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After a long-running run on the Las Vegas strip, the dancers from the spectacle Jubilee! executed their last perfectly timed kick in 2016. The show, famous for its elaborate costumes created by style icon Bob Mackie, came to an end due to falling audience numbers and unimpressed reviewers who described it as a spectacle “stuck in the past”.

Today, almost a decade later, the showgirl, or at least the showgirl aesthetic, is back.

The King of Sequins

Referred to as the “king of sparkle”, Mackie has made theatrical showgirl glamour his defining aesthetic, clothing everyone from Hollywood icons to Madonna. Earlier this month, a “see-through” bodysuit he created for Cher in 1978 fetched $57,600, seven times its estimated price, while a shimmering fringed bodysuit with lamé wings that Mackie designed for Tina Turner for a 1977 concert sold for $19,200.

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

A Pop Culture Comeback

It’s a look that sashayed all the way to the centre of mainstream fashion 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, plumed armbands and sparkly headpiece were perfect for a record called The Life of a Showgirl.

She isn't alone. This year, showgirl references have been adopted by singers including Miley Cyrus as they zoomed across world tours in sparkles, cut-outs and feathers, spotlighted against overstated sets. Her fashion curator her creative director explained to Vogue he wanted to bring “a stage persona” to her Radical Optimism tour – inspired by pictures from the mid-century, Lipa’s dancers wafted giant ostrich feather fans.

Drawing from History

These artists and other hitmakers also reference classic performances, including burlesque and ensemble references. The outcome are poles apart from the 90s teen pop of short shirts and baggy pants, and hip-hop inspired dance moves that preceded this trend.

But certain observers are on board with this showgirl renaissance. An ex-showgirl, a former Jubilee! showgirl who danced in the early 2000s says the trend is “bemusing”. She thinks the word showgirl is being “employed as an catch-all phrase covering everything from The Radio City Rockettes to Broadway performers and now seemingly today's icons.”

A Coveted Retro Style

For gen Z and young adult stars, Mackie’s retro 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 similar to one he made for Cher to wear in 1967. Months after, another pop star paid an significant price to buy the Mackie fringed mini dress she had worn earlier in the year to perform at the Grammys. In September, the singer wore a collection of retro Mackie designs at the MTV Video Music Awards. They are also a favorite among fashion collectors.

“Showgirls bring about a sense of longing for a past glamour,” says a historian, a curator at the a Las Vegas university, who documents the legacy of showgirls. “Today it is viewed as a sort of ‘safe’ sexy because it has been modified. It has got all the elegance, the sparkles and the glitter but without the exposure.”

More Than Simply Fashion: An Icon of Vegas

She says the showgirl image are central to the imagery of Vegas. She points to former mayor Oscar Goodman who, during public appearances, was accompanied by two showgirls. Even though Las Vegas no longer has any traditional showgirl productions, Chung says they are still featured as an symbol of the city, being present at gatherings and in marketing. “The showgirl is still a remaining icon of Vegas glamour,” Chung says.

The Allure of Transformation

Nancy Hardy says the magical transformation of a stage character is part of the appeal. This is a notion the singer references in a latest behind-the-scenes film that documents the off-camera action from her year-long 2023 Eras tour, which included gruelling preparations, workouts and numerous concerts across dozens of cities, each going on for 3.5 hours.

She recalls her own stage routines as “like extreme physical exertion in high heels every night”. Her headpiece weighed 34lbs. “I had to support it all the way up the staircase to the performance area from the backstage area three floors below in the lower level. I had to head up ahead of time for my entrance so I could rest before I went on stage. You’re perspiring the whole time but maintaining this fantasy that it’s simple and stunning and ethereal.”

Maybe this is where the fascination of the showgirl really lies. In the chaos of 2025 there is a desire for fantasy. What better figure to emulate than showgirls, who have always embodied make-believe, perfection and a world where nobody misses a mark.