🔗 Share this article

Following a three-decade run on the iconic Vegas strip, the showgirls from the production Jubilee! gave one last synchronised kick in 2016. The extravaganza, renowned for its elaborate costumes created by American fashion designer Bob Mackie, closed its doors due to falling audience numbers and critical commentators who labeled it a spectacle “trapped in time”.

Today, almost a decade later, showgirls, or at least the showgirl style, is experiencing a revival.

A King of Sequins

Known as the “king of sparkle”, Mackie has made over-the-top showgirl glamour his defining aesthetic, outfitting everyone from Hollywood icons to music superstars. In a recent auction, a “barely-there” bodysuit he made for Cher in 1978 sold for $57,600, far exceeding its initial estimate, while a metallic beaded bodysuit with reflective wings that Mackie designed for Tina Turner for a 1977 concert sold for $19,200.

“In my view it looks more appealing for the younger performer who is desiring something other than what they grew up with”, he stated in an interview with a publication. “New stars are pushing toward a glamorous, more spectacular, attention-grabbing, memorable statement.”

A Pop Culture Resurgence

It’s a look that sashayed all the way to the heart of the cultural zeitgeist in 2025 thanks to a chart-topping superstar. Recently, the entertainment titan wore one of Mackie’s classic Jubilee! costumes on the cover of her 12th studio album. The crystal-covered bra and thong, ostrich-feather armbands and glittering headpiece were perfect for a record named The Life of a Showgirl.

The singer isn't alone. This year, showgirl inspirations have been incorporated by music artists including Dua Lipa as they danced across concert platforms in sparkles, strategic openings and ostrich feathers, highlighted against camp sets. A top stylist her creative director explained to Vogue he wanted to bring “a showgirl attitude” to her Radical Optimism tour – inspired by pictures from the 50s, the backup dancers wafted giant ostrich feather fans.

Drawing from Tradition

These artists and other hitmakers also draw on historical performances, including vaudeville and chorus line references. The results are worlds away from the 90s Britney Spears era of crop tops and baggy pants, and hip-hop inspired dance moves that were popular earlier.

But not everyone are on board with this showgirl renaissance. An ex-showgirl, a one-time Jubilee! showgirl who danced in the 2000s says the trend is “bemusing”. She thinks the word showgirl is being “used as an broad label including everything from The Radio City Rockettes to Broadway performers and now even today's icons.”

The Highly Sought-After Retro Look

For millennial and modern stars, Mackie’s classic designs have become incredibly sought-after. In 2024, a style icon honored to one of Mackie’s earliest clients, Cher, when the star wore a semi-sheer beaded dress created by the designer in 2001, which was reminiscent of one he made for Cher to wear in 1967. Subsequently, 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, Sabrina Carpenter wore a series of retro Mackie designs at the MTV Video Music Awards. They are also a popular item among collectors.

“This style inspire fond memories for a bygone era of glitz,” says an archivist, head of special collections at the University of Nevada, who documents the history of showgirls. “Currently it is considered a sort of ‘acceptable’ allure because it has been modified. It has got all the elegance, the sparkles and the sparkle but without the bare skin.”

A Than Just Style: An Icon of Vegas

The expert says showgirls are central to the iconography of Sin City. She points to ex-mayor Oscar Goodman who, during official events, was surrounded by two showgirls. Even though Las Vegas does not host any showgirl-centric productions, Jung says they are still used as an emblem of the city, being present at corporate events and in promotional material. “The showgirl is still a enduring symbol of Las Vegas glamour,” she says.

The Allure of Escape

The former showgirl says the complete change of a stage character is part of the attraction. This idea the singer hints at in a new docuseries that shows the backstage action from her extensive 2023 Eras tour, which included gruelling preparations, gym sessions and countless performances across dozens of cities, each going on for 3.5 hours.

Hardy recalls her own nights in the spotlight as “like completing an endurance race in high heels every night”. Her headpiece was 34lbs. “I had to wear it all the way up the staircase to the platform from the backstage area three floors below in the lower level. I had to head up ahead of time for my entrance so I could rest before I made my entrance. One is perspiring the whole time but crafting this illusion that it’s easy and beautiful and magical.”

Maybe this is where the true allure of the showgirl really is found. In the busyness of 2025 there is a desire for fantasy. Who better to look to than these performers, who have always embodied fantasy, idealism and a world where no one misses a mark.