Following a three-decade run on the Las Vegas strip, the performers from the production Jubilee! executed their last choreographed kick in 2016. The production, famous for its elaborate costumes crafted by style icon Bob Mackie, ended its run due to falling audience numbers and disappointed commentators who called it a spectacle “a relic of another era”.
Today, almost a decade later, the showgirl, or at least the showgirl aesthetic, is back.
A Sultan of Glitz
Referred to as the “sultan of sequins”, Mackie has made over-the-top showgirl glitz his signature style, dressing everyone from Marilyn Monroe to pop royalty. In a recent auction, a “see-through” bodysuit he designed for Cher in 1978 fetched $57,600, far exceeding its estimated price, while a silver and gold beaded bodysuit with shiny wings that Mackie created for Tina Turner for a 1977 show sold for $19,200.
“I think it looks more attractive for the younger performer who is seeking something other than what they grew up with”, he told a media outlet. “Contemporary performers are embracing a glamorous, more dramatic, breathtaking, grand statement.”
A Musical Resurgence
It’s a look that made its way all the way to the heart of the cultural zeitgeist in 2025 propelled by Taylor Swift. Earlier this year, the music phenomenon wore one of Mackie’s classic Jubilee! costumes on the cover of her 12th studio album. The bedazzled bra and thong, plumed armbands and sparkly headpiece were perfect for a record named The Life of a Showgirl.
She is part of a trend. This year, glamorous nods have been embraced by singers including Dua Lipa as they whizzed across arena stages in sparkles, cut-outs and ostrich feathers, spotlighted against overstated sets. A top stylist her creative director told a style publication he wanted to bring “a stage persona” to her Radical Optimism tour – drawing from pictures from the mid-century, her performers wafted giant plumed accessories.
Pulling from History
Lipa, Carpenter and other successful musicians also reference 19th-century performances, including vaudeville and dance line references. The final look are worlds away from the 90s Britney Spears era of crop tops and utilitarian trousers, and urban dance moves that were popular earlier.
But certain observers are enthusiastic with this glamour resurgence. Nancy Hardy, a former Jubilee! showgirl who entertained in the 00s says the trend is “confusing”. She thinks the word showgirl title is being “treated as an umbrella term including everything from The Radio City Rockettes to Broadway performers and now apparently modern pop stars.”
A Highly Sought-After Classic Style
For gen Z and millennial stars, Mackie’s vintage designs have become extremely desirable. In 2024, Zendaya honored to one of Mackie’s first major stars, Cher, when the star wore a semi-sheer embellished dress made by the designer in 2001, which was inspired by one he designed for Cher to wear in 1967. Later that year, Miley Cyrus paid an private amount to buy the Mackie beaded mini dress she had worn previously to perform at the Grammys. In September, Sabrina Carpenter wore a collection 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, head of special collections at the an academic institution, who documents the story of showgirls. “Currently it is considered a sort of ‘safe’ appeal because it has been modified. It has got all the elegance, the crystals and the glitter but without the exposure.”
A Than Simply Fashion: An Symbol of Las Vegas
Chung says this figure are integral to the imagery of Sin City. She points to ex-mayor Oscar Goodman who, during public appearances, was flanked by two showgirls. Although Las Vegas no longer has any showgirl-centric productions, Jung says they are still used as an emblem of the city, appearing at corporate events and in marketing. “The showgirl is still a lasting symbol of Las Vegas glamour,” she says.
The Allure of Illusion
Hardy says the magical transformation of a stage character is part of the allure. This is a notion the singer hints at in a new docuseries that shows the behind-the-scenes action from her extensive 2023 Eras tour, which included exhausting rehearsals, training and 149 performances across dozens of cities, each lasting 3.5 hours.
She explains her own nights in the spotlight as “similar to extreme physical exertion in heels every night”. Her headpiece tipped the scales at 34lbs. “I had to support it all the way up the steps to the stage from the dressing rooms three floors below in the basement. I had to leave early for my entrance so I could catch my breath before I performed. You’re sweating the whole time but maintaining this image that it’s simple and stunning and dreamlike.”
Perhaps this is where the fascination of the showgirl really lies. In the complexity of 2025 there is a longing for escapism. Is there anyone better to look to than such icons, who have always represented fantasy, flawlessness and a universe where nobody falters.
