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Following a 31-year tenure on the iconic Vegas strip, the dancers from the production Jubilee! gave one last perfectly timed kick in 2016. The extravaganza, famous for its elaborate costumes crafted by style icon Bob Mackie, came to an end due to falling audience numbers and unimpressed critics who labeled it a spectacle “stuck in the past”.

Today, almost a decade later, the showgirl persona, or at least the showgirl aesthetic, is making a comeback.

A King of Sparkle

Known as the “sultan of sequins”, Mackie has made over-the-top stage sparkle his signature style, clothing everyone from Hollywood icons to music superstars. Earlier this month, a “see-through” bodysuit he made for Cher in 1978 fetched $57,600, well over its projected value, while a shimmering fringed bodysuit with shiny wings that Mackie crafted for Tina Turner for a 1977 concert sold for $19,200.

“I believe it looks more enticing for the new generation of stars who is desiring something other than what they were accustomed to”, he explained to a publication. “Today's artists are pushing toward a theatrical, more theatrical, attention-grabbing, entrance-making statement.”

A Mainstream Revival

It’s a look that made its way all the way to the centre of mainstream fashion in 2025 largely due to a global pop icon. In the past few months, the cultural juggernaut wore one of Mackie’s original Jubilee! costumes on the cover of her latest record. The bedazzled bra and thong, plumed armbands and glittering headpiece were perfect for a record called The Life of a Showgirl.

The singer is part of a trend. This year, showgirl references have been adopted by pop stars including Sabrina Carpenter as they zoomed across concert platforms in sequins, revealing designs and plumes, highlighted against overstated sets. Lipa’s stylist a fashion expert mentioned in an interview with a fashion magazine he wanted to bring “a showgirl spirit” to her Radical Optimism tour – inspired by pictures from the 1950s, Lipa’s dancers fluttered giant ostrich feather fans.

Drawing from Tradition

Modern stars and other successful musicians also draw on historical entertainment forms, including classic theater and dance line references. The final look are vastly different from the 1990s era teen pop of revealing tops and utilitarian trousers, and street-style dance moves that came before them.

But not everyone are enthusiastic with this showgirl renaissance. A former performer, a one-time Jubilee! showgirl who entertained in the 2000s says the trend is “confusing”. She thinks the word term is being “used as an catch-all phrase covering everything from The Radio City Rockettes to Broadway performers and now even today's icons.”

A Highly Sought-After Retro Style

For younger and millennial stars, Mackie’s retro designs have become highly covetable. In 2024, Zendaya honored to one of Mackie’s iconic muses, Cher, when the star wore a semi-sheer beaded dress designed by the designer in 2001, which was similar to one he created for Cher to wear in 1967. Subsequently, another pop star paid an undisclosed sum 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 series of classic Mackie designs at the MTV Video Music Awards. They are also a popular item among fashion collectors.

“This style inspire fond memories for a historical elegance,” says Su Kim Chung, a curator at the an academic institution, who documents the legacy of showgirls. “Today it is viewed as a sort of ‘safe’ appeal because it has been modified. It has got all the sophistication, the sparkles and the glitter but without the exposure.”

A Than Just Fashion: An Icon of Vegas

She says the showgirl image are central to the imagery of Las Vegas. She points to ex-mayor Oscar Goodman who, during public appearances, was flanked by two showgirls. Even though Las Vegas currently lacks any showgirl-based productions, Chung says they are still employed as an emblem of the city, showing up at gatherings and in marketing. “The showgirl is still a remaining figure of Las Vegas glitz and glamour,” Chung says.

The Allure of Illusion

The former showgirl says the complete change of a showgirl is part of the appeal. This idea the singer hints at in a latest docuseries that captures the behind-the-scenes action from her year-long 2023 Eras tour, which included intense practice sessions, gym sessions and 149 performances across 21 countries, each lasting 3.5 hours.

She explains her own nights in the spotlight as “like extreme physical exertion in heels every night”. Her headpiece was 34lbs. “I had to support it all the way up the staircase to the platform from the dressing rooms three floors below in the underground. I had to start early for my cue so I could recover before I performed. You’re perspiring the whole time but maintaining this illusion that it’s easy and beautiful and ethereal.”

Perhaps this is where the fascination of the showgirl fantasy really lies. In the complexity of 2025 there is a desire for escapism. What better figure to look to than these performers, who have always embodied fantasy, perfection and a universe where nobody makes a mistake.