After a three-decade run on the Las Vegas strip, the performers from the revue Jubilee! took a final perfectly timed 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 reviewers who called it a spectacle “a relic of another era”.
Currently, almost a decade later, the showgirl, or at least the showgirl style, is back.
A Sultan of Glitz
Known as the “master of glitz”, Mackie has made over-the-top showgirl glitz his signature style, clothing everyone from screen legends to pop royalty. Earlier this month, a “naked” bodysuit he designed for Cher in 1978 fetched $57,600, well over its projected value, while a shimmering fringed bodysuit with reflective wings that Mackie designed for Tina Turner for a 1977 performance sold for $19,200.
“I think it looks more enticing for the emerging artists who is desiring something other than what they were accustomed to”, he told a newspaper. “New stars are striving for a theatrical, more theatrical, attention-grabbing, memorable statement.”
The Pop Culture Revival
It’s a look that sashayed all the way to the epicenter of mainstream fashion in 2025 propelled by Taylor Swift. Earlier this year, the cultural juggernaut wore one of Mackie’s original Jubilee! costumes on the cover of her latest record. The bedazzled bra and thong, ostrich-feather armbands and glittering headpiece were tailor-made for a record named The Life of a Showgirl.
She is part of a trend. This year, glamorous nods have been adopted by pop stars including Dua Lipa as they zoomed across concert platforms in sparkles, strategic openings and ostrich feathers, spotlighted against camp sets. Her fashion curator Lorenzo Posocco mentioned in an interview with Vogue he wanted to bring “a showgirl spirit” to her Radical Optimism tour – inspired by pictures from the 1950s, the backup dancers waved giant feathered fans.
Drawing from History
Modern stars and other chart toppers also take inspiration from historical performances, including burlesque and chorus line references. The final look are poles apart from the 1990s era Britney Spears era of crop tops and cargo pants, and urban dance moves that preceded this trend.
But some critics are on board with this showgirl renaissance. A former performer, a ex- Jubilee! showgirl who performed in the 2000s says the trend is “confusing”. She thinks the word showgirl title is being “employed as an broad label including everything from The Radio City Rockettes to Broadway performers and now even today's icons.”
The Coveted Retro Look
For younger and modern stars, Mackie’s retro designs have become incredibly sought-after. In 2024, a famous actress paid tribute to one of Mackie’s first major stars, Cher, when the actor wore a see-through sequined dress made by the designer in 2001, which was similar to one he created for Cher to wear in 1967. Months after, a singer paid an undisclosed sum to buy the Mackie beaded mini dress she had worn at an awards show to perform at the Grammys. In September, the singer wore a trio of classic Mackie designs at the MTV Video Music Awards. They are also a favorite among vintage enthusiasts.
“Showgirls inspire fond memories for a historical elegance,” says a historian, an expert at the an academic institution, who studies the legacy of showgirls. “Now it is considered a sort of ‘safe’ allure because it has been adapted. It has got all the glamour, the crystals and the sparkle but without the nudity.”
More Than Just Fashion: An Icon of Vegas
The expert says the showgirl image are integral to the identity of Las Vegas. She points to one-time leader Oscar Goodman who, during official events, was accompanied by two showgirls. Even though Las Vegas does not host any traditional showgirl productions, Jung says they are still used as an logo of the city, appearing at corporate events and in advertisements. “The showgirl is still a lasting figure of Las Vegas glamour,” the expert says.
An Appeal of Escape
The former showgirl says the complete change of a stage character is part of the attraction. This idea Swift alludes to in a latest documentary series that captures the backstage action from her extensive 2023 Eras tour, which included exhausting rehearsals, workouts and countless concerts across dozens of cities, each going on for 3.5 hours.
The performer explains her own showgirl performances as “comparable to running a marathon in stilettos every night”. Her headdress tipped the scales at 34lbs. “I had to support it all the way up the staircase to the platform from the backstage area three floors below in the underground. I had to leave early for my cue so I could recover before I made my entrance. You’re working hard the whole time but maintaining this illusion that it’s easy and beautiful and dreamlike.”
Maybe this is where the appeal of the showgirl really resides. In the busyness of 2025 there is a craving for escapism. What better figure to emulate than showgirls, who have always personified fantasy, perfection and a realm where no one misses a mark.
