Following a long-running tenure on the iconic Vegas strip, the performers from the production Jubilee! executed their last synchronised kick in 2016. The extravaganza, renowned for its elaborate costumes crafted by style icon Bob Mackie, came to an end due to falling audience numbers and disappointed critics who labeled it a spectacle “trapped in time”.
Now, almost a decade later, the showgirl, or at least the glamorous showgirl look, is experiencing a revival.
A Master of Sequins
Known as the “master of glitz”, Mackie has made theatrical stage sparkle his signature style, clothing everyone from Marilyn Monroe to pop royalty. Recently, a “see-through” bodysuit he designed for Cher in 1978 commanded $57,600, far exceeding its projected value, while a silver and gold fringed bodysuit with lamé wings that Mackie created for Tina Turner for a 1977 concert sold for $19,200.
“I believe it looks more attractive for the younger performer who is desiring something other than what they grew up with”, he told a newspaper. “Today's artists are striving for a show-stopping, more theatrical, attention-grabbing, memorable statement.”
A Mainstream Comeback
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 music phenomenon wore one of Mackie’s original Jubilee! costumes on the cover of her 12th studio album. The bedazzled bra and thong, feathered armbands and sparkly headpiece were tailor-made for a record named The Life of a Showgirl.
She has company. This year, showgirl inspirations have been incorporated by music artists including Dua Lipa as they whizzed across concert platforms in sequins, revealing designs and feathers, spotlighted against camp sets. Lipa’s stylist her creative director mentioned in an interview with Vogue he wanted to bring “a showgirl spirit” to her Radical Optimism tour – inspired by pictures from the mid-century, Lipa’s dancers waved giant plumed accessories.
Pulling from the Past
These artists and other chart toppers also draw on 19th-century performances, including vaudeville and chorus line references. The final look are worlds away from the late-century Britney Spears era of short shirts and cargo pants, and street-style dance moves that came before them.
But not everyone are enthusiastic with this showgirl renaissance. A former performer, a one-time Jubilee! showgirl who entertained in the 2000s says the trend is “confusing”. She thinks the word showgirl is being “employed as an catch-all phrase including everything from The Radio City Rockettes to Broadway performers and now seemingly modern pop stars.”
A Highly Sought-After Vintage Look
For gen Z and young adult stars, Mackie’s classic designs have become extremely desirable. In 2024, Zendaya honored to one of Mackie’s first major stars, Cher, when the actress wore a translucent beaded dress made by the designer in 2001, which was similar to one he created for Cher to wear in 1967. Later that year, Miley Cyrus paid an undisclosed sum to buy the Mackie fringed mini dress she had worn earlier in the year to perform at the Grammys. In September, the singer wore a collection of classic Mackie designs at the MTV Video Music Awards. They are also a favorite among fashion collectors.
“This style inspire fond memories for a past glamour,” says a historian, an expert at the an academic institution, who documents the legacy of showgirls. “Now it is seen as a sort of ‘safe’ appeal because it has been updated. It has got all the glamour, the rhinestones and the glitter but without the exposure.”
More Than Just Style: An Symbol of Vegas
She says the showgirl image are central to the identity of Sin City. She points to former mayor Oscar Goodman who, during civic functions, was surrounded by two showgirls. While Las Vegas does not host any showgirl-based productions, the historian says they are still featured as an logo of the city, appearing at conventions and in promotional material. “The showgirl is still a remaining icon of Vegas spectacle,” the expert says.
The Allure of Escape
The former showgirl says the complete change of a showgirl is part of the appeal. It’s something the singer alludes to in a new documentary series that captures the off-camera action from her massive 2023 Eras tour, which included intense rehearsals, training and countless performances across 21 countries, each running for 3.5 hours.
The performer explains her own nights in the spotlight as “comparable to extreme physical exertion in stilettos every night”. Her feathered headdress weighed 34lbs. “I had to support it all the way up the steps to the platform from the green rooms three floors below in the basement. I had to head up ahead of time for my moment so I could recover before I made my entrance. You are sweating the whole time but crafting this image that it’s effortless and gorgeous and dreamlike.”
It could be this is where the true allure of the showgirl fantasy really resides. In the complexity of 2025 there is a longing for a break from reality. Is there anyone better to look to than these performers, who have always embodied dreams, perfection and a world where no one falters.
