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After a three-decade run on the iconic Vegas strip, the showgirls from the spectacle Jubilee! gave one last synchronised kick in 2016. The production, known for its elaborate costumes created by celebrated designer Bob Mackie, came to an end due to falling audience numbers and disappointed commentators who described it as a spectacle “trapped in time”.

Currently, nearly ten years later, the showgirl, or at least the showgirl aesthetic, is back.

The Sultan of Sparkle

Referred to as the “sultan of sequins”, Mackie has made theatrical showgirl glitz his trademark look, clothing everyone from screen legends to pop royalty. In a recent auction, a “see-through” bodysuit he made for Cher in 1978 sold for $57,600, well over its initial estimate, while a shimmering fringed bodysuit with reflective wings that Mackie created for Tina Turner for a 1977 concert sold for $19,200.

“In my view it looks more attractive for the emerging artists who is desiring something other than what they knew from childhood”, he told a media outlet. “Today's artists are embracing a glamorous, more spectacular, show-stopping, entrance-making statement.”

The Pop Culture Resurgence

It’s a look that glided all the way to the heart of the cultural zeitgeist in 2025 propelled by a global pop icon. Recently, the entertainment titan wore one of Mackie’s classic Jubilee! costumes on the cover of her latest record. The bedazzled bra and thong, plumed armbands and glittering headpiece were perfect for a record named The Life of a Showgirl.

She isn't alone. This year, showgirl references have been adopted by pop stars including Dua Lipa as they whizzed across concert platforms in sparkles, strategic openings and feathers, spotlighted against theatrical sets. A top stylist a fashion expert told a style publication he wanted to bring “a stage persona” to her Radical Optimism tour – drawing from pictures from the 50s, her performers wafted giant plumed accessories.

Drawing from History

Lipa, Carpenter and other chart toppers also reference 19th-century performances, including classic theater and dance line references. The outcome are vastly different from the 1990s era pop style of short shirts and utilitarian trousers, and street-style dance moves that came before them.

But some critics are enthusiastic with this showgirl renaissance. A former performer, a former Jubilee! showgirl who entertained in the 00s says the trend is “confusing”. She thinks the word showgirl is being “used as an broad label covering everything from The Radio City Rockettes to Broadway performers and now apparently today's icons.”

The Highly Sought-After Classic Style

For millennial and modern stars, Mackie’s retro designs have become highly covetable. In 2024, Zendaya paid tribute to one of Mackie’s iconic muses, Cher, when the star wore a semi-sheer sequined dress designed by the designer in 2001, which was similar to one he made for Cher to wear in 1967. Later that year, Miley Cyrus paid an undisclosed sum 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 popular item among fashion collectors.

“The showgirl aesthetic evoke fond memories for a past glamour,” says an archivist, head of special collections at the University of Nevada, who studies the history of showgirls. “Now it is viewed as a sort of ‘toned-down’ appeal because it has been adapted. It has got all the elegance, the sparkles and the glitter but without the exposure.”

More Than Simply Style: An Icon of the City

She says showgirls are integral to the imagery of Vegas. She points to ex-mayor Oscar Goodman who, during public appearances, was accompanied by two showgirls. While Las Vegas currently lacks any traditional showgirl productions, Jung says they are still featured as an emblem of the city, showing up at gatherings and in advertisements. “The showgirl is still a enduring symbol of Vegas glamour,” the expert says.

An Allure of Escape

Hardy says the complete change of a stage character is part of the allure. This idea the singer alludes to in a new docuseries that documents the behind-the-scenes action from her year-long 2023 Eras tour, which included gruelling practice sessions, training and countless shows across multiple nations, each lasting 3.5 hours.

Hardy recalls her own nights in the spotlight as “comparable to running a marathon in heels every night”. Her headpiece weighed 34lbs. “I had to wear it all the way up the staircase to the performance area from the green rooms three floors below in the basement. I had to head up ahead of time for my entrance so I could catch my breath before I went on stage. You’re perspiring the whole time but maintaining this illusion that it’s easy and beautiful and magical.”

Perhaps this is where the true allure of the showgirl fantasy really is found. In the busyness of 2025 there is a longing for fantasy. Is there anyone better to emulate than showgirls, who have always represented dreams, perfection and a realm where nobody misses a mark.