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After a three-decade tenure on the Las Vegas Boulevard, the dancers from the revue Jubilee! took a final perfectly timed kick in 2016. The show, famous for its elaborate costumes crafted by American fashion designer Bob Mackie, ended its run due to declining audience numbers and disappointed critics who labeled it a spectacle “stuck in the past”.

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

The Sultan of Sequins

Known as the “king of sparkle”, Mackie has made over-the-top showgirl glitz his trademark look, clothing everyone from Marilyn Monroe to pop royalty. Earlier this month, a “barely-there” bodysuit he created for Cher in 1978 commanded $57,600, seven times its projected value, while a shimmering beaded bodysuit with lamé wings that Mackie designed for Tina Turner for a 1977 show sold for $19,200.

“I believe it looks more enticing for the new generation of stars who is seeking something other than what they were accustomed to”, he stated in an interview with a publication. “Today's artists are striving for a glamorous, more dramatic, attention-grabbing, grand statement.”

A Mainstream Resurgence

It’s a look that sashayed all the way to the heart of popular culture in 2025 propelled by Taylor Swift. In the past few months, the entertainment titan wore one of Mackie’s original Jubilee! costumes on the cover of her new musical project. The rhinestone encrusted bra and thong, plumed armbands and glittering headpiece were ideal for a record named The Life of a Showgirl.

She isn't alone. This year, showgirl inspirations have been incorporated by music artists including Dua Lipa as they danced across arena stages in sparkles, revealing designs and plumes, highlighted against theatrical sets. Lipa’s stylist a fashion expert explained to Vogue he wanted to bring “a stage persona” to her Radical Optimism tour – referencing pictures from the 50s, the backup dancers fluttered giant plumed accessories.

Drawing from the Past

Modern stars and other successful musicians also reference historical performances, including burlesque and ensemble references. The final look are vastly different from the 90s teen pop of revealing tops and cargo pants, and street-style dance moves that were popular earlier.

But some critics are on board with this glamour resurgence. Nancy Hardy, a one-time Jubilee! showgirl who danced in the early 2000s says the trend is “bemusing”. She thinks the word term is being “employed as an umbrella term including everything from The Radio City Rockettes to Broadway performers and now apparently modern pop stars.”

A Highly Sought-After Classic Style

For younger and young adult stars, Mackie’s retro designs have become extremely desirable. In 2024, a famous actress gave a nod to one of Mackie’s iconic muses, Cher, when the actor wore a translucent embellished dress designed by the designer in 2001, which was inspired by one he created 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 earlier in the year to perform at the Grammys. In September, the singer wore a series of vintage Mackie designs at the MTV Video Music Awards. They are also a hit among vintage enthusiasts.

“This style inspire a sense of longing for a historical elegance,” says Su Kim Chung, an expert at the an academic institution, who researches the story of showgirls. “Today it is seen as a sort of ‘toned-down’ appeal because it has been adapted. It has got all the elegance, the sparkles and the glitter but without the exposure.”

A Than Just Fashion: An Icon of Vegas

She says this figure are integral to the imagery of Sin City. She points to former mayor Oscar Goodman who, during official events, was surrounded by two showgirls. While Las Vegas currently lacks any showgirl-centric productions, Jung says they are still featured as an emblem of the city, appearing at gatherings and in advertisements. “The showgirl is still a remaining icon of Las Vegas glamour,” Chung says.

The Allure of Escape

Hardy says the transformative effect of a showgirl is part of the attraction. This is a notion Taylor Swift hints at in a new behind-the-scenes film that documents the backstage action from her massive 2023 Eras tour, which included gruelling preparations, training and 149 performances across 21 countries, each running for 3.5 hours.

Hardy describes her own stage routines as “comparable to running a marathon in high heels every night”. Her headpiece was 34lbs. “I had to support it all the way up the steps to the performance area from the green rooms three floors below in the basement. I had to head up ahead of time for my moment so I could recover before I went on stage. One is working hard the whole time but creating this illusion that it’s easy and beautiful and dreamlike.”

It could be this is where the appeal of the showgirl fantasy really lies. In the busyness of 2025 there is a desire for fantasy. Who better to look to than such icons, who have always embodied dreams, idealism and a realm where nobody misses a mark.