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After a three-decade stint on the Las Vegas Boulevard, the showgirls from the spectacle Jubilee! gave one last choreographed kick in 2016. The production, known for its intricate costumes crafted by celebrated designer Bob Mackie, came to an end due to dwindling audience numbers and disappointed reviewers who labeled it a spectacle “a relic of another era”.

Today, roughly eight years later, the showgirl, or at least the glamorous showgirl look, is experiencing a revival.

A King of Sequins

Dubbed the “sultan of sequins”, Mackie has made theatrical showgirl glamour his signature style, dressing everyone from screen legends to music superstars. Earlier this month, a “naked” bodysuit he created for Cher in 1978 sold for $57,600, seven times its initial estimate, while a silver and gold tasseled bodysuit with lamé wings that Mackie designed for Tina Turner for a 1977 concert sold for $19,200.

“In my view it looks more appealing for the younger performer who is looking for something other than what they knew from childhood”, he told a newspaper. “New stars are embracing a theatrical, more spectacular, show-stopping, entrance-making statement.”

The Pop Culture Resurgence

It’s a look that sashayed all the way to the epicenter of the cultural zeitgeist in 2025 largely due to 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 crystal-covered bra and thong, ostrich-feather armbands and sparkly headpiece were perfect for a record titled The Life of a Showgirl.

Swift isn't alone. This year, glamorous nods have been embraced by pop stars including Sabrina Carpenter as they whizzed across concert platforms in sequins, cut-outs and plumes, spotlighted against overstated sets. A top stylist Lorenzo Posocco mentioned in an interview with Vogue he wanted to bring “a stage persona” to her Radical Optimism tour – drawing from pictures from the mid-century, the backup dancers fluttered giant ostrich feather fans.

Pulling from Tradition

Lipa, Carpenter and other chart toppers also draw on 19th-century entertainment forms, including burlesque and chorus line references. The results are worlds away from the 90s Britney Spears era of revealing tops and utilitarian trousers, and urban dance moves that were popular earlier.

But not everyone are enthusiastic with this showgirl revival. An ex-showgirl, a ex- Jubilee! showgirl who entertained in the early 2000s says the trend is “bemusing”. She thinks the word showgirl title is being “treated as an catch-all phrase covering everything from The Radio City Rockettes to Broadway performers and now seemingly modern pop stars.”

A Highly Sought-After Retro Look

For millennial and millennial stars, Mackie’s classic designs have become extremely desirable. In 2024, Zendaya paid tribute to one of Mackie’s iconic muses, Cher, when the actor wore a see-through sequined dress made 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 significant price to buy the Mackie beaded mini dress she had worn previously 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 popular item among fashion collectors.

“This style evoke fond memories for a historical elegance,” says an archivist, an expert at the an academic institution, who researches the story of showgirls. “Currently it is considered a sort of ‘acceptable’ allure because it has been updated. It has got all the elegance, the crystals and the glitter but without the exposure.”

More Than Just Style: An Icon of Las Vegas

She says showgirls are central to the imagery of Vegas. She points to ex-mayor Oscar Goodman who, during official events, was accompanied by two showgirls. While Las Vegas currently lacks any traditional showgirl productions, Chung says they are still used as an logo of the city, appearing at gatherings and in marketing. “The showgirl is still a remaining symbol of Las Vegas glitz and glamour,” she says.

An Appeal of Transformation

Nancy Hardy says the magical transformation of a stage character is part of the attraction. This idea the singer references in a latest behind-the-scenes film that shows the behind-the-scenes action from her massive 2023 Eras tour, which included gruelling preparations, workouts and countless concerts across dozens of cities, each lasting 3.5 hours.

She explains her own showgirl performances as “similar to extreme physical exertion in high heels every night”. Her headpiece weighed 34lbs. “I had to support it all the way up the staircase to the platform from the dressing rooms three floors below in the underground. I had to start early for my moment so I could rest before I made my entrance. One is perspiring the whole time but creating this fantasy that it’s easy and stunning and dreamlike.”

Perhaps this is where the true allure of the showgirl really lies. In the complexity of 2025 there is a craving for fantasy. Is there anyone better to turn to than these performers, who have always personified make-believe, perfection and a world where nobody falters.