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After a three-decade tenure on the iconic Vegas strip, the dancers from the production Jubilee! took a final perfectly timed kick in 2016. The show, known for its elaborate costumes created by celebrated designer Bob Mackie, ended its run due to declining audience numbers and disappointed critics who labeled it a spectacle “stuck in the past”.

Currently, roughly eight years later, the showgirl persona, or at least the showgirl style, is experiencing a revival.

The King of Sparkle

Referred to as the “master of glitz”, Mackie has made over-the-top showgirl glamour his defining aesthetic, clothing everyone from Hollywood icons to music superstars. In a recent auction, a “barely-there” bodysuit he designed for Cher in 1978 fetched $57,600, well over its estimated price, while a silver and gold beaded bodysuit with shiny wings that Mackie created for Tina Turner for a 1977 show sold for $19,200.

“I think it looks more enticing for the new generation of stars who is looking for something other than what they knew from childhood”, he told a media outlet. “Today's artists are striving for a theatrical, more dramatic, breathtaking, grand statement.”

The Mainstream Resurgence

It’s a look that made its way all the way to the heart of mainstream fashion in 2025 propelled by a chart-topping superstar. Recently, the entertainment titan wore one of Mackie’s classic Jubilee! costumes on the cover of her new musical project. The rhinestone encrusted bra and thong, feathered armbands and glittering headpiece were ideal for a record called The Life of a Showgirl.

The singer is part of a trend. This year, glamorous nods have been incorporated by music artists including Miley Cyrus as they whizzed across arena stages in glitter, cut-outs and ostrich feathers, spotlighted against overstated sets. A top stylist Lorenzo Posocco told a style publication he wanted to bring “a showgirl attitude” to her Radical Optimism tour – referencing pictures from the mid-century, the backup dancers fluttered giant feathered fans.

Pulling from the Past

Modern stars and other chart toppers also take inspiration from historical performances, including vaudeville and dance line references. The results are poles apart from the late-century pop style of revealing tops and baggy pants, and urban dance moves that were popular earlier.

But not everyone are convinced with this glamour resurgence. An ex-showgirl, a former Jubilee! showgirl who danced in the early 2000s says the trend is “puzzling”. She thinks the word showgirl title is being “treated as an broad label including everything from The Radio City Rockettes to Broadway performers and now even modern pop stars.”

A Highly Sought-After Vintage Style

For younger and modern stars, Mackie’s vintage designs have become extremely desirable. In 2024, a style icon gave a nod to one of Mackie’s earliest clients, Cher, when the actress wore a semi-sheer embellished dress designed by the designer in 2001, which was inspired by one he designed for Cher to wear in 1967. Subsequently, another pop star paid an significant price to buy the Mackie beaded mini dress she had worn at an awards show to perform at the Grammys. In September, the singer wore a trio of vintage Mackie designs at the MTV Video Music Awards. They are also a popular item among collectors.

“This style evoke fond memories for a past glamour,” says an archivist, a curator at the an academic institution, who studies the history of showgirls. “Today it is considered a sort of ‘acceptable’ sexy because it has been updated. It has got all the glamour, the sparkles and the glitter but without the exposure.”

More Than Simply Fashion: An Symbol of Las Vegas

Chung says the showgirl image are key to the iconography of Sin City. She points to former mayor Oscar Goodman who, during official events, was flanked by two showgirls. Even though Las Vegas does not host any showgirl-based productions, the historian says they are still featured as an emblem of the city, showing up at gatherings and in marketing. “The showgirl is still a remaining symbol of Las Vegas glamour,” the expert says.

The Appeal of Illusion

Hardy says the transformative effect of a showgirl is part of the attraction. It’s something the singer references in a new documentary series that captures the backstage action from her extensive 2023 Eras tour, which included intense preparations, training and numerous concerts across 21 countries, each running for 3.5 hours.

She recalls her own showgirl performances as “like extreme physical exertion in high heels every night”. Her headpiece tipped the scales at 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 moment so I could rest before I went on stage. One is working hard the whole time but crafting this illusion that it’s effortless and beautiful and dreamlike.”

Perhaps this is where the appeal of the showgirl fantasy really is found. In the busyness of 2025 there is a craving for a break from reality. Who better to look to than showgirls, who have always represented fantasy, idealism and a world where no one falters.