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After a long-running stint on the iconic Vegas strip, the performers from the revue Jubilee! took a final choreographed kick in 2016. The extravaganza, famous for its intricate costumes created by style icon Bob Mackie, ended its run due to dwindling audience numbers and unimpressed commentators who described it as a spectacle “stuck in the past”.

Currently, almost a decade later, showgirls, or at least the showgirl aesthetic, is experiencing a revival.

A Master of Glitz

Dubbed the “master of glitz”, Mackie has made dramatic showgirl glitz his signature style, outfitting everyone from Hollywood icons to Madonna. Earlier this month, a “naked” bodysuit he created for Cher in 1978 fetched $57,600, far exceeding its projected value, while a shimmering tasseled bodysuit with shiny wings that Mackie designed for Tina Turner for a 1977 show sold for $19,200.

“I believe it looks more enticing for the emerging artists who is looking for something other than what they were accustomed to”, he stated in an interview with a media outlet. “Today's artists are pushing toward a theatrical, more dramatic, show-stopping, memorable statement.”

The Pop Culture Revival

It’s a look that made its way all the way to the centre of popular culture in 2025 propelled by a global pop icon. In the past few months, the cultural juggernaut wore one of Mackie’s classic Jubilee! costumes on the cover of her new musical project. The crystal-covered bra and thong, plumed armbands and glittering headpiece were tailor-made for a record named The Life of a Showgirl.

Swift has company. This year, glamorous nods have been incorporated by music artists including Sabrina Carpenter as they zoomed across arena stages in sequins, strategic openings and plumes, illuminated against overstated sets. Her fashion curator Lorenzo Posocco mentioned in an interview with a fashion magazine he wanted to bring “a stage persona” to her Radical Optimism tour – inspired by pictures from the mid-century, the backup dancers waved giant ostrich feather fans.

Pulling from the Past

These artists and other chart toppers also take inspiration from 19th-century entertainment forms, including burlesque and ensemble references. The final look are worlds away from the 90s teen pop of revealing tops and baggy pants, and urban dance moves that came before them.

But not everyone are on board with this glamour resurgence. Nancy Hardy, a ex- Jubilee! showgirl who entertained in the 00s says the trend is “confusing”. She thinks the word term is being “used as an umbrella term encompassing everything from The Radio City Rockettes to Broadway performers and now seemingly Taylor Swift.”

A Coveted Vintage Look

For gen Z and young adult stars, Mackie’s retro designs have become incredibly sought-after. In 2024, Zendaya paid tribute to one of Mackie’s iconic muses, Cher, when the actor wore a see-through beaded dress designed by the designer in 2001, which was inspired by one he made for Cher to wear in 1967. Later that year, 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, Sabrina Carpenter wore a series of retro Mackie designs at the MTV Video Music Awards. They are also a popular item among vintage enthusiasts.

“The showgirl aesthetic evoke fond memories for a bygone era of glitz,” says an archivist, head of special collections at the an academic institution, who documents the story of showgirls. “Currently it is seen as a sort of ‘acceptable’ sexy because it has been adapted. It has got all the elegance, the rhinestones and the glitter but without the exposure.”

More Than Just Style: An Icon of Vegas

Chung says the showgirl image are central to the identity of Vegas. She points to one-time leader Oscar Goodman who, during official events, was flanked by two showgirls. Even though Las Vegas no longer has any showgirl-based productions, Chung says they are still used as an logo of the city, being present at conventions and in marketing. “The showgirl is still a enduring symbol of Vegas glamour,” she says.

The Allure of Transformation

Hardy says the transformative effect of a stage character is part of the appeal. It’s something Taylor Swift references in a recent documentary series that shows the backstage action from her extensive 2023 Eras tour, which included gruelling practice sessions, workouts and numerous shows across 21 countries, each lasting 3.5 hours.

She explains her own nights in the spotlight as “like completing an endurance race in heels every night”. Her headpiece was 34lbs. “I had to carry it all the way up the stairs to the stage from the backstage area three floors below in the lower level. I had to leave early for my entrance so I could catch my breath before I made my entrance. One is sweating the whole time but creating this fantasy that it’s effortless and stunning and ethereal.”

Maybe this is where the appeal of the showgirl really resides. In the busyness of 2025 there is a craving for escapism. Is there anyone better to turn to than such icons, who have always embodied make-believe, perfection and a world where nobody falters.