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After a three-decade tenure on the iconic Vegas strip, the dancers from the spectacle Jubilee! executed their last choreographed kick in 2016. The extravaganza, famous for its ornate costumes designed by celebrated designer Bob Mackie, closed its doors due to dwindling audience numbers and critical reviewers who labeled it a spectacle “stuck in the past”.

Currently, almost a decade later, the showgirl persona, or at least the glamorous showgirl look, is making a comeback.

The Sultan of Sequins

Known as the “master of glitz”, Mackie has made over-the-top showgirl glamour his trademark look, outfitting everyone from Marilyn Monroe to music superstars. Recently, a “naked” bodysuit he designed for Cher in 1978 commanded $57,600, well over its estimated price, while a shimmering beaded bodysuit with lamé wings that Mackie crafted for Tina Turner for a 1977 show sold for $19,200.

“I think it looks more appealing for the new generation of stars who is looking for something other than what they knew from childhood”, he explained to a newspaper. “Today's artists are striving for a glamorous, more theatrical, breathtaking, entrance-making statement.”

A Mainstream Revival

It’s a look that sashayed all the way to the heart of mainstream fashion in 2025 thanks to Taylor Swift. Earlier this year, the cultural juggernaut wore one of Mackie’s vintage Jubilee! costumes on the cover of her new musical project. The crystal-covered bra and thong, feathered armbands and sparkly headpiece were ideal for a record titled The Life of a Showgirl.

Swift isn't alone. This year, showgirl inspirations have been adopted by music artists including Dua Lipa as they danced across arena stages in sparkles, strategic openings and ostrich feathers, highlighted against overstated sets. Lipa’s stylist Lorenzo Posocco told a fashion magazine he wanted to bring “a showgirl spirit” to her Radical Optimism tour – inspired by pictures from the 1950s, the backup dancers fluttered giant plumed accessories.

Pulling from the Past

Lipa, Carpenter and other successful musicians also reference 19th-century performances, including vaudeville and ensemble references. The final look are vastly different from the late-century pop style of revealing tops and utilitarian trousers, and street-style dance moves that preceded this trend.

But not everyone are on board with this showgirl renaissance. A former performer, a one-time Jubilee! showgirl who danced in the 2000s says the trend is “puzzling”. She thinks the word showgirl is being “used as an umbrella term including everything from The Radio City Rockettes to Broadway performers and now even Taylor Swift.”

A Coveted Vintage Style

For millennial and modern stars, Mackie’s classic designs have become extremely desirable. In 2024, a famous actress honored to one of Mackie’s earliest clients, Cher, when the actress wore a translucent sequined dress made by the designer in 2001, which was inspired by one he designed for Cher to wear in 1967. Later that year, a singer paid an private amount to buy the Mackie beaded mini dress she had worn earlier in the year to perform at the Grammys. In September, the singer wore a trio of classic Mackie designs at the MTV Video Music Awards. They are also a favorite among fashion collectors.

“This style bring about a sense of longing for a bygone era of glitz,” says Su Kim Chung, an expert at the University of Nevada, who researches the legacy of showgirls. “Now it is considered a sort of ‘toned-down’ appeal because it has been modified. It has got all the elegance, the crystals and the shine but without the bare skin.”

A Than Simply Style: An Symbol of the City

She says this figure are integral to the imagery of Vegas. She points to former mayor Oscar Goodman who, during civic functions, was accompanied by two showgirls. Even though Las Vegas does not host any showgirl-based productions, Jung says they are still used as an logo of the city, being present at conventions and in marketing. “The showgirl is still a remaining figure of Las Vegas glitz and glamour,” the expert says.

The Appeal of Transformation

The former showgirl says the complete change of a showgirl is part of the allure. This is a notion Swift alludes to in a new behind-the-scenes film that documents the off-camera action from her year-long 2023 Eras tour, which included intense preparations, training and countless concerts across 21 countries, each running for 3.5 hours.

She recalls her own showgirl performances as “similar to running a marathon in stilettos every night”. Her headpiece tipped the scales at 34lbs. “I had to support it all the way up the steps to the platform from the backstage area three floors below in the lower level. I had to start early for my moment so I could recover before I made my entrance. You’re perspiring the whole time but creating this fantasy that it’s effortless and stunning and magical.”

It could be this is where the true allure of the showgirl fantasy really lies. In the busyness of 2025 there is a craving for escapism. Is there anyone better to emulate than such icons, who have always personified make-believe, perfection and a realm where no one falters.