist, head of special collections at the an academic institution, who documents the story of showgirls. “Today it is considered a sort of ‘acceptable’ allure because it has been updated. It has got all the elegance, the rhinestones and the sparkle but without the bare skin.”
A Than Simply Style: An Symbol of Vegas
She says this figure are integral to the identity of Las Vegas. She points to ex-mayor Oscar Goodman who, during civic functions, was flanked by two showgirls. While Las Vegas does not host any showgirl-centric productions, Chung says they are still featured as an emblem of the city, appearing at conventions and in marketing. “The showgirl is still a remaining icon of Las Vegas glitz and glamour,” Chung says.
An Allure of Illusion
The former showgirl says the magical transformation of a stage character is part of the allure. It’s something the singer hints at in a new docuseries that documents the behind-the-scenes action from her extensive 2023 Eras tour, which included exhausting rehearsals, training and countless performances across multiple nations, each lasting 3.5 hours.
The performer describes her own nights in the spotlight as “similar to completing an endurance race in stilettos every night”. Her feathered headdress was 34lbs. “I had to carry it all the way up the stairs to the platform from the dressing rooms three floors below in the lower level. I had to leave early for my cue so I could recover before I performed. You are perspiring the whole time but maintaining this fantasy that it’s easy and beautiful and magical.”
It could be this is where the appeal of the showgirl really is found. In the busyness of 2025 there is a longing for fantasy. Who better to look to than these performers, who have always embodied dreams, idealism and a realm where nobody makes a mistake.
