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After a 31-year run on the iconic Vegas strip, the performers from the revue Jubilee! executed their last perfectly timed kick in 2016. The production, famous for its elaborate costumes created by celebrated designer Bob Mackie, closed its doors due to declining audience numbers and critical reviewers who labeled it a spectacle “a relic of another era”.

Today, nearly ten years later, the showgirl, or at least the glamorous showgirl look, is making a comeback.

A King of Sequins

Referred to as the “master of glitz”, Mackie has made theatrical showgirl glamour his defining aesthetic, dressing everyone from Marilyn Monroe to music superstars. In a recent auction, a “see-through” bodysuit he created for Cher in 1978 commanded $57,600, well over its initial estimate, while a silver and gold beaded bodysuit with reflective wings that Mackie crafted for Tina Turner for a 1977 concert sold for $19,200.

“I believe it looks more enticing for the younger performer who is looking for something other than what they grew up with”, he stated in an interview with a publication. “Today's artists are striving for a theatrical, more theatrical, attention-grabbing, entrance-making statement.”

A Pop Culture Resurgence

It’s a look that glided all the way to the centre of mainstream fashion in 2025 largely due to a global pop icon. Earlier this year, the music phenomenon wore one of Mackie’s vintage Jubilee! costumes on the cover of her latest record. The crystal-covered bra and thong, ostrich-feather armbands and glittering headpiece were tailor-made for a record titled The Life of a Showgirl.

She has company. This year, showgirl inspirations have been embraced by pop stars including Sabrina Carpenter as they danced across arena stages in sequins, strategic openings and ostrich feathers, highlighted against camp sets. Her fashion curator a fashion expert told Vogue he wanted to bring “a stage persona” to her Radical Optimism tour – referencing pictures from the 50s, the backup dancers fluttered giant ostrich feather fans.

Drawing from the Past

These artists and other chart toppers also draw on classic entertainment forms, including classic theater and ensemble references. The outcome are worlds away from the 1990s era teen pop of revealing tops and baggy pants, and urban dance moves that came before them.

But certain observers are convinced with this showgirl revival. A former performer, a one-time Jubilee! showgirl who danced in the 2000s says the trend is “confusing”. She thinks the word showgirl title is being “treated as an broad label including everything from The Radio City Rockettes to Broadway performers and now even Taylor Swift.”

A Coveted Vintage Look

For gen Z and modern stars, Mackie’s vintage designs have become extremely desirable. In 2024, a famous actress gave a nod to one of Mackie’s iconic muses, Cher, when the actress wore a translucent sequined dress designed by the designer in 2001, which was similar to one he created for Cher to wear in 1967. Months after, a singer paid an private amount to buy the Mackie beaded mini dress she had worn at an awards show 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 favorite among vintage enthusiasts.

“This style evoke fond memories for a bygone era of glitz,” says Su Kim Chung, an expert at the an academic institution, who studies the legacy of showgirls. “Now it is seen as a sort of ‘toned-down’ allure because it has been modified. It has got all the sophistication, the sparkles and the shine but without the bare skin.”

A Than Simply Style: An Symbol of Las Vegas

She says the showgirl image are integral to the imagery of Sin City. She points to former mayor Oscar Goodman who, during official events, was accompanied by two showgirls. Although Las Vegas no longer has any traditional showgirl productions, Chung says they are still featured as an logo of the city, appearing at conventions and in advertisements. “The showgirl is still a remaining figure of Las Vegas glitz and glamour,” she says.

The Allure of Transformation

The former showgirl says the transformative effect of a stage character is part of the appeal. It’s something the singer hints at in a new docuseries that shows the behind-the-scenes action from her extensive 2023 Eras tour, which included gruelling preparations, gym sessions and numerous performances across dozens of cities, each running for 3.5 hours.

The performer describes her own nights in the spotlight as “comparable to extreme physical exertion in high heels every night”. Her feathered headdress tipped the scales at 34lbs. “I had to support it all the way up the steps to the platform from the backstage area three floors below in the basement. I had to leave early for my cue so I could rest before I performed. One is sweating the whole time but maintaining this fantasy that it’s simple and gorgeous and magical.”

Maybe this is where the fascination of the showgirl really lies. In the chaos of 2025 there is a craving for escapism. Is there anyone better to emulate than these performers, who have always personified make-believe, flawlessness and a world where nobody falters.