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Following a 31-year run on the Las Vegas Boulevard, the showgirls from the production Jubilee! executed their last perfectly timed kick in 2016. The extravaganza, renowned for its elaborate costumes designed by celebrated designer Bob Mackie, ended its run due to declining audience numbers and unimpressed critics who called 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.

A Master of Glitz

Referred to as the “sultan of sequins”, Mackie has made dramatic showgirl glamour his trademark look, clothing everyone from Hollywood icons to Madonna. In a recent auction, a “barely-there” bodysuit he created for Cher in 1978 fetched $57,600, well over its estimated price, while a silver and gold tasseled bodysuit with shiny wings that Mackie created for Tina Turner for a 1977 concert sold for $19,200.

“I believe it looks more attractive for the emerging artists who is seeking something other than what they were accustomed to”, he explained to a newspaper. “Today's artists are embracing a show-stopping, more spectacular, breathtaking, entrance-making statement.”

A Mainstream Resurgence

It’s a look that glided all the way to the epicenter of mainstream fashion in 2025 propelled by a chart-topping superstar. Recently, the cultural juggernaut wore one of Mackie’s original Jubilee! costumes on the cover of her new musical project. The rhinestone encrusted bra and thong, plumed armbands and sparkly headpiece were tailor-made for a record called The Life of a Showgirl.

She has company. This year, glamorous nods have been incorporated by music artists including Dua Lipa as they danced across concert platforms in glitter, cut-outs and feathers, illuminated against overstated sets. A top stylist Lorenzo Posocco told a fashion magazine he wanted to bring “a showgirl spirit” to her Radical Optimism tour – referencing pictures from the 50s, Lipa’s dancers wafted giant ostrich feather fans.

Pulling from Tradition

These artists and other hitmakers also take inspiration from classic entertainment forms, including classic theater and chorus line references. The final look are worlds away from the 1990s era teen pop of revealing tops and cargo pants, and hip-hop inspired dance moves that preceded this trend.

But some critics are on board with this glamour resurgence. Nancy Hardy, a former Jubilee! showgirl who performed in the 00s says the trend is “bemusing”. She thinks the word showgirl title is being “treated as an umbrella term encompassing everything from The Radio City Rockettes to Broadway performers and now seemingly modern pop stars.”

The Highly Sought-After Retro Style

For younger and millennial 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 see-through sequined dress made by the designer in 2001, which was inspired by one he created for Cher to wear in 1967. Subsequently, another pop star paid an private amount 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 collection of classic Mackie designs at the MTV Video Music Awards. They are also a popular item among vintage enthusiasts.

“Showgirls bring about a sense of longing for a historical elegance,” says Su Kim Chung, a curator at the University of Nevada, who researches the legacy of showgirls. “Today it is considered a sort of ‘toned-down’ allure because it has been adapted. It has got all the elegance, the sparkles and the shine but without the nudity.”

A Than Just Style: An Symbol of the City

She says showgirls are integral to the identity of Las Vegas. She points to one-time leader Oscar Goodman who, during civic functions, was surrounded by two showgirls. Even though Las Vegas no longer has any traditional showgirl productions, Jung says they are still employed as an emblem of the city, being present at conventions and in marketing. “The showgirl is still a enduring figure of Las Vegas spectacle,” Chung says.

The Allure of Illusion

The former showgirl says the transformative effect of a showgirl is part of the appeal. This is a notion the singer references in a latest behind-the-scenes film that captures the backstage action from her extensive 2023 Eras tour, which included exhausting rehearsals, training and 149 concerts across 21 countries, each running for 3.5 hours.

Hardy recalls her own showgirl performances as “like completing an endurance race in heels every night”. Her headpiece was 34lbs. “I had to wear it all the way up the staircase to the stage from the green rooms three floors below in the basement. I had to start early for my moment so I could recover before I went on stage. You are working hard the whole time but maintaining this image that it’s simple and stunning and dreamlike.”

Perhaps this is where the fascination of the showgirl really lies. In the busyness of 2025 there is a desire for escapism. What better figure to turn to than showgirls, who have always personified make-believe, idealism and a world where nobody makes a mistake.