Following a long-running run on the Las Vegas strip, the dancers from the production Jubilee! executed their last synchronised kick in 2016. The production, renowned for its elaborate costumes created by American fashion designer Bob Mackie, came to an end due to falling audience numbers and disappointed critics who labeled it a spectacle “stuck in the past”.
Now, roughly eight years later, the showgirl persona, or at least the showgirl style, is back.
A Sultan of Sequins
Referred to as the “master of glitz”, Mackie has made over-the-top showgirl glitz his signature style, clothing everyone from Hollywood icons to pop royalty. Earlier this month, a “see-through” bodysuit he designed for Cher in 1978 sold for $57,600, seven times its projected value, while a metallic beaded bodysuit with reflective wings that Mackie created for Tina Turner for a 1977 performance sold for $19,200.
“I think it looks more attractive for the younger performer who is looking for something other than what they grew up with”, he told a publication. “Today's artists are striving for a show-stopping, more spectacular, breathtaking, grand statement.”
A Mainstream Revival
It’s a look that glided all the way to the epicenter of popular culture in 2025 largely due to a chart-topping superstar. Earlier this year, the cultural juggernaut wore one of Mackie’s classic Jubilee! costumes on the cover of her new musical project. The bedazzled bra and thong, plumed armbands and glittering headpiece were perfect for a record named The Life of a Showgirl.
Swift isn't alone. This year, showgirl references have been embraced by pop stars including Dua Lipa as they danced across world tours in sequins, strategic openings and feathers, illuminated against overstated sets. Her fashion curator her creative director mentioned in an interview with a style publication he wanted to bring “a showgirl attitude” to her Radical Optimism tour – inspired by pictures from the 50s, Lipa’s dancers fluttered giant ostrich feather fans.
Drawing from Tradition
Modern stars and other chart toppers also draw on classic entertainment forms, including classic theater and chorus line references. The final look are poles apart from the 90s Britney Spears era of revealing tops and baggy pants, and urban dance moves that preceded this trend.
But some critics are convinced with this showgirl renaissance. Nancy Hardy, a former Jubilee! showgirl who entertained in the 2000s says the trend is “bemusing”. She thinks the word showgirl is being “used as an broad label covering everything from The Radio City Rockettes to Broadway performers and now even Taylor Swift.”
The Highly Sought-After Vintage Style
For millennial and millennial stars, Mackie’s classic designs have become incredibly sought-after. In 2024, a famous actress gave a nod to one of Mackie’s first major stars, Cher, when the actress wore a semi-sheer embellished dress created by the designer in 2001, which was similar to one he designed for Cher to wear in 1967. Subsequently, another pop star paid an significant price to buy the Mackie tasseled mini dress she had worn previously to perform at the Grammys. In September, the singer wore a series of retro Mackie designs at the MTV Video Music Awards. They are also a popular item among collectors.
“This style evoke nostalgia for a historical elegance,” says an archivist, an expert at the University of Nevada, who studies the history of showgirls. “Currently it is viewed as a sort of ‘toned-down’ appeal because it has been updated. It has got all the glamour, the crystals and the shine but without the exposure.”
A Than Just Style: An Symbol of Vegas
Chung says this figure are key to the imagery of Vegas. She points to former mayor Oscar Goodman who, during official events, was accompanied by two showgirls. Even though Las Vegas does not host any showgirl-based productions, Chung says they are still employed as an symbol of the city, showing up at conventions and in marketing. “The showgirl is still a remaining symbol of Las Vegas glamour,” Chung says.
An Allure of Illusion
The former showgirl says the complete change of a showgirl is part of the allure. This idea Swift references in a new documentary series that documents the behind-the-scenes action from her extensive 2023 Eras tour, which included gruelling rehearsals, gym sessions and countless performances across multiple nations, each going on for 3.5 hours.
She describes her own stage routines as “comparable to extreme physical exertion in heels every night”. Her headpiece was 34lbs. “I had to support it all the way up the steps to the performance area from the dressing rooms three floors below in the underground. I had to start early for my moment so I could recover before I performed. You are sweating the whole time but creating this image that it’s effortless and stunning and ethereal.”
Maybe this is where the fascination of the showgirl really resides. In the complexity of 2025 there is a desire for escapism. What better figure to turn to than these performers, who have always embodied make-believe, perfection and a universe where nobody makes a mistake.
