After a 31-year stint on the iconic Vegas strip, the showgirls from the production Jubilee! took a final synchronised kick in 2016. The production, renowned for its elaborate costumes crafted by American fashion designer Bob Mackie, came to an end due to declining audience numbers and disappointed critics who called it a spectacle “stuck in the past”.
Currently, roughly eight years later, the showgirl persona, or at least the showgirl aesthetic, is back.
A King of Sparkle
Referred to as the “king of sparkle”, Mackie has made theatrical showgirl glamour his signature style, clothing everyone from screen legends to music superstars. In a recent auction, a “see-through” bodysuit he designed for Cher in 1978 sold for $57,600, well over its estimated price, while a metallic beaded bodysuit with reflective wings that Mackie created for Tina Turner for a 1977 show sold for $19,200.
“In my view it looks more enticing for the emerging artists who is looking for something other than what they knew from childhood”, he explained to a newspaper. “Today's artists are pushing toward a show-stopping, more spectacular, breathtaking, memorable statement.”
A Pop Culture Revival
It’s a look that sashayed all the way to the heart of mainstream fashion in 2025 largely due to a chart-topping superstar. Earlier this year, the entertainment titan wore one of Mackie’s original Jubilee! costumes on the cover of her new musical project. The bedazzled bra and thong, plumed armbands and shimmering headpiece were tailor-made for a record titled The Life of a Showgirl.
She is part of a trend. This year, glamorous nods have been incorporated by singers including Miley Cyrus as they whizzed across concert platforms in glitter, strategic openings and ostrich feathers, spotlighted against overstated sets. A top stylist Lorenzo Posocco told Vogue he wanted to bring “a showgirl attitude” to her Radical Optimism tour – referencing pictures from the 50s, Lipa’s dancers waved giant feathered fans.
Pulling from the Past
These artists and other hitmakers also take inspiration from classic performances, including burlesque and chorus line references. The final look are vastly different from the 90s teen pop of crop tops and utilitarian trousers, and urban dance moves that came before them.
But certain observers are convinced with this showgirl revival. A former performer, a former Jubilee! showgirl who entertained in the 2000s says the trend is “puzzling”. She thinks the word term is being “treated as an catch-all phrase encompassing everything from The Radio City Rockettes to Broadway performers and now even modern pop stars.”
A Coveted Classic Look
For gen Z and modern stars, Mackie’s retro designs have become extremely desirable. In 2024, Zendaya gave a nod to one of Mackie’s iconic muses, Cher, when the actress wore a see-through beaded dress created by the designer in 2001, which was reminiscent of one he designed for Cher to wear in 1967. Months after, a singer paid an significant price to buy the Mackie tasseled mini dress she had worn at an awards show to perform at the Grammys. In September, the singer wore a collection of classic Mackie designs at the MTV Video Music Awards. They are also a favorite among fashion collectors.
“Showgirls evoke a sense of longing for a past glamour,” says an archivist, head of special collections at the University of Nevada, who documents the legacy of showgirls. “Now it is seen as a sort of ‘safe’ sexy because it has been updated. It has got all the elegance, the rhinestones and the glitter but without the nudity.”
A Than Simply Style: An Icon of the City
The expert says the showgirl image are key to the identity of Las Vegas. She points to one-time leader Oscar Goodman who, during official events, was flanked by two showgirls. While Las Vegas does not host any showgirl-based productions, the historian says they are still used as an emblem of the city, being present at conventions and in promotional material. “The showgirl is still a remaining icon of Vegas glamour,” she says.
The Appeal of Illusion
The former showgirl says the complete change of a stage character is part of the attraction. This idea Taylor Swift alludes to in a new documentary series that captures the backstage action from her extensive 2023 Eras tour, which included intense rehearsals, gym sessions and 149 shows across 21 countries, each lasting 3.5 hours.
The performer explains her own showgirl performances as “like running a marathon in heels every night”. Her feathered headdress weighed 34lbs. “I had to wear it all the way up the steps to the stage from the green rooms three floors below in the lower level. I had to start early for my cue so I could rest before I went on stage. One is sweating the whole time but crafting this illusion that it’s simple and beautiful and ethereal.”
Perhaps this is where the appeal of the showgirl really is found. In the busyness of 2025 there is a desire for fantasy. What better figure to turn to than showgirls, who have always represented dreams, idealism and a realm where no one makes a mistake.
