How 'Showgirl Glamour' Became the Dazzling Look of This Year

After a three-decade tenure on the iconic Vegas strip, the performers from the revue Jubilee! executed their last synchronised kick in 2016. The production, famous for its intricate costumes designed by celebrated designer Bob Mackie, came to an end due to falling audience numbers and unimpressed reviewers who described it as a spectacle “stuck in the past”.

Now, almost a decade later, showgirls, or at least the glamorous showgirl look, is experiencing a revival.

A Master of Sparkle

Dubbed the “king of sparkle”, Mackie has made theatrical showgirl glitz his defining aesthetic, outfitting everyone from Hollywood icons to pop royalty. In a recent auction, a “barely-there” bodysuit he created for Cher in 1978 fetched $57,600, seven times its initial estimate, while a silver and gold tasseled bodysuit with reflective wings that Mackie crafted for Tina Turner for a 1977 show sold for $19,200.

“I believe it looks more attractive for the emerging artists who is looking for something other than what they were accustomed to”, he told a newspaper. “New stars are embracing a glamorous, more spectacular, attention-grabbing, grand statement.”

A Pop Culture Comeback

It’s a look that made its way all the way to the heart of the cultural zeitgeist in 2025 propelled by a chart-topping superstar. Recently, the music phenomenon wore one of Mackie’s original Jubilee! costumes on the cover of her latest record. The rhinestone encrusted bra and thong, feathered armbands and shimmering headpiece were perfect for a record called The Life of a Showgirl.

Swift isn't alone. This year, showgirl references have been incorporated by music artists including Dua Lipa as they danced across concert platforms in sparkles, cut-outs and feathers, illuminated against camp sets. Her fashion curator her creative director explained to a fashion magazine he wanted to bring “a stage persona” to her Radical Optimism tour – inspired by pictures from the 50s, the backup dancers wafted giant ostrich feather fans.

Pulling from the Past

Modern stars and other successful musicians also draw on classic performances, including burlesque and dance line references. The outcome are worlds away from the 1990s era Britney Spears era of short shirts and cargo pants, and hip-hop inspired dance moves that came before them.

But some critics are convinced with this showgirl revival. An ex-showgirl, a former Jubilee! showgirl who entertained in the 00s says the trend is “confusing”. She thinks the word showgirl title is being “used as an umbrella term covering everything from The Radio City Rockettes to Broadway performers and now seemingly modern pop stars.”

A Highly Sought-After Retro Look

For millennial and young adult stars, Mackie’s vintage designs have become incredibly sought-after. In 2024, Zendaya gave a nod to one of Mackie’s earliest clients, Cher, when the actress wore a translucent sequined dress made by the designer in 2001, which was inspired by one he designed for Cher to wear in 1967. Subsequently, another pop star paid an private amount to buy the Mackie fringed mini dress she had worn previously to perform at the Grammys. In September, Sabrina Carpenter wore a trio of classic Mackie designs at the MTV Video Music Awards. They are also a favorite among vintage enthusiasts.

“The showgirl aesthetic inspire nostalgia for a bygone era of glitz,” says a historian, an expert at the a Las Vegas university, who documents the story of showgirls. “Currently it is seen as a sort of ‘toned-down’ allure because it has been modified. It has got all the sophistication, the rhinestones and the sparkle but without the nudity.”

A Than Simply Fashion: An Icon of Las Vegas

Chung says showgirls are integral to the iconography of Las Vegas. She points to former mayor Oscar Goodman who, during civic functions, was flanked by two showgirls. Even though Las Vegas no longer has any traditional showgirl productions, Jung says they are still featured as an symbol of the city, being present at conventions and in promotional material. “The showgirl is still a lasting symbol of Vegas spectacle,” Chung says.

The Appeal of Escape

Nancy Hardy says the transformative effect of a showgirl persona is part of the appeal. It’s something the singer hints at in a latest docuseries that captures the off-camera action from her extensive 2023 Eras tour, which included intense rehearsals, training and countless concerts 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 heels every night”. Her feathered headdress tipped the scales at 34lbs. “I had to carry it all the way up the steps to the platform from the backstage area three floors below in the underground. I had to start early for my entrance so I could recover before I went on stage. You’re working hard the whole time but maintaining this fantasy that it’s effortless and beautiful and dreamlike.”

It could be this is where the true allure of the showgirl really is found. In the complexity of 2025 there is a desire for escapism. Who better to emulate than showgirls, who have always embodied fantasy, flawlessness and a realm where nobody misses a mark.