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Following a 31-year tenure on the Las Vegas Boulevard, the dancers from the spectacle Jubilee! gave one last choreographed kick in 2016. The show, famous for its elaborate costumes crafted by celebrated designer Bob Mackie, ended its run due to dwindling audience numbers and disappointed reviewers who described it as a spectacle “trapped in time”.

Today, almost a decade later, the showgirl persona, or at least the showgirl aesthetic, is making a comeback.

The Master of Sparkle

Referred to as the “king of sparkle”, Mackie has made over-the-top showgirl glitz his defining aesthetic, clothing everyone from Hollywood icons to music superstars. In a recent auction, a “naked” bodysuit he created for Cher in 1978 fetched $57,600, well over its projected value, while a shimmering tasseled bodysuit with lamé wings that Mackie created for Tina Turner for a 1977 concert sold for $19,200.

“I believe it looks more appealing for the younger performer who is seeking something other than what they were accustomed to”, he told a newspaper. “New stars are pushing toward a glamorous, more dramatic, attention-grabbing, entrance-making statement.”

A Musical Revival

It’s a look that glided all the way to the heart of mainstream fashion in 2025 largely due to a global pop icon. In the past few months, the entertainment titan wore one of Mackie’s original Jubilee! costumes on the cover of her 12th studio album. The rhinestone encrusted bra and thong, ostrich-feather armbands and shimmering headpiece were perfect for a record called The Life of a Showgirl.

Swift isn't alone. This year, glamorous nods have been embraced by music artists including Dua Lipa as they danced across world tours in glitter, revealing designs and ostrich feathers, illuminated against overstated sets. Lipa’s stylist her creative director explained to a fashion magazine 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

Lipa, Carpenter and other hitmakers also draw on classic entertainment forms, including vaudeville and ensemble references. The final look are vastly different from the 90s pop style of crop tops and baggy pants, and hip-hop inspired dance moves that came before them.

But some critics are on board with this showgirl renaissance. Nancy Hardy, a ex- Jubilee! showgirl who danced in the 00s says the trend is “bemusing”. She thinks the word showgirl title is being “used as an broad label covering everything from The Radio City Rockettes to Broadway performers and now seemingly modern pop stars.”

The Coveted Classic Style

For younger and modern stars, Mackie’s vintage designs have become extremely desirable. In 2024, a style icon honored to one of Mackie’s first major stars, Cher, when the actor wore a semi-sheer sequined dress made by the designer in 2001, which was similar to one he created for Cher to wear in 1967. Months after, a singer paid an significant price to buy the Mackie beaded mini dress she had worn previously to perform at the Grammys. In September, Carpenter wore a series of classic Mackie designs at the MTV Video Music Awards. They are also a popular item among fashion collectors.

“This style bring about fond memories for a historical elegance,” says Su Kim Chung, a curator at the a Las Vegas university, who researches the legacy of showgirls. “Today it is considered a sort of ‘acceptable’ allure because it has been updated. It has got all the glamour, the crystals and the shine but without the nudity.”

More Than Just Style: An Icon of Las Vegas

Chung says this figure are key to the iconography of Las Vegas. She points to former mayor Oscar Goodman who, during civic functions, was surrounded by two showgirls. Although Las Vegas does not host any showgirl-based productions, Jung says they are still used as an symbol of the city, showing up at gatherings and in promotional material. “The showgirl is still a enduring symbol of Vegas glamour,” she says.

An Appeal of Illusion

The former showgirl says the transformative effect of a showgirl persona is part of the attraction. This is a notion the singer references in a latest behind-the-scenes film that documents the off-camera action from her massive 2023 Eras tour, which included intense rehearsals, workouts and countless concerts across dozens of cities, each running for 3.5 hours.

Hardy recalls her own showgirl performances as “comparable to extreme physical exertion in heels every night”. Her headpiece was 34lbs. “I had to carry it all the way up the steps to the platform from the dressing rooms three floors below in the basement. I had to head up ahead of time for my cue so I could rest before I made my entrance. You are working hard the whole time but creating this illusion that it’s effortless and gorgeous and ethereal.”

Perhaps this is where the fascination of the showgirl really is found. In the busyness of 2025 there is a desire for fantasy. Who better to emulate than these performers, who have always embodied dreams, perfection and a realm where no one makes a mistake.