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Following a long-running stint on the Las Vegas Boulevard, the dancers from the production Jubilee! executed their last synchronised kick in 2016. The extravaganza, renowned for its intricate costumes created by style icon Bob Mackie, ended its run due to falling audience numbers and unimpressed commentators who described it as a spectacle “trapped in time”.

Today, nearly ten years later, the showgirl, or at least the glamorous showgirl look, is back.

The King of Glitz

Known as the “master of glitz”, Mackie has made dramatic stage sparkle his defining aesthetic, clothing everyone from screen legends to pop royalty. Recently, a “barely-there” bodysuit he made for Cher in 1978 sold for $57,600, well over its initial estimate, while a shimmering beaded bodysuit with reflective wings that Mackie crafted for Tina Turner for a 1977 concert sold for $19,200.

“In my view it looks more attractive for the emerging artists who is seeking something other than what they were accustomed to”, he explained to a publication. “Today's artists are striving for a theatrical, more dramatic, attention-grabbing, memorable statement.”

A Mainstream Comeback

It’s a look that glided all the way to the epicenter of popular culture in 2025 largely due to a global pop icon. Earlier this year, the cultural juggernaut wore one of Mackie’s vintage Jubilee! costumes on the cover of her latest record. The crystal-covered bra and thong, feathered armbands and glittering headpiece were ideal for a record called The Life of a Showgirl.

She has company. This year, glamorous nods have been embraced by pop stars including Sabrina Carpenter as they zoomed across arena stages in sequins, revealing designs and plumes, illuminated against overstated sets. A top stylist her creative director mentioned in an interview with a fashion magazine he wanted to bring “a showgirl attitude” to her Radical Optimism tour – drawing from pictures from the 1950s, Lipa’s dancers wafted giant ostrich feather fans.

Drawing from Tradition

Lipa, Carpenter and other successful musicians also draw on historical entertainment forms, including classic theater and chorus line references. The outcome are vastly different from the 1990s era teen pop of revealing tops and baggy pants, and urban dance moves that were popular earlier.

But not everyone are enthusiastic with this glamour resurgence. Nancy Hardy, a ex- Jubilee! showgirl who performed in the 2000s says the trend is “bemusing”. She thinks the word term is being “treated as an broad label encompassing everything from The Radio City Rockettes to Broadway performers and now even today's icons.”

A Highly Sought-After Retro Style

For younger and young adult stars, Mackie’s vintage designs have become extremely desirable. In 2024, Zendaya paid tribute to one of Mackie’s first major stars, Cher, when the star wore a translucent embellished dress designed by the designer in 2001, which was reminiscent of one he created for Cher to wear in 1967. Months after, a singer paid an private amount to buy the Mackie beaded mini dress she had worn previously to perform at the Grammys. In September, Carpenter wore a series of vintage Mackie designs at the MTV Video Music Awards. They are also a hit among vintage enthusiasts.

“The showgirl aesthetic evoke nostalgia for a historical elegance,” says an archivist, a curator at the University of Nevada, who documents the history of showgirls. “Now it is viewed as a sort of ‘toned-down’ sexy because it has been adapted. It has got all the glamour, the sparkles and the glitter but without the exposure.”

More Than Just Fashion: An Symbol of Vegas

Chung says the showgirl image are central to the identity of Vegas. She points to one-time leader Oscar Goodman who, during civic functions, was surrounded by two showgirls. While Las Vegas no longer has any traditional showgirl productions, Chung says they are still used as an logo of the city, being present at conventions and in advertisements. “The showgirl is still a lasting icon of Vegas spectacle,” Chung says.

The Appeal of Transformation

The former showgirl says the magical transformation of a stage character is part of the appeal. This is a notion the singer alludes to in a new behind-the-scenes film that documents the backstage action from her extensive 2023 Eras tour, which included gruelling preparations, workouts and 149 shows across 21 countries, each going on for 3.5 hours.

The performer explains her own nights in the spotlight as “similar to running a marathon in stilettos every night”. Her headpiece was 34lbs. “I had to carry it all the way up the stairs to the platform from the backstage area three floors below in the lower level. I had to leave early for my entrance so I could recover before I performed. You are working hard the whole time but crafting this image that it’s easy and beautiful and dreamlike.”

It could be this is where the appeal of the showgirl really resides. In the busyness of 2025 there is a desire for a break from reality. Is there anyone better to emulate than showgirls, who have always personified make-believe, idealism and a world where no one makes a mistake.