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Following a 31-year tenure on the Las Vegas strip, the performers from the spectacle Jubilee! gave one last perfectly timed kick in 2016. The show, famous for its elaborate costumes designed by celebrated designer Bob Mackie, came to an end due to dwindling audience numbers and critical commentators who called it a spectacle “a relic of another era”.

Now, almost a decade later, showgirls, or at least the showgirl aesthetic, is making a comeback.

A King of Sequins

Dubbed the “master of glitz”, Mackie has made dramatic showgirl glamour his defining aesthetic, dressing everyone from Hollywood icons to Madonna. In a recent auction, a “barely-there” bodysuit he created for Cher in 1978 fetched $57,600, well over its projected value, while a silver and gold tasseled bodysuit with lamé wings that Mackie created for Tina Turner for a 1977 performance sold for $19,200.

“I believe it looks more appealing for the younger performer who is seeking something other than what they knew from childhood”, he told a publication. “Today's artists are pushing toward a show-stopping, more theatrical, show-stopping, memorable statement.”

The Pop Culture Revival

It’s a look that sashayed all the way to the centre of mainstream fashion in 2025 thanks to Taylor Swift. In the past few months, the entertainment titan wore one of Mackie’s vintage Jubilee! costumes on the cover of her latest record. The rhinestone encrusted bra and thong, plumed armbands and shimmering headpiece were ideal for a record titled The Life of a Showgirl.

She is part of a trend. This year, showgirl references have been embraced by music artists including Sabrina Carpenter as they whizzed across world tours in glitter, revealing designs and feathers, illuminated against theatrical sets. Her fashion curator Lorenzo Posocco mentioned in an interview with Vogue he wanted to bring “a stage persona” to her Radical Optimism tour – referencing pictures from the mid-century, Lipa’s dancers fluttered giant ostrich feather fans.

Pulling from the Past

Modern stars and other hitmakers also take inspiration from 19th-century entertainment forms, including classic theater and chorus line references. The final look are worlds away from the late-century pop style of crop tops and baggy pants, and hip-hop inspired dance moves that came before them.

But certain observers are on board with this glamour resurgence. A former performer, a one-time Jubilee! showgirl who entertained in the early 2000s says the trend is “bemusing”. She thinks the word term is being “used as an broad label covering everything from The Radio City Rockettes to Broadway performers and now apparently Taylor Swift.”

The Highly Sought-After Classic Look

For gen Z and millennial stars, Mackie’s classic designs have become extremely desirable. In 2024, a famous actress paid tribute to one of Mackie’s first major stars, Cher, when the star wore a see-through embellished dress designed by the designer in 2001, which was reminiscent of one he created for Cher to wear in 1967. Subsequently, Miley Cyrus paid an significant price to buy the Mackie tasseled 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 popular item among collectors.

“This style evoke a sense of longing for a historical elegance,” says an archivist, a curator at the an academic institution, who documents the legacy of showgirls. “Now it is seen as a sort of ‘acceptable’ appeal because it has been modified. It has got all the sophistication, the crystals and the glitter but without the exposure.”

A Than Simply Fashion: An Symbol of Las Vegas

Chung says showgirls are integral to the identity of Las Vegas. She points to former mayor Oscar Goodman who, during public appearances, was surrounded by two showgirls. While Las Vegas currently lacks any showgirl-based productions, Chung says they are still used as an logo of the city, appearing at gatherings and in marketing. “The showgirl is still a remaining symbol of Las Vegas glitz and glamour,” she says.

The Allure of Illusion

Hardy says the magical transformation of a stage character is part of the appeal. This idea Swift references in a new behind-the-scenes film that documents the backstage action from her massive 2023 Eras tour, which included intense preparations, training and numerous concerts across 21 countries, each going on for 3.5 hours.

She explains her own stage routines as “like completing an endurance race in heels every night”. Her feathered headdress tipped the scales at 34lbs. “I had to wear it all the way up the staircase to the performance area from the dressing rooms three floors below in the lower level. I had to leave early for my moment so I could rest before I made my entrance. One is working hard the whole time but maintaining this fantasy that it’s easy and gorgeous and dreamlike.”

Maybe this is where the fascination of the showgirl really is found. 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, idealism and a realm where no one makes a mistake.