After a 31-year stint on the Las Vegas Boulevard, the showgirls from the production Jubilee! took a final synchronised kick in 2016. The show, known for its ornate costumes crafted by celebrated designer Bob Mackie, came to an end due to declining audience numbers and disappointed commentators who labeled it a spectacle “a relic of another era”.
Today, roughly eight years later, showgirls, or at least the showgirl aesthetic, is making a comeback.
A Master of Sequins
Dubbed the “sultan of sequins”, Mackie has made dramatic showgirl glamour his defining aesthetic, dressing everyone from screen legends to music superstars. In a recent auction, a “see-through” bodysuit he made for Cher in 1978 commanded $57,600, well over its initial estimate, while a metallic beaded bodysuit with lamé wings that Mackie designed for Tina Turner for a 1977 concert sold for $19,200.
“I believe it looks more attractive for the younger performer who is desiring something other than what they were accustomed to”, he stated in an interview with a newspaper. “Contemporary performers are embracing a show-stopping, more theatrical, breathtaking, memorable statement.”
The Musical Resurgence
It’s a look that glided all the way to the epicenter of popular culture in 2025 largely due to a global pop icon. In the past few months, the music phenomenon wore one of Mackie’s original Jubilee! costumes on the cover of her new musical project. The crystal-covered bra and thong, plumed armbands and glittering headpiece were tailor-made for a record called The Life of a Showgirl.
She has company. This year, showgirl references have been incorporated by music artists including Sabrina Carpenter as they whizzed across world tours in sequins, cut-outs and ostrich feathers, spotlighted against camp sets. Her fashion curator her creative director told a style publication he wanted to bring “a showgirl attitude” to her Radical Optimism tour – drawing from pictures from the 50s, the backup dancers fluttered giant ostrich feather fans.
Pulling from History
Modern stars and other hitmakers also reference historical performances, including vaudeville and dance line references. The results are worlds away from the 90s pop style of short shirts and cargo pants, and street-style dance moves that were popular earlier.
But certain observers are on board with this showgirl revival. An ex-showgirl, a former Jubilee! showgirl who entertained in the 00s says the trend is “puzzling”. She thinks the word showgirl is being “treated as an umbrella term encompassing everything from The Radio City Rockettes to Broadway performers and now even modern pop stars.”
The Coveted Classic Look
For gen Z and young adult stars, Mackie’s vintage designs have become incredibly sought-after. In 2024, a style icon paid tribute to one of Mackie’s iconic muses, Cher, when the actress wore a translucent sequined dress made by the designer in 2001, which was reminiscent of one he created for Cher to wear in 1967. Later that year, another pop star paid an significant price to buy the Mackie fringed mini dress she had worn previously to perform at the Grammys. In September, the singer wore a collection of vintage Mackie designs at the MTV Video Music Awards. They are also a popular item among fashion collectors.
“Showgirls inspire fond memories for a historical elegance,” says Su Kim Chung, an expert at the a Las Vegas university, who studies the story of showgirls. “Currently it is considered a sort of ‘safe’ allure because it has been adapted. It has got all the elegance, the sparkles and the shine but without the nudity.”
A Than Simply Style: An Symbol of Vegas
The expert says this figure are central to the identity of Vegas. She points to ex-mayor Oscar Goodman who, during public appearances, was accompanied by two showgirls. Even though Las Vegas no longer has any showgirl-centric productions, Chung says they are still employed as an logo of the city, being present at conventions and in marketing. “The showgirl is still a remaining figure of Vegas glamour,” the expert says.
An Allure of Escape
Hardy says the magical transformation of a showgirl is part of the allure. This idea the singer hints at in a latest docuseries that shows the behind-the-scenes action from her extensive 2023 Eras tour, which included intense practice sessions, training and 149 performances across 21 countries, each running for 3.5 hours.
Hardy explains her own showgirl performances as “similar to completing an endurance race in heels every night”. Her headdress tipped the scales at 34lbs. “I had to wear it all the way up the stairs to the platform from the backstage area three floors below in the basement. I had to head up ahead of time for my cue so I could recover before I performed. You’re perspiring the whole time but crafting this image that it’s simple and beautiful and dreamlike.”
Maybe this is where the true allure of the showgirl really is found. In the complexity of 2025 there is a longing for escapism. Who better to emulate than such icons, who have always personified make-believe, perfection and a world where nobody makes a mistake.
