Following a long-running tenure on the iconic Vegas strip, the performers from the revue Jubilee! took a final choreographed kick in 2016. The show, known for its intricate costumes crafted by style icon Bob Mackie, ended its run due to falling audience numbers and disappointed reviewers who described it as a spectacle “stuck in the past”.
Now, almost a decade later, the showgirl, or at least the showgirl style, is making a comeback.
A King of Glitz
Dubbed the “sultan of sequins”, Mackie has made over-the-top showgirl glitz his signature style, outfitting everyone from Hollywood icons to Madonna. In a recent auction, a “naked” bodysuit he designed for Cher in 1978 fetched $57,600, well over its projected value, while a shimmering beaded bodysuit with shiny wings that Mackie created for Tina Turner for a 1977 concert sold for $19,200.
“I believe it looks more appealing for the emerging artists who is desiring something other than what they were accustomed to”, he stated in an interview with a publication. “New stars are striving for a show-stopping, more theatrical, show-stopping, memorable statement.”
A Mainstream Revival
It’s a look that made its way all the way to the heart of mainstream fashion in 2025 largely due to a chart-topping superstar. In the past few months, the music phenomenon wore one of Mackie’s vintage Jubilee! costumes on the cover of her new musical project. The crystal-covered bra and thong, ostrich-feather armbands and sparkly headpiece were tailor-made for a record titled The Life of a Showgirl.
She isn't alone. This year, showgirl references have been incorporated by singers including Miley Cyrus as they whizzed across world tours in sparkles, revealing designs and plumes, highlighted against theatrical sets. Lipa’s stylist her creative director mentioned in an interview with Vogue he wanted to bring “a showgirl spirit” to her Radical Optimism tour – inspired by pictures from the 50s, her performers wafted giant plumed accessories.
Pulling from Tradition
Modern stars and other successful musicians also reference historical performances, including burlesque and chorus line references. The results are poles apart from the 90s pop style of revealing tops and cargo pants, and street-style dance moves that were popular earlier.
But not everyone are convinced with this glamour resurgence. Nancy Hardy, a one-time Jubilee! showgirl who performed in the 2000s says the trend is “confusing”. She thinks the word term is being “employed as an umbrella term covering everything from The Radio City Rockettes to Broadway performers and now apparently today's icons.”
A Highly Sought-After Vintage Style
For gen Z and modern stars, Mackie’s retro designs have become incredibly sought-after. In 2024, a famous actress honored to one of Mackie’s earliest clients, Cher, when the actor wore a translucent sequined dress made by the designer in 2001, which was inspired by one he designed for Cher to wear in 1967. Subsequently, another pop star paid an undisclosed sum to buy the Mackie fringed mini dress she had worn at an awards show to perform at the Grammys. In September, Sabrina Carpenter wore a collection of vintage Mackie designs at the MTV Video Music Awards. They are also a hit among fashion collectors.
“This style bring about fond memories for a bygone era of glitz,” says a historian, an expert at the a Las Vegas university, who researches the story of showgirls. “Now it is viewed as a sort of ‘acceptable’ appeal because it has been adapted. It has got all the glamour, the sparkles and the glitter but without the exposure.”
A Than Simply Style: An Icon of Vegas
The expert says this figure are central to the iconography of Las Vegas. She points to one-time leader Oscar Goodman who, during official events, was surrounded by two showgirls. While Las Vegas currently lacks any showgirl-centric productions, Jung says they are still used as an symbol of the city, showing up at corporate events and in marketing. “The showgirl is still a lasting symbol of Las Vegas glamour,” Chung says.
An Appeal of Transformation
Hardy says the transformative effect of a showgirl is part of the attraction. This is a notion Taylor Swift alludes to in a new docuseries that shows the backstage action from her year-long 2023 Eras tour, which included exhausting preparations, gym sessions and 149 concerts across multiple nations, each running for 3.5 hours.
She recalls her own nights in the spotlight as “like running a marathon in stilettos every night”. Her headpiece weighed 34lbs. “I had to support it all the way up the steps to the platform from the backstage area three floors below in the underground. I had to leave early for my cue so I could recover before I went on stage. You’re sweating the whole time but crafting this image that it’s simple and gorgeous and magical.”
Maybe this is where the appeal of the showgirl fantasy really lies. In the chaos of 2025 there is a craving for escapism. Is there anyone better to look to than such icons, who have always embodied dreams, flawlessness and a world where no one misses a mark.
