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After a 31-year run on the iconic Vegas strip, the dancers from the production Jubilee! gave one last choreographed kick in 2016. The extravaganza, known for its ornate costumes created by American fashion designer Bob Mackie, ended its run due to dwindling audience numbers and disappointed commentators who labeled it a spectacle “stuck in the past”.

Currently, nearly ten years later, the showgirl persona, or at least the showgirl style, is making a comeback.

The Sultan of Sparkle

Known as the “king of sparkle”, Mackie has made theatrical showgirl glitz his trademark look, dressing everyone from screen legends to pop royalty. Recently, a “see-through” bodysuit he made for Cher in 1978 fetched $57,600, seven times its initial estimate, while a metallic fringed bodysuit with lamé wings that Mackie designed for Tina Turner for a 1977 performance sold for $19,200.

“I think it looks more attractive for the younger performer who is looking for something other than what they knew from childhood”, he explained to a media outlet. “Contemporary performers are pushing toward a glamorous, more theatrical, show-stopping, entrance-making statement.”

A Mainstream Revival

It’s a look that made its way all the way to the heart of popular culture in 2025 propelled by a global pop icon. In the past few months, the music phenomenon wore one of Mackie’s classic Jubilee! costumes on the cover of her 12th studio album. The rhinestone encrusted bra and thong, ostrich-feather armbands and glittering headpiece were perfect for a record called The Life of a Showgirl.

She has company. This year, glamorous nods have been adopted by music artists including Miley Cyrus as they danced across world tours in glitter, revealing designs and feathers, spotlighted against camp sets. A top stylist Lorenzo Posocco told a fashion magazine he wanted to bring “a showgirl attitude” to her Radical Optimism tour – inspired by pictures from the 1950s, the backup dancers waved giant ostrich feather fans.

Pulling from Tradition

Lipa, Carpenter and other hitmakers also take inspiration from classic performances, including vaudeville and chorus line references. The results are poles apart from the late-century teen pop of short shirts and utilitarian trousers, and hip-hop inspired dance moves that preceded this trend.

But some critics are on board with this glamour resurgence. A former performer, a former Jubilee! showgirl who performed in the 00s says the trend is “bemusing”. She thinks the word showgirl is being “employed as an broad label covering everything from The Radio City Rockettes to Broadway performers and now apparently today's icons.”

A Highly Sought-After Retro Look

For younger and young adult stars, Mackie’s vintage designs have become extremely desirable. In 2024, Zendaya paid tribute to one of Mackie’s earliest clients, Cher, when the star wore a see-through sequined dress created by the designer in 2001, which was inspired by one he made for Cher to wear in 1967. Subsequently, a singer paid an undisclosed sum 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 vintage Mackie designs at the MTV Video Music Awards. They are also a favorite among fashion collectors.

“The showgirl aesthetic evoke a sense of longing for a historical elegance,” says an archivist, a curator at the University of Nevada, who researches the story of showgirls. “Currently it is seen as a sort of ‘toned-down’ sexy because it has been updated. It has got all the glamour, the crystals and the shine but without the bare skin.”

A Than Just Style: An Symbol of Las Vegas

Chung says this figure are integral to the identity of Las Vegas. She points to former mayor Oscar Goodman who, during civic functions, was surrounded by two showgirls. Even though Las Vegas currently lacks any showgirl-centric productions, the historian says they are still featured as an emblem of the city, being present at gatherings and in marketing. “The showgirl is still a enduring icon of Vegas glamour,” Chung says.

An Appeal of Illusion

The former showgirl says the transformative effect of a showgirl is part of the appeal. This is a notion the singer references in a new behind-the-scenes film that shows the backstage action from her extensive 2023 Eras tour, which included exhausting practice sessions, workouts and countless performances across multiple nations, each lasting 3.5 hours.

She describes her own stage routines as “like extreme physical exertion in high heels every night”. Her headpiece weighed 34lbs. “I had to wear it all the way up the steps to the stage from the backstage area three floors below in the basement. I had to head up ahead of time for my moment so I could catch my breath before I made my entrance. You’re perspiring the whole time but crafting this image that it’s easy and stunning and magical.”

It could be this is where the true allure of the showgirl really is found. In the complexity of 2025 there is a longing for a break from reality. What better figure to emulate than such icons, who have always personified dreams, flawlessness and a world where nobody misses a mark.