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After a long-running run on the Las Vegas Boulevard, the performers from the spectacle Jubilee! gave one last choreographed kick in 2016. The production, known for its ornate costumes crafted by celebrated designer Bob Mackie, closed its doors due to dwindling audience numbers and disappointed commentators who labeled it a spectacle “stuck in the past”.

Currently, nearly ten years later, the showgirl, or at least the showgirl aesthetic, is back.

A Sultan of Sequins

Known as the “sultan of sequins”, Mackie has made dramatic showgirl glitz his signature style, outfitting everyone from screen legends to music superstars. Recently, a “barely-there” bodysuit he made for Cher in 1978 commanded $57,600, far exceeding its estimated price, while a metallic tasseled bodysuit with lamé wings that Mackie designed for Tina Turner for a 1977 show sold for $19,200.

“I think it looks more appealing for the emerging artists who is looking for something other than what they were accustomed to”, he stated in an interview with a publication. “New stars are pushing toward a glamorous, more spectacular, show-stopping, grand statement.”

The Mainstream Comeback

It’s a look that sashayed all the way to the centre of mainstream fashion in 2025 thanks to a chart-topping superstar. In the past few months, the music phenomenon wore one of Mackie’s original Jubilee! costumes on the cover of her new musical project. The bedazzled bra and thong, plumed armbands and glittering headpiece were ideal for a record titled The Life of a Showgirl.

Swift isn't alone. This year, showgirl inspirations have been adopted by music artists including Dua Lipa as they danced across concert platforms in sparkles, strategic openings and feathers, illuminated against overstated sets. Lipa’s stylist her creative director told a fashion magazine he wanted to bring “a showgirl attitude” to her Radical Optimism tour – referencing pictures from the 50s, the backup dancers waved giant plumed accessories.

Pulling from the Past

Modern stars and other hitmakers also reference historical performances, including burlesque and ensemble references. The results are poles apart from the late-century pop style of revealing tops and cargo pants, and urban dance moves that came before them.

But certain observers are on board with this glamour resurgence. A former performer, a ex- Jubilee! showgirl who performed in the 2000s says the trend is “bemusing”. She thinks the word showgirl is being “treated as an umbrella term including everything from The Radio City Rockettes to Broadway performers and now apparently Taylor Swift.”

A Highly Sought-After Classic Style

For millennial and millennial stars, Mackie’s vintage designs have become extremely desirable. In 2024, a famous actress gave a nod to one of Mackie’s iconic muses, Cher, when the actress wore a see-through sequined dress designed by the designer in 2001, which was reminiscent of one he created for Cher to wear in 1967. Months after, Miley Cyrus paid an significant price to buy the Mackie beaded mini dress she had worn at an awards show 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 favorite among fashion collectors.

“The showgirl aesthetic bring about fond memories for a past glamour,” says an archivist, a curator at the an academic institution, who researches the history of showgirls. “Today it is seen as a sort of ‘safe’ sexy because it has been modified. It has got all the sophistication, the crystals and the shine but without the nudity.”

More Than Just Style: An Symbol of Las Vegas

The expert says showgirls are central to the iconography of Las Vegas. She points to ex-mayor Oscar Goodman who, during civic functions, was surrounded by two showgirls. Even though Las Vegas does not host any traditional showgirl productions, Jung says they are still used as an symbol of the city, being present at corporate events and in marketing. “The showgirl is still a remaining icon of Las Vegas spectacle,” she says.

The Appeal of Transformation

Hardy says the magical transformation of a stage character is part of the allure. This is a notion the singer hints at in a new documentary series that captures the off-camera action from her massive 2023 Eras tour, which included exhausting practice sessions, training and numerous performances across multiple nations, each running for 3.5 hours.

The performer describes her own stage routines as “similar to extreme physical exertion in stilettos every night”. Her feathered headdress weighed 34lbs. “I had to carry it all the way up the staircase to the performance area from the dressing rooms three floors below in the lower level. I had to start early for my entrance so I could rest before I performed. You’re perspiring the whole time but creating this fantasy that it’s simple and beautiful and ethereal.”

Perhaps this is where the fascination of the showgirl fantasy really is found. In the busyness of 2025 there is a craving for a break from reality. Is there anyone better to emulate than these performers, who have always embodied make-believe, perfection and a universe where no one falters.