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Following a long-running tenure on the Las Vegas Boulevard, the showgirls from the revue Jubilee! gave one last synchronised kick in 2016. The show, famous for its elaborate costumes designed by American fashion designer Bob Mackie, ended its run due to dwindling audience numbers and disappointed reviewers who described it as a spectacle “trapped in time”.

Now, nearly ten years later, the showgirl, or at least the glamorous showgirl look, is back.

The Sultan of Sparkle

Referred to as the “sultan of sequins”, Mackie has made theatrical showgirl glitz his signature style, clothing everyone from Hollywood icons to pop royalty. Recently, a “see-through” bodysuit he made for Cher in 1978 sold for $57,600, well over its estimated price, while a silver and gold tasseled bodysuit with shiny wings that Mackie created for Tina Turner for a 1977 concert sold for $19,200.

“In my view it looks more appealing for the new generation of stars who is seeking something other than what they were accustomed to”, he explained to a publication. “New stars are striving for a theatrical, more spectacular, breathtaking, grand statement.”

The Musical Comeback

It’s a look that sashayed all the way to the heart of popular culture in 2025 propelled by 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 crystal-covered bra and thong, ostrich-feather armbands and glittering headpiece were perfect for a record titled The Life of a Showgirl.

She is part of a trend. This year, showgirl references have been incorporated by pop stars including Miley Cyrus as they danced across concert platforms in glitter, strategic openings and feathers, spotlighted against camp sets. A top stylist her creative director explained to a style publication he wanted to bring “a showgirl attitude” to her Radical Optimism tour – drawing from pictures from the mid-century, her performers wafted giant plumed accessories.

Drawing from History

Modern stars and other chart toppers also take inspiration from 19th-century performances, including classic theater and dance line references. The outcome are poles apart from the 90s Britney Spears era of crop tops and utilitarian trousers, and street-style dance moves that came before them.

But some critics are enthusiastic with this showgirl revival. An ex-showgirl, a one-time Jubilee! showgirl who danced in the 00s says the trend is “confusing”. She thinks the word showgirl title is being “treated as an catch-all phrase encompassing everything from The Radio City Rockettes to Broadway performers and now even modern pop stars.”

The Coveted Retro Look

For younger and millennial stars, Mackie’s retro designs have become highly covetable. In 2024, Zendaya paid tribute to one of Mackie’s first major stars, Cher, when the actress wore a see-through sequined dress made by the designer in 2001, which was similar to one he designed for Cher to wear in 1967. Months after, a singer paid an significant price to buy the Mackie beaded mini dress she had worn earlier in the year to perform at the Grammys. In September, the singer wore a collection of retro Mackie designs at the MTV Video Music Awards. They are also a popular item among fashion collectors.

“The showgirl aesthetic evoke a sense of longing for a bygone era of glitz,” says a historian, head of special collections at the a Las Vegas university, who studies the legacy of showgirls. “Now it is viewed as a sort of ‘safe’ appeal because it has been adapted. It has got all the sophistication, the sparkles and the sparkle but without the nudity.”

A Than Simply Fashion: An Icon of Las Vegas

Chung says the showgirl image are key to the identity of Vegas. She points to one-time leader Oscar Goodman who, during civic functions, was flanked by two showgirls. Although Las Vegas currently lacks any showgirl-based productions, Jung says they are still used as an emblem of the city, showing up at conventions and in promotional material. “The showgirl is still a lasting figure of Vegas glitz and glamour,” she says.

An Allure of Illusion

Nancy Hardy says the complete change of a showgirl persona is part of the attraction. This idea the singer alludes to in a new documentary series that shows the backstage action from her extensive 2023 Eras tour, which included exhausting rehearsals, training and 149 performances across multiple nations, each going on for 3.5 hours.

She explains her own stage routines as “like completing an endurance race in high heels every night”. Her feathered headdress tipped the scales at 34lbs. “I had to carry it all the way up the stairs to the stage from the backstage area three floors below in the basement. I had to head up ahead of time for my entrance so I could recover before I went on stage. One is perspiring the whole time but maintaining this image that it’s easy and gorgeous and dreamlike.”

Maybe this is where the fascination of the showgirl really is found. In the busyness of 2025 there is a longing for escapism. Who better to look to than these performers, who have always embodied dreams, idealism and a universe where nobody makes a mistake.