After a three-decade stint on the Las Vegas strip, the dancers from the revue Jubilee! took a final choreographed kick in 2016. The show, known for its intricate costumes designed by celebrated designer Bob Mackie, ended its run due to declining audience numbers and disappointed commentators who called it a spectacle “trapped in time”.
Today, roughly eight years later, the showgirl, or at least the glamorous showgirl look, is making a comeback.
The Master of Sequins
Known as the “master of glitz”, Mackie has made theatrical showgirl glamour his trademark look, clothing everyone from Marilyn Monroe to Madonna. Recently, a “barely-there” bodysuit he created for Cher in 1978 sold for $57,600, far exceeding its estimated price, while a silver and gold fringed bodysuit with lamé wings that Mackie crafted for Tina Turner for a 1977 performance sold for $19,200.
“I believe it looks more attractive for the new generation of stars who is looking for something other than what they grew up with”, he explained to a media outlet. “New stars are embracing a show-stopping, more spectacular, breathtaking, entrance-making statement.”
A Musical Revival
It’s a look that made its way all the way to the heart of the cultural zeitgeist in 2025 largely due to a global pop icon. In the past few months, the music phenomenon wore one of Mackie’s classic Jubilee! costumes on the cover of her 12th studio album. The crystal-covered bra and thong, feathered armbands and shimmering headpiece were tailor-made for a record called The Life of a Showgirl.
Swift is part of a trend. This year, glamorous nods have been adopted by pop stars including Miley Cyrus as they whizzed across world tours in glitter, strategic openings and feathers, spotlighted against theatrical sets. A top stylist her creative director mentioned in an interview with Vogue he wanted to bring “a showgirl attitude” to her Radical Optimism tour – referencing pictures from the mid-century, her performers waved giant ostrich feather fans.
Pulling from Tradition
Modern stars and other chart toppers also take inspiration from historical performances, including classic theater and ensemble references. The final look are poles apart from the 1990s era teen pop of short shirts and baggy pants, and street-style dance moves that came before them.
But some critics are on board with this glamour resurgence. Nancy Hardy, a ex- Jubilee! showgirl who performed in the 00s says the trend is “confusing”. She thinks the word showgirl title is being “used as an catch-all phrase covering everything from The Radio City Rockettes to Broadway performers and now even Taylor Swift.”
A Highly Sought-After Classic Style
For gen Z and modern stars, Mackie’s classic designs have become highly covetable. In 2024, a famous actress paid tribute to one of Mackie’s first major stars, Cher, when the actor wore a see-through sequined dress designed by the designer in 2001, which was inspired by one he made for Cher to wear in 1967. Subsequently, a singer paid an significant price to buy the Mackie fringed mini dress she had worn at an awards show to perform at the Grammys. In September, Sabrina Carpenter wore a collection of classic Mackie designs at the MTV Video Music Awards. They are also a favorite among collectors.
“Showgirls evoke fond memories for a historical elegance,” says a historian, a curator at the an academic institution, who researches the legacy of showgirls. “Now it is viewed as a sort of ‘toned-down’ allure because it has been adapted. It has got all the sophistication, the rhinestones and the sparkle but without the nudity.”
A Than Simply Style: An Symbol of the City
The expert says the showgirl image are central to the identity of Vegas. She points to one-time leader Oscar Goodman who, during civic functions, was surrounded by two showgirls. While Las Vegas does not host any showgirl-based productions, Jung says they are still employed as an logo of the city, appearing at conventions and in advertisements. “The showgirl is still a enduring icon of Vegas glitz and glamour,” the expert says.
The Appeal of Illusion
Hardy says the magical transformation of a stage character is part of the allure. This is a notion Taylor Swift hints at in a latest behind-the-scenes film that documents the backstage action from her year-long 2023 Eras tour, which included intense practice sessions, workouts and countless performances across 21 countries, each going on for 3.5 hours.
Hardy recalls her own stage routines as “comparable to running a marathon in stilettos every night”. Her headpiece was 34lbs. “I had to carry it all the way up the steps to the platform from the dressing rooms three floors below in the basement. I had to leave early for my moment so I could catch my breath before I went on stage. One is working hard the whole time but creating this illusion that it’s simple and beautiful and ethereal.”
It could be this is where the true allure of the showgirl really is found. In the complexity of 2025 there is a desire for escapism. What better figure to turn to than showgirls, who have always embodied fantasy, perfection and a universe where nobody misses a mark.
