Following a three-decade tenure on the iconic Vegas strip, the performers from the production Jubilee! took a final synchronised kick in 2016. The extravaganza, renowned for its elaborate costumes created by style icon Bob Mackie, closed its doors due to declining audience numbers and disappointed critics who labeled it a spectacle “trapped in time”.
Today, roughly eight years later, the showgirl, or at least the showgirl style, is back.
A Sultan of Glitz
Referred to as the “master of glitz”, Mackie has made theatrical showgirl glitz his signature style, dressing everyone from Hollywood icons to Madonna. Earlier this month, a “naked” bodysuit he designed for Cher in 1978 sold for $57,600, well over its initial estimate, while a shimmering fringed bodysuit with lamé wings that Mackie created for Tina Turner for a 1977 show sold for $19,200.
“I believe it looks more attractive for the younger performer who is looking for something other than what they grew up with”, he stated in an interview with a newspaper. “Contemporary performers are striving for a show-stopping, more dramatic, show-stopping, entrance-making statement.”
A Musical Comeback
It’s a look that glided all the way to the heart of the cultural zeitgeist in 2025 thanks to a global pop icon. Earlier this year, the cultural juggernaut wore one of Mackie’s classic 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 isn't alone. This year, glamorous nods have been embraced by singers including Sabrina Carpenter as they zoomed across arena stages in sparkles, revealing designs and ostrich feathers, highlighted against theatrical sets. Her fashion curator Lorenzo Posocco mentioned in an interview with a fashion magazine he wanted to bring “a showgirl attitude” to her Radical Optimism tour – referencing pictures from the 50s, Lipa’s dancers fluttered giant feathered fans.
Drawing from History
Modern stars and other chart toppers also reference classic performances, including classic theater and ensemble references. The results are worlds away from the 90s pop style of revealing tops and utilitarian trousers, and hip-hop inspired dance moves that preceded this trend.
But some critics are enthusiastic with this glamour resurgence. Nancy Hardy, a former Jubilee! showgirl who performed in the 2000s says the trend is “confusing”. She thinks the word showgirl title is being “used as an umbrella term including everything from The Radio City Rockettes to Broadway performers and now seemingly today's icons.”
A Highly Sought-After Classic Style
For gen Z and young adult stars, Mackie’s vintage designs have become extremely desirable. In 2024, Zendaya honored to one of Mackie’s iconic muses, Cher, when the star wore a see-through embellished dress made by the designer in 2001, which was similar to one he created for Cher to wear in 1967. Later that year, a singer paid an significant price 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 popular item among fashion collectors.
“This style evoke fond memories for a historical elegance,” says Su Kim Chung, head of special collections at the an academic institution, who studies the history of showgirls. “Currently it is seen as a sort of ‘safe’ allure because it has been modified. It has got all the elegance, the sparkles and the sparkle but without the exposure.”
More Than Simply Style: An Symbol of Las Vegas
The expert says showgirls are central to the iconography of Vegas. She points to former mayor Oscar Goodman who, during public appearances, was surrounded by two showgirls. While Las Vegas does not host any traditional showgirl productions, Chung says they are still used as an symbol of the city, appearing at corporate events and in advertisements. “The showgirl is still a enduring figure of Vegas spectacle,” Chung says.
An Allure of Transformation
Nancy Hardy says the complete change of a stage character is part of the appeal. It’s something Swift alludes to in a recent docuseries that shows the backstage action from her extensive 2023 Eras tour, which included exhausting preparations, gym sessions and numerous shows across dozens of cities, each going on for 3.5 hours.
The performer explains her own nights in the spotlight as “similar to extreme physical exertion in stilettos every night”. Her headdress weighed 34lbs. “I had to carry it all the way up the stairs to the stage from the green rooms three floors below in the lower level. I had to start early for my entrance so I could rest before I performed. You’re sweating the whole time but crafting this fantasy that it’s easy and stunning and magical.”
Maybe this is where the appeal of the showgirl really resides. In the chaos of 2025 there is a craving for fantasy. What better figure to look to than showgirls, who have always represented dreams, flawlessness and a world where nobody makes a mistake.
