Following a 31-year run on the iconic Vegas strip, the performers from the revue Jubilee! executed their last synchronised kick in 2016. The production, known for its intricate costumes crafted by celebrated designer Bob Mackie, closed its doors due to dwindling audience numbers and critical reviewers who called it a spectacle “stuck in the past”.
Currently, nearly ten years later, the showgirl persona, or at least the glamorous showgirl look, is back.
The King of Glitz
Dubbed the “king of sparkle”, Mackie has made over-the-top showgirl glitz his signature style, dressing everyone from screen legends to music superstars. Recently, a “see-through” bodysuit he designed for Cher in 1978 commanded $57,600, far exceeding its estimated price, while a metallic 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 younger performer who is desiring something other than what they knew from childhood”, he explained to a publication. “Contemporary performers are embracing a theatrical, more theatrical, attention-grabbing, grand statement.”
The Musical Resurgence
It’s a look that sashayed all the way to the centre of popular culture in 2025 thanks to a global pop icon. Recently, the entertainment titan wore one of Mackie’s vintage Jubilee! costumes on the cover of her 12th studio album. The rhinestone encrusted bra and thong, ostrich-feather armbands and glittering headpiece were ideal for a record named The Life of a Showgirl.
Swift has company. This year, showgirl inspirations have been adopted by pop stars including Dua Lipa as they danced across arena stages in glitter, revealing designs and ostrich feathers, highlighted against overstated sets. Her fashion curator her creative director explained to a fashion magazine he wanted to bring “a showgirl spirit” to her Radical Optimism tour – referencing pictures from the mid-century, the backup dancers fluttered giant ostrich feather fans.
Pulling from Tradition
These artists and other successful musicians also take inspiration from 19th-century performances, including classic theater and chorus line references. The final look are poles apart from the 90s Britney Spears era of short shirts and utilitarian trousers, and street-style dance moves that came before them.
But some critics are on board with this glamour resurgence. An ex-showgirl, a former Jubilee! showgirl who danced in the 00s says the trend is “confusing”. She thinks the word showgirl is being “treated 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 younger and modern stars, Mackie’s vintage designs have become extremely desirable. In 2024, a famous actress paid tribute to one of Mackie’s earliest clients, Cher, when the actress wore a see-through sequined dress designed by the designer in 2001, which was inspired by one he designed for Cher to wear in 1967. Later that year, another pop star paid an undisclosed sum to buy the Mackie fringed 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.
“Showgirls inspire nostalgia for a past glamour,” says Su Kim Chung, an expert at the University of Nevada, who documents the story of showgirls. “Currently it is considered a sort of ‘safe’ allure because it has been adapted. It has got all the glamour, the rhinestones and the glitter but without the nudity.”
More Than Simply Style: An Symbol of the City
The expert says the showgirl image are key to the identity of Sin City. She points to ex-mayor Oscar Goodman who, during civic functions, was accompanied by two showgirls. Even though Las Vegas does not host any showgirl-based productions, Chung says they are still featured as an logo of the city, appearing at corporate events and in marketing. “The showgirl is still a lasting icon of Las Vegas spectacle,” Chung says.
An Allure of Escape
Nancy Hardy says the magical transformation of a showgirl persona is part of the appeal. This idea the singer hints at in a new documentary series that captures the behind-the-scenes action from her extensive 2023 Eras tour, which included gruelling preparations, gym sessions and numerous shows across multiple nations, each going on for 3.5 hours.
She explains her own stage routines as “comparable to running a marathon in heels every night”. Her feathered headdress weighed 34lbs. “I had to wear it all the way up the stairs to the stage from the dressing rooms three floors below in the basement. I had to leave early for my moment so I could recover before I went on stage. One is working hard the whole time but maintaining this illusion that it’s effortless and gorgeous and magical.”
It could be this is where the appeal of the showgirl fantasy really is found. In the busyness of 2025 there is a craving for a break from reality. Who better to turn to than showgirls, who have always personified dreams, perfection and a world where no one falters.
