Following a 31-year tenure on the iconic Vegas strip, the dancers from the spectacle Jubilee! took a final choreographed kick in 2016. The extravaganza, famous for its ornate costumes crafted by American fashion designer Bob Mackie, closed its doors due to declining audience numbers and unimpressed critics who called it a spectacle “stuck in the past”.
Now, almost a decade later, the showgirl, or at least the glamorous showgirl look, is back.
A Sultan of Glitz
Known as the “king of sparkle”, Mackie has made theatrical showgirl glitz his signature style, outfitting everyone from Hollywood icons to music superstars. In a recent auction, a “barely-there” bodysuit he designed for Cher in 1978 commanded $57,600, far exceeding its initial estimate, while a metallic tasseled bodysuit with reflective wings that Mackie designed for Tina Turner for a 1977 show sold for $19,200.
“I believe it looks more enticing for the new generation of stars who is seeking something other than what they knew from childhood”, he explained to a publication. “Today's artists are pushing toward a show-stopping, more dramatic, show-stopping, grand statement.”
A Musical Resurgence
It’s a look that sashayed all the way to the epicenter of mainstream fashion in 2025 thanks to Taylor Swift. Recently, the entertainment titan wore one of Mackie’s original Jubilee! costumes on the cover of her new musical project. The rhinestone encrusted bra and thong, ostrich-feather armbands and shimmering headpiece were ideal for a record called The Life of a Showgirl.
She is part of a trend. This year, showgirl inspirations have been incorporated by singers including Sabrina Carpenter as they zoomed across arena stages in sparkles, revealing designs and plumes, illuminated against overstated sets. A top stylist Lorenzo Posocco told a style publication he wanted to bring “a stage persona” to her Radical Optimism tour – inspired by pictures from the mid-century, her performers wafted giant plumed accessories.
Pulling from Tradition
Lipa, Carpenter and other chart toppers also take inspiration from 19th-century performances, including classic theater and ensemble references. The outcome are worlds away from the 1990s era teen pop of short shirts and baggy pants, and street-style dance moves that came before them.
But not everyone are convinced with this showgirl renaissance. Nancy Hardy, a one-time Jubilee! showgirl who entertained in the 2000s says the trend is “puzzling”. She thinks the word showgirl title is being “treated as an umbrella term covering everything from The Radio City Rockettes to Broadway performers and now apparently Taylor Swift.”
The Coveted Retro Style
For gen Z and young adult stars, Mackie’s retro designs have become incredibly sought-after. In 2024, Zendaya honored to one of Mackie’s first major stars, Cher, when the actor wore a semi-sheer beaded dress designed by the designer in 2001, which was reminiscent of one he designed 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 previously to perform at the Grammys. In September, Carpenter wore a trio of classic Mackie designs at the MTV Video Music Awards. They are also a popular item among fashion collectors.
“This style inspire a sense of longing for a bygone era of glitz,” says a historian, an expert at the a Las Vegas university, who documents the history of showgirls. “Today it is seen as a sort of ‘toned-down’ sexy because it has been updated. It has got all the glamour, the sparkles and the glitter but without the nudity.”
A Than Simply Fashion: An Symbol of the City
The expert says the showgirl image are central to the imagery of Vegas. She points to ex-mayor Oscar Goodman who, during civic functions, was surrounded by two showgirls. Although Las Vegas no longer has any showgirl-centric productions, Jung says they are still employed as an logo of the city, showing up at gatherings and in promotional material. “The showgirl is still a lasting figure of Vegas glamour,” the expert says.
An Allure of Escape
The former showgirl says the transformative effect of a showgirl persona is part of the appeal. This is a notion Swift hints at in a latest docuseries that captures the off-camera action from her extensive 2023 Eras tour, which included gruelling rehearsals, training and 149 shows across 21 countries, each running for 3.5 hours.
The performer explains her own stage routines as “similar to extreme physical exertion in high heels every night”. Her feathered headdress tipped the scales at 34lbs. “I had to support it all the way up the staircase to the performance area from the backstage area three floors below in the lower level. I had to start early for my cue so I could recover before I made my entrance. You are perspiring the whole time but creating this illusion that it’s simple and beautiful and magical.”
Maybe this is where the true allure of the showgirl really is found. In the complexity of 2025 there is a longing for escapism. Who better to turn to than such icons, who have always embodied fantasy, idealism and a world where nobody misses a mark.
