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After a three-decade tenure on the iconic Vegas strip, the showgirls from the spectacle Jubilee! took a final perfectly timed kick in 2016. The show, famous for its ornate costumes designed by style icon Bob Mackie, closed its doors due to falling audience numbers and critical reviewers who described it as a spectacle “trapped in time”.

Now, nearly ten years later, showgirls, or at least the showgirl style, is making a comeback.

A King of Glitz

Dubbed the “sultan of sequins”, Mackie has made over-the-top stage sparkle his signature style, dressing everyone from Marilyn Monroe to pop royalty. Recently, a “naked” bodysuit he designed for Cher in 1978 sold for $57,600, well over its estimated price, while a silver and gold fringed bodysuit with reflective wings that Mackie designed for Tina Turner for a 1977 performance sold for $19,200.

“In my view it looks more attractive for the younger performer who is seeking something other than what they knew from childhood”, he explained to a publication. “New stars are striving for a theatrical, more dramatic, show-stopping, grand statement.”

A Mainstream Resurgence

It’s a look that glided all the way to the epicenter of mainstream fashion in 2025 thanks to a global pop icon. Earlier this year, the music phenomenon wore one of Mackie’s original Jubilee! costumes on the cover of her 12th studio album. The crystal-covered bra and thong, ostrich-feather armbands and sparkly headpiece were tailor-made for a record called The Life of a Showgirl.

She has company. This year, showgirl inspirations have been adopted by pop stars including Sabrina Carpenter as they danced across world tours in sequins, strategic openings and feathers, 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 – drawing from pictures from the mid-century, Lipa’s dancers waved giant plumed accessories.

Drawing from the Past

Modern stars and other successful musicians also take inspiration from classic entertainment forms, including burlesque and ensemble references. The final look are worlds away from the 90s teen pop of crop tops and baggy pants, and urban dance moves that came before them.

But certain observers are on board with this showgirl revival. Nancy Hardy, a ex- Jubilee! showgirl who danced in the early 2000s says the trend is “puzzling”. She thinks the word showgirl is being “employed as an umbrella term including everything from The Radio City Rockettes to Broadway performers and now even modern pop stars.”

The Highly Sought-After Classic Look

For younger and modern stars, Mackie’s classic designs have become incredibly sought-after. In 2024, Zendaya gave a nod to one of Mackie’s first major stars, Cher, when the star wore a semi-sheer sequined dress created by the designer in 2001, which was similar to one he designed for Cher to wear in 1967. Months after, another pop star paid an private amount to buy the Mackie tasseled mini dress she had worn previously to perform at the Grammys. In September, Sabrina Carpenter wore a series of vintage Mackie designs at the MTV Video Music Awards. They are also a favorite among vintage enthusiasts.

“The showgirl aesthetic evoke nostalgia for a historical elegance,” says an archivist, head of special collections at the University of Nevada, who documents the legacy of showgirls. “Now it is considered a sort of ‘safe’ sexy because it has been adapted. It has got all the sophistication, the rhinestones and the glitter but without the bare skin.”

More Than Simply Style: An Symbol of Vegas

The expert says the showgirl image are integral to the identity of Sin City. She points to former mayor Oscar Goodman who, during public appearances, was accompanied by two showgirls. Although Las Vegas does not host any showgirl-centric productions, Chung says they are still featured as an logo of the city, being present at conventions and in marketing. “The showgirl is still a enduring icon of Las Vegas glamour,” the expert says.

The Allure of Transformation

Hardy says the transformative effect of a stage character is part of the attraction. This idea Taylor Swift references in a new docuseries that documents the behind-the-scenes action from her year-long 2023 Eras tour, which included exhausting practice sessions, training and 149 performances across multiple nations, each going on for 3.5 hours.

The performer explains her own nights in the spotlight as “like running a marathon in stilettos every night”. Her headdress tipped the scales at 34lbs. “I had to support it all the way up the stairs to the platform from the green rooms three floors below in the basement. I had to head up ahead of time for my cue so I could rest before I performed. You’re working hard the whole time but creating this fantasy that it’s simple and beautiful and dreamlike.”

It could be this is where the appeal of the showgirl fantasy really is found. In the complexity of 2025 there is a craving for fantasy. Who better to emulate than showgirls, who have always embodied make-believe, idealism and a realm where nobody makes a mistake.