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Following a 31-year run on the iconic Vegas strip, the dancers from the production Jubilee! took a final choreographed kick in 2016. The extravaganza, renowned for its intricate costumes crafted by American fashion designer Bob Mackie, closed its doors due to dwindling audience numbers and disappointed critics who labeled it a spectacle “stuck in the past”.

Now, nearly ten years later, the showgirl persona, or at least the showgirl style, is making a comeback.

The King of Sparkle

Dubbed the “master of glitz”, Mackie has made dramatic showgirl glitz his trademark look, clothing everyone from Marilyn Monroe to music superstars. Earlier this month, a “barely-there” bodysuit he created for Cher in 1978 commanded $57,600, far exceeding its estimated price, while a shimmering tasseled bodysuit with reflective wings that Mackie created for Tina Turner for a 1977 concert sold for $19,200.

“I think it looks more appealing for the new generation of stars who is desiring something other than what they were accustomed to”, he stated in an interview with a publication. “Contemporary performers are embracing a glamorous, more theatrical, breathtaking, memorable statement.”

The Pop Culture Resurgence

It’s a look that made its way all the way to the epicenter of the cultural zeitgeist in 2025 propelled by a chart-topping superstar. Earlier this year, the cultural juggernaut wore one of Mackie’s original Jubilee! costumes on the cover of her latest record. The crystal-covered bra and thong, plumed armbands and glittering headpiece were tailor-made for a record called The Life of a Showgirl.

The singer is part of a trend. This year, showgirl references have been incorporated by music artists including Dua Lipa as they whizzed across arena stages in glitter, revealing designs and plumes, illuminated against overstated sets. Lipa’s stylist a fashion expert explained to a style publication he wanted to bring “a stage persona” to her Radical Optimism tour – referencing pictures from the 50s, the backup dancers fluttered giant feathered fans.

Pulling from History

These artists and other chart toppers also take inspiration from historical performances, including vaudeville and chorus line references. The outcome are vastly different from the 1990s era pop style of short shirts and baggy pants, and hip-hop inspired dance moves that came before them.

But not everyone are convinced with this glamour resurgence. A former performer, a one-time Jubilee! showgirl who entertained in the 2000s says the trend is “puzzling”. She thinks the word showgirl title is being “used as an broad label covering everything from The Radio City Rockettes to Broadway performers and now apparently today's icons.”

A Highly Sought-After Classic Look

For gen Z and modern stars, Mackie’s retro designs have become highly covetable. In 2024, a famous actress honored 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 similar to one he designed for Cher to wear in 1967. Later that year, Miley Cyrus paid an undisclosed sum to buy the Mackie tasseled mini dress she had worn previously to perform at the Grammys. In September, Carpenter wore a series of classic Mackie designs at the MTV Video Music Awards. They are also a hit among vintage enthusiasts.

“This style evoke nostalgia for a historical elegance,” says a historian, head of special collections at the a Las Vegas university, who documents the story of showgirls. “Today it is seen as a sort of ‘toned-down’ appeal because it has been updated. It has got all the glamour, the sparkles and the glitter but without the exposure.”

A Than Just Style: An Symbol of Las Vegas

Chung says showgirls are central to the imagery of Sin City. She points to former mayor Oscar Goodman who, during public appearances, was surrounded by two showgirls. Even though Las Vegas does not host any traditional showgirl productions, Jung says they are still featured as an emblem of the city, showing up at gatherings and in marketing. “The showgirl is still a enduring figure of Las Vegas glamour,” the expert says.

An Allure of Escape

Hardy says the complete change of a showgirl is part of the appeal. This idea Taylor Swift hints at in a recent documentary series that captures the off-camera action from her massive 2023 Eras tour, which included exhausting preparations, gym sessions and numerous performances across multiple nations, each lasting 3.5 hours.

She explains her own stage routines as “like extreme physical exertion in high heels every night”. Her headdress weighed 34lbs. “I had to support it all the way up the stairs to the performance area from the dressing rooms three floors below in the basement. I had to leave early for my cue so I could recover before I went on stage. One is perspiring the whole time but creating this image that it’s easy and beautiful and magical.”

Maybe this is where the appeal of the showgirl really is found. In the complexity of 2025 there is a desire for a break from reality. What better figure to turn to than showgirls, who have always represented dreams, flawlessness and a universe where nobody makes a mistake.