Following a 31-year stint on the Las Vegas Boulevard, the performers from the production Jubilee! executed their last choreographed kick in 2016. The show, renowned for its intricate costumes crafted by American fashion designer Bob Mackie, came to an end due to falling audience numbers and critical commentators who labeled it a spectacle “a relic of another era”.
Currently, nearly ten years later, the showgirl, or at least the showgirl style, is back.
The Sultan of Glitz
Dubbed the “king of sparkle”, Mackie has made over-the-top showgirl glitz his trademark look, clothing everyone from Marilyn Monroe to pop royalty. In a recent auction, a “naked” bodysuit he made for Cher in 1978 commanded $57,600, well over its estimated price, while a metallic beaded bodysuit with reflective wings that Mackie crafted for Tina Turner for a 1977 performance sold for $19,200.
“In my view it looks more enticing for the younger performer who is desiring something other than what they grew up with”, he told a publication. “New stars are pushing toward a show-stopping, more dramatic, show-stopping, memorable statement.”
The Mainstream Comeback
It’s a look that sashayed all the way to the heart of popular culture in 2025 thanks to a chart-topping superstar. Recently, the cultural juggernaut wore one of Mackie’s vintage Jubilee! costumes on the cover of her new musical project. The crystal-covered bra and thong, feathered armbands and glittering headpiece were ideal for a record named The Life of a Showgirl.
Swift isn't alone. This year, showgirl inspirations have been adopted by pop stars including Miley Cyrus as they whizzed across arena stages in sequins, strategic openings and feathers, highlighted against overstated sets. A top stylist her creative director explained to Vogue he wanted to bring “a stage persona” to her Radical Optimism tour – referencing pictures from the 1950s, the backup dancers waved giant ostrich feather fans.
Drawing from the Past
Modern stars and other successful musicians also draw on 19th-century entertainment forms, including classic theater and chorus line references. The outcome are worlds away from the late-century teen pop of revealing tops and baggy pants, and urban dance moves that were popular earlier.
But some critics are enthusiastic with this glamour resurgence. Nancy Hardy, a one-time Jubilee! showgirl who performed in the 2000s says the trend is “confusing”. She thinks the word term is being “used as an broad label encompassing everything from The Radio City Rockettes to Broadway performers and now apparently today's icons.”
The Highly Sought-After Vintage Look
For younger 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 actress wore a semi-sheer sequined dress made by the designer in 2001, which was inspired by one he designed for Cher to wear in 1967. Subsequently, a singer paid an undisclosed sum to buy the Mackie beaded mini dress she had worn at an awards show to perform at the Grammys. In September, Carpenter wore a collection of vintage Mackie designs at the MTV Video Music Awards. They are also a hit among fashion collectors.
“This style inspire nostalgia for a past glamour,” says a historian, head of special collections at the a Las Vegas university, who documents the legacy of showgirls. “Now it is considered a sort of ‘acceptable’ allure because it has been adapted. It has got all the elegance, the sparkles and the glitter but without the bare skin.”
A Than Just Fashion: An Symbol of Vegas
The expert says showgirls are key to the iconography of Las Vegas. She points to former mayor Oscar Goodman who, during public appearances, was accompanied by two showgirls. Although Las Vegas no longer has any showgirl-centric productions, the historian says they are still featured as an emblem of the city, showing up at gatherings and in marketing. “The showgirl is still a remaining figure of Las Vegas glamour,” she says.
An Allure of Transformation
The former showgirl says the magical transformation of a stage character is part of the attraction. It’s something Swift references in a latest documentary series that captures the off-camera action from her year-long 2023 Eras tour, which included exhausting rehearsals, gym sessions and countless shows across dozens of cities, each lasting 3.5 hours.
She recalls her own stage routines as “like running a marathon in heels every night”. Her headpiece was 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 start early for my entrance so I could rest before I performed. You’re sweating the whole time but crafting this image that it’s simple and stunning and dreamlike.”
Perhaps this is where the appeal of the showgirl fantasy really is found. In the busyness of 2025 there is a longing for fantasy. What better figure to turn to than such icons, who have always personified dreams, flawlessness and a universe where nobody makes a mistake.
