After a 31-year stint on the Las Vegas strip, the showgirls from the revue Jubilee! executed their last choreographed kick in 2016. The production, known for its intricate costumes designed by American fashion designer Bob Mackie, came to an end due to declining audience numbers and disappointed critics who labeled it a spectacle “trapped in time”.
Now, nearly ten years later, the showgirl, or at least the showgirl aesthetic, is back.
The King of Sequins
Referred to as the “king of sparkle”, Mackie has made over-the-top stage sparkle his defining aesthetic, clothing everyone from Hollywood icons to Madonna. Recently, a “naked” bodysuit he created for Cher in 1978 commanded $57,600, seven times its estimated price, while a shimmering beaded bodysuit with reflective wings that Mackie created for Tina Turner for a 1977 performance sold for $19,200.
“I think it looks more enticing for the emerging artists who is seeking something other than what they knew from childhood”, he told a newspaper. “New stars are embracing a theatrical, more spectacular, show-stopping, grand statement.”
The Pop Culture Comeback
It’s a look that sashayed all the way to the epicenter of mainstream fashion in 2025 largely due to a global pop icon. Earlier this year, the cultural juggernaut wore one of Mackie’s vintage Jubilee! costumes on the cover of her 12th studio album. The rhinestone encrusted bra and thong, feathered armbands and glittering headpiece were perfect for a record named The Life of a Showgirl.
She isn't alone. This year, showgirl inspirations have been adopted by pop stars including Dua Lipa as they danced across arena stages in sequins, cut-outs and ostrich feathers, illuminated against camp 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 – referencing pictures from the mid-century, her performers fluttered giant feathered fans.
Drawing from History
These artists and other successful musicians also draw on classic entertainment forms, including vaudeville and dance line references. The final look are poles apart from the 90s pop style of revealing tops and utilitarian trousers, and street-style dance moves that were popular earlier.
But certain observers are convinced with this showgirl renaissance. An ex-showgirl, a ex- Jubilee! showgirl who performed in the 00s says the trend is “puzzling”. She thinks the word term is being “used as an catch-all phrase including everything from The Radio City Rockettes to Broadway performers and now even today's icons.”
The Coveted Classic Look
For millennial and millennial stars, Mackie’s retro designs have become incredibly sought-after. In 2024, a style icon honored to one of Mackie’s iconic muses, Cher, when the actor wore a translucent embellished dress designed by the designer in 2001, which was reminiscent of one he created for Cher to wear in 1967. Subsequently, a singer paid an significant price to buy the Mackie tasseled mini dress she had worn previously to perform at the Grammys. In September, Sabrina Carpenter wore a trio of retro Mackie designs at the MTV Video Music Awards. They are also a favorite among vintage enthusiasts.
“Showgirls bring about fond memories for a bygone era of glitz,” says an archivist, an expert at the an academic institution, who researches the story of showgirls. “Currently it is viewed as a sort of ‘safe’ sexy because it has been updated. It has got all the glamour, the rhinestones and the sparkle but without the nudity.”
A Than Just Style: An Symbol of Vegas
The expert says showgirls are central to the iconography of Las Vegas. She points to former mayor Oscar Goodman who, during public appearances, was accompanied by two showgirls. Even though Las Vegas no longer has any showgirl-based productions, the historian says they are still employed as an emblem of the city, being present at corporate events and in marketing. “The showgirl is still a lasting symbol of Vegas glitz and glamour,” she says.
The Appeal of Escape
The former showgirl says the magical transformation of a stage character is part of the appeal. This idea Taylor Swift hints at in a recent documentary series that shows the behind-the-scenes action from her massive 2023 Eras tour, which included intense preparations, workouts and numerous concerts across multiple nations, each going on for 3.5 hours.
The performer describes her own showgirl performances as “similar to extreme physical exertion in stilettos every night”. Her headdress was 34lbs. “I had to support it all the way up the stairs to the stage from the backstage area three floors below in the underground. I had to leave early for my cue so I could recover before I went on stage. One is sweating the whole time but maintaining this fantasy that it’s effortless and beautiful and ethereal.”
Maybe this is where the appeal of the showgirl fantasy really lies. In the chaos of 2025 there is a longing for fantasy. Is there anyone better to turn to than these performers, who have always embodied fantasy, perfection and a realm where nobody falters.
