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Following a 31-year stint on the Las Vegas strip, the performers from the spectacle Jubilee! gave one last synchronised kick in 2016. The extravaganza, known for its intricate costumes designed by celebrated designer Bob Mackie, closed its doors due to falling audience numbers and disappointed reviewers who labeled it a spectacle “a relic of another era”.

Today, nearly ten years later, showgirls, or at least the glamorous showgirl look, is experiencing a revival.

A Master of Glitz

Referred to as the “sultan of sequins”, Mackie has made theatrical stage sparkle his defining aesthetic, dressing everyone from Hollywood icons to music superstars. Earlier this month, a “barely-there” bodysuit he created for Cher in 1978 sold for $57,600, well over its projected value, while a silver and gold beaded bodysuit with reflective wings that Mackie designed for Tina Turner for a 1977 performance sold for $19,200.

“I think it looks more appealing for the emerging artists who is desiring something other than what they were accustomed to”, he told a publication. “Contemporary performers are striving for a show-stopping, more theatrical, breathtaking, memorable statement.”

A Musical Revival

It’s a look that sashayed all the way to the centre of mainstream fashion in 2025 thanks to a global pop icon. Earlier this year, the entertainment titan wore one of Mackie’s original Jubilee! costumes on the cover of her 12th studio album. The crystal-covered bra and thong, plumed armbands and sparkly headpiece were ideal for a record named The Life of a Showgirl.

The singer isn't alone. This year, showgirl inspirations have been adopted by music artists including Sabrina Carpenter as they danced across arena stages in sequins, revealing designs and plumes, highlighted against overstated sets. A top stylist a fashion expert mentioned in an interview with a style publication he wanted to bring “a stage persona” to her Radical Optimism tour – drawing from pictures from the mid-century, her performers waved giant plumed accessories.

Drawing from Tradition

These artists and other chart toppers also take inspiration from 19th-century performances, including burlesque and chorus line references. The outcome are poles apart from the 1990s era Britney Spears era of short shirts and cargo pants, and urban dance moves that were popular earlier.

But some critics are on board with this showgirl revival. Nancy Hardy, a former Jubilee! showgirl who danced in the 2000s says the trend is “bemusing”. She thinks the word showgirl is being “employed as an umbrella term covering everything from The Radio City Rockettes to Broadway performers and now apparently today's icons.”

The Highly Sought-After Classic Look

For younger and modern stars, Mackie’s vintage designs have become incredibly sought-after. In 2024, Zendaya paid tribute to one of Mackie’s earliest clients, Cher, when the actor wore a translucent sequined dress made by the designer in 2001, which was similar to one he designed for Cher to wear in 1967. Months after, Miley Cyrus paid an significant price to buy the Mackie tasseled mini dress she had worn earlier in the year 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 popular item among vintage enthusiasts.

“This style inspire a sense of longing for a past glamour,” says Su Kim Chung, an expert at the a Las Vegas university, who documents the history of showgirls. “Currently it is seen as a sort of ‘safe’ allure because it has been adapted. It has got all the glamour, the rhinestones and the glitter but without the bare skin.”

A Than Just Fashion: An Symbol of the City

The expert says the showgirl image are integral to the imagery of Las Vegas. She points to one-time leader Oscar Goodman who, during public appearances, was surrounded by two showgirls. Even though Las Vegas currently lacks any traditional showgirl productions, the historian says they are still featured as an logo of the city, being present at gatherings and in advertisements. “The showgirl is still a enduring figure of Las Vegas glitz and glamour,” the expert says.

The Allure of Escape

Nancy Hardy says the magical transformation of a showgirl persona is part of the allure. This is a notion the singer alludes to in a recent behind-the-scenes film that captures the off-camera action from her massive 2023 Eras tour, which included intense rehearsals, gym sessions and numerous performances across multiple nations, each running for 3.5 hours.

Hardy explains her own nights in the spotlight as “like completing an endurance race in stilettos every night”. Her headdress weighed 34lbs. “I had to support it all the way up the staircase to the platform from the dressing rooms three floors below in the lower level. I had to head up ahead of time for my entrance so I could rest before I went on stage. One is sweating the whole time but creating this illusion that it’s effortless and gorgeous and dreamlike.”

Perhaps this is where the fascination of the showgirl fantasy really is found. In the busyness of 2025 there is a longing for a break from reality. Is there anyone better to turn to than showgirls, who have always represented fantasy, perfection and a world where nobody makes a mistake.