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After a long-running stint on the Las Vegas Boulevard, the dancers from the revue Jubilee! gave one last choreographed kick in 2016. The extravaganza, renowned for its ornate costumes designed by celebrated designer Bob Mackie, closed its doors due to falling audience numbers and critical critics who labeled it a spectacle “trapped in time”.

Now, nearly ten years later, the showgirl persona, or at least the showgirl style, is back.

A Sultan of Sparkle

Dubbed the “sultan of sequins”, Mackie has made dramatic showgirl glamour his defining aesthetic, dressing everyone from Marilyn Monroe to pop royalty. Recently, a “barely-there” bodysuit he made for Cher in 1978 fetched $57,600, well over its initial estimate, while a silver and gold beaded bodysuit with shiny wings that Mackie designed for Tina Turner for a 1977 concert sold for $19,200.

“I think it looks more attractive for the new generation of stars who is desiring something other than what they were accustomed to”, he explained to a publication. “Contemporary performers are embracing a theatrical, more spectacular, breathtaking, grand statement.”

A Pop Culture Resurgence

It’s a look that made its way all the way to the heart of popular culture in 2025 thanks to a global pop icon. Recently, the music phenomenon wore one of Mackie’s original Jubilee! costumes on the cover of her 12th studio album. The crystal-covered bra and thong, plumed armbands and glittering headpiece were ideal for a record titled The Life of a Showgirl.

Swift isn't alone. This year, glamorous nods have been adopted by singers including Miley Cyrus as they whizzed across world tours in glitter, revealing designs and ostrich feathers, highlighted against theatrical sets. Her fashion curator Lorenzo Posocco explained to a style publication he wanted to bring “a showgirl attitude” to her Radical Optimism tour – inspired by pictures from the mid-century, her performers waved giant feathered fans.

Drawing from History

Lipa, Carpenter and other successful musicians also take inspiration from classic performances, including burlesque and chorus line references. The outcome are vastly different from the late-century pop style of crop tops and utilitarian trousers, and urban dance moves that were popular earlier.

But certain observers are convinced with this glamour resurgence. An ex-showgirl, a one-time Jubilee! showgirl who entertained in the early 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 seemingly today's icons.”

A Coveted Classic Look

For gen Z and millennial stars, Mackie’s classic designs have become extremely desirable. In 2024, a famous actress paid tribute to one of Mackie’s first major stars, Cher, when the actress 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. Later that year, a singer paid an private amount to buy the Mackie tasseled mini dress she had worn earlier in the year to perform at the Grammys. In September, Carpenter wore a trio of retro Mackie designs at the MTV Video Music Awards. They are also a favorite among fashion collectors.

“The showgirl aesthetic inspire fond memories for a bygone era of glitz,” says a historian, head of special collections at the University of Nevada, who documents the story of showgirls. “Currently it is considered a sort of ‘toned-down’ appeal because it has been modified. It has got all the sophistication, the crystals and the sparkle but without the nudity.”

More Than Simply Fashion: An Symbol of the City

Chung says the showgirl image are central to the identity of Sin City. She points to one-time leader Oscar Goodman who, during public appearances, was accompanied by two showgirls. While Las Vegas no longer has any showgirl-based productions, Chung says they are still used as an symbol of the city, appearing at corporate events and in advertisements. “The showgirl is still a enduring symbol of Las Vegas glamour,” Chung says.

An Appeal of Transformation

Nancy Hardy says the magical transformation of a showgirl persona is part of the appeal. It’s something Swift hints at in a recent documentary series that shows the off-camera action from her year-long 2023 Eras tour, which included exhausting practice sessions, training and 149 performances across multiple nations, each running for 3.5 hours.

She explains her own nights in the spotlight as “similar to extreme physical exertion in stilettos every night”. Her headdress weighed 34lbs. “I had to carry it all the way up the staircase to the performance area from the backstage area three floors below in the underground. I had to leave early for my cue so I could catch my breath before I went on stage. You’re working hard the whole time but maintaining this illusion that it’s effortless and gorgeous and dreamlike.”

Perhaps this is where the fascination of the showgirl fantasy really lies. In the chaos of 2025 there is a craving for escapism. Is there anyone better to turn to than such icons, who have always personified dreams, idealism and a realm where nobody falters.