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After a three-decade tenure on the Las Vegas strip, the showgirls from the production Jubilee! executed their last synchronised kick in 2016. The extravaganza, renowned for its intricate costumes created by American fashion designer Bob Mackie, came to an end due to declining audience numbers and unimpressed commentators who labeled it a spectacle “stuck in the past”.

Today, roughly eight years later, the showgirl, or at least the showgirl aesthetic, is back.

A King of Sparkle

Known as the “master of glitz”, Mackie has made dramatic showgirl glamour his signature style, clothing everyone from screen legends to music superstars. Earlier this month, a “see-through” bodysuit he created for Cher in 1978 sold for $57,600, far exceeding its projected value, while a shimmering tasseled bodysuit with lamé wings that Mackie crafted for Tina Turner for a 1977 performance sold for $19,200.

“I think it looks more attractive for the younger performer who is seeking something other than what they were accustomed to”, he stated in an interview with a publication. “New stars are embracing a glamorous, more spectacular, show-stopping, entrance-making statement.”

The Pop Culture Resurgence

It’s a look that glided all the way to the heart of the cultural zeitgeist in 2025 propelled by Taylor Swift. In the past few months, the cultural juggernaut wore one of Mackie’s classic Jubilee! costumes on the cover of her new musical project. The bedazzled bra and thong, plumed armbands and sparkly headpiece were ideal for a record called The Life of a Showgirl.

The singer has company. This year, showgirl references have been embraced by music artists including Miley Cyrus as they danced across concert platforms in glitter, revealing designs and feathers, spotlighted against overstated sets. Her fashion curator a fashion expert mentioned in an interview with a fashion magazine he wanted to bring “a showgirl attitude” to her Radical Optimism tour – drawing from pictures from the 1950s, her performers fluttered giant plumed accessories.

Drawing from Tradition

These artists and other chart toppers also draw on historical performances, including burlesque and dance line references. The results are worlds away from the 1990s era Britney Spears era of crop tops and cargo pants, and street-style dance moves that came before them.

But certain observers are on board with this showgirl renaissance. Nancy Hardy, a one-time Jubilee! showgirl who danced in the 00s says the trend is “confusing”. She thinks the word showgirl is being “used as an broad label including everything from The Radio City Rockettes to Broadway performers and now apparently modern pop stars.”

A Highly Sought-After Classic Look

For younger and young adult stars, Mackie’s retro designs have become extremely desirable. In 2024, a famous actress honored to one of Mackie’s iconic muses, Cher, when the actress wore a translucent sequined dress created by the designer in 2001, which was inspired by one he created for Cher to wear in 1967. Months after, a singer paid an significant price to buy the Mackie tasseled mini dress she had worn previously to perform at the Grammys. In September, the singer wore a trio of classic Mackie designs at the MTV Video Music Awards. They are also a favorite among vintage enthusiasts.

“The showgirl aesthetic evoke nostalgia for a past glamour,” says Su Kim Chung, an expert at the University of Nevada, who studies the legacy of showgirls. “Today it is viewed as a sort of ‘acceptable’ appeal because it has been modified. It has got all the elegance, the rhinestones and the glitter but without the bare skin.”

A Than Just Style: An Symbol of Las Vegas

Chung says showgirls are integral to the identity of Vegas. She points to former mayor Oscar Goodman who, during civic functions, was flanked by two showgirls. Although Las Vegas currently lacks any showgirl-centric productions, Chung says they are still employed as an logo of the city, being present at corporate events and in marketing. “The showgirl is still a remaining figure of Vegas glamour,” she says.

An Allure of Escape

The former showgirl says the transformative effect of a showgirl is part of the allure. It’s something Taylor Swift hints at in a new behind-the-scenes film that documents the backstage action from her extensive 2023 Eras tour, which included gruelling rehearsals, gym sessions and countless shows across multiple nations, each lasting 3.5 hours.

Hardy explains her own stage routines as “like running a marathon in heels every night”. Her headdress was 34lbs. “I had to wear it all the way up the steps to the stage from the green rooms three floors below in the lower level. I had to leave early for my cue so I could catch my breath before I performed. You are sweating the whole time but maintaining this image that it’s easy and gorgeous and magical.”

Maybe this is where the appeal of the showgirl fantasy really lies. In the busyness of 2025 there is a craving for escapism. What better figure to look to than showgirls, who have always represented dreams, flawlessness and a universe where no one misses a mark.