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Following a 31-year stint on the Las Vegas Boulevard, the performers from the spectacle Jubilee! executed their last choreographed kick in 2016. The extravaganza, known for its elaborate costumes crafted by American fashion designer Bob Mackie, ended its run due to declining audience numbers and disappointed critics who described it as a spectacle “trapped in time”.

Now, roughly eight years later, the showgirl persona, or at least the glamorous showgirl look, is making a comeback.

A King of Sequins

Known as the “sultan of sequins”, Mackie has made over-the-top stage sparkle his trademark look, dressing everyone from screen legends to pop royalty. Earlier this month, a “see-through” bodysuit he created for Cher in 1978 commanded $57,600, seven times its estimated price, while a shimmering tasseled bodysuit with lamé wings that Mackie created for Tina Turner for a 1977 show sold for $19,200.

“I think it looks more appealing for the emerging artists who is seeking something other than what they grew up with”, he stated in an interview with a newspaper. “Today's artists are embracing a show-stopping, more dramatic, show-stopping, grand statement.”

A Musical Resurgence

It’s a look that made its way all the way to the epicenter of the cultural zeitgeist in 2025 propelled by Taylor Swift. Recently, the cultural juggernaut wore one of Mackie’s vintage Jubilee! costumes on the cover of her latest record. The bedazzled bra and thong, feathered armbands and sparkly headpiece were ideal for a record named The Life of a Showgirl.

Swift isn't alone. This year, glamorous nods have been adopted by pop stars including Miley Cyrus as they danced across concert platforms in sparkles, revealing designs and feathers, illuminated against theatrical sets. Lipa’s stylist her creative director told Vogue he wanted to bring “a showgirl spirit” to her Radical Optimism tour – drawing from pictures from the mid-century, the backup dancers wafted giant plumed accessories.

Drawing from History

These artists and other successful musicians also reference 19th-century performances, including vaudeville and chorus line references. The final look are poles apart from the 1990s era pop style of revealing tops and cargo pants, and hip-hop inspired dance moves that came before them.

But some critics are convinced with this showgirl revival. Nancy Hardy, a ex- Jubilee! showgirl who entertained in the 00s says the trend is “bemusing”. She thinks the word term is being “treated as an catch-all phrase including everything from The Radio City Rockettes to Broadway performers and now seemingly modern pop stars.”

The Highly Sought-After Retro Style

For gen Z and millennial stars, Mackie’s vintage designs have become highly covetable. In 2024, a famous actress gave a nod to one of Mackie’s earliest clients, Cher, when the actor wore a semi-sheer embellished dress created by the designer in 2001, which was similar to one he made for Cher to wear in 1967. Subsequently, another pop star paid an private amount to buy the Mackie beaded mini dress she had worn earlier in the year 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 favorite among collectors.

“The showgirl aesthetic inspire a sense of longing for a past glamour,” says an archivist, a curator at the a Las Vegas university, who documents the story of showgirls. “Now it is seen as a sort of ‘acceptable’ appeal because it has been modified. It has got all the glamour, the rhinestones and the sparkle but without the exposure.”

A Than Just Fashion: An Symbol of Las Vegas

The expert says this figure are key to the iconography of Sin City. She points to one-time leader Oscar Goodman who, during official events, was surrounded by two showgirls. Even though Las Vegas currently lacks any traditional showgirl productions, the historian says they are still used as an symbol of the city, being present at corporate events and in marketing. “The showgirl is still a remaining symbol of Vegas glamour,” the expert says.

An Allure of Escape

Hardy says the complete change of a stage character is part of the appeal. It’s something Swift hints at in a latest documentary series that shows the off-camera action from her year-long 2023 Eras tour, which included gruelling practice sessions, training and countless shows across dozens of cities, each going on for 3.5 hours.

She explains her own stage routines as “comparable to running a marathon in heels every night”. Her feathered headdress was 34lbs. “I had to wear it all the way up the staircase to the stage 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 performed. You are sweating the whole time but maintaining this image that it’s easy and beautiful and ethereal.”

Perhaps this is where the appeal of the showgirl really is found. In the busyness of 2025 there is a craving for a break from reality. Who better to turn to than these performers, who have always embodied dreams, idealism and a realm where nobody makes a mistake.