How 'Showgirl' Became the Dazzling Style of This Year

After a three-decade tenure on the Las Vegas Boulevard, the showgirls from the spectacle Jubilee! gave one last perfectly timed kick in 2016. The extravaganza, renowned for its ornate costumes crafted by American fashion designer Bob Mackie, ended its run due to falling audience numbers and unimpressed commentators who called it a spectacle “trapped in time”.

Now, nearly ten years later, the showgirl, or at least the showgirl aesthetic, is experiencing a revival.

A King of Glitz

Dubbed the “master of glitz”, Mackie has made theatrical stage sparkle his signature style, outfitting everyone from screen legends to music superstars. Earlier this month, a “naked” bodysuit he designed for Cher in 1978 fetched $57,600, far exceeding its projected value, while a shimmering tasseled bodysuit with lamé wings that Mackie crafted for Tina Turner for a 1977 performance sold for $19,200.

“I think it looks more attractive for the emerging artists who is desiring something other than what they knew from childhood”, he told a publication. “New stars are embracing a glamorous, more dramatic, breathtaking, entrance-making statement.”

A Pop Culture Revival

It’s a look that sashayed all the way to the epicenter of popular culture in 2025 propelled by Taylor Swift. Recently, the entertainment titan wore one of Mackie’s classic Jubilee! costumes on the cover of her 12th studio album. The bedazzled bra and thong, feathered armbands and sparkly headpiece were tailor-made for a record called The Life of a Showgirl.

Swift isn't alone. This year, glamorous nods have been embraced by music artists including Dua Lipa as they zoomed across world tours in sequins, revealing designs and plumes, highlighted against camp sets. A top stylist her creative director mentioned in an interview with a style publication he wanted to bring “a showgirl attitude” to her Radical Optimism tour – referencing pictures from the mid-century, her performers wafted giant ostrich feather fans.

Drawing from History

Lipa, Carpenter and other hitmakers also take inspiration from historical performances, including vaudeville and dance line references. The final look are poles apart from the late-century pop style of revealing tops and cargo pants, and urban dance moves that came before them.

But some critics are convinced with this showgirl revival. A former performer, a one-time Jubilee! showgirl who danced in the 2000s says the trend is “confusing”. She thinks the word showgirl title is being “treated as an umbrella term encompassing everything from The Radio City Rockettes to Broadway performers and now even today's icons.”

A Highly Sought-After Retro Look

For gen Z and modern stars, Mackie’s vintage designs have become highly covetable. In 2024, a famous actress gave a nod to one of Mackie’s iconic muses, Cher, when the star wore a semi-sheer beaded dress made by the designer in 2001, which was reminiscent of one he created for Cher to wear in 1967. Later that year, Miley Cyrus paid an significant price to buy the Mackie tasseled mini dress she had worn at an awards show to perform at the Grammys. In September, the singer wore a trio of retro Mackie designs at the MTV Video Music Awards. They are also a popular item among fashion collectors.

“The showgirl aesthetic bring about a sense of longing for a past glamour,” says Su Kim Chung, head of special collections at the an academic institution, who documents the story of showgirls. “Today it is viewed as a sort of ‘safe’ allure because it has been updated. It has got all the elegance, the rhinestones and the glitter but without the bare skin.”

A Than Simply Fashion: An Icon of the City

Chung says showgirls are integral to the iconography of Las Vegas. She points to former mayor Oscar Goodman who, during public appearances, was flanked by two showgirls. Although Las Vegas currently lacks any showgirl-based productions, Chung says they are still employed as an symbol of the city, appearing at gatherings and in marketing. “The showgirl is still a enduring figure of Las Vegas glitz and glamour,” the expert says.

An Allure of Illusion

Nancy Hardy says the magical transformation of a showgirl persona is part of the allure. This idea Taylor Swift hints at in a latest docuseries that captures the behind-the-scenes action from her massive 2023 Eras tour, which included exhausting rehearsals, workouts and numerous concerts across multiple nations, each running for 3.5 hours.

The performer explains her own showgirl performances as “comparable to running a marathon in heels every night”. Her headpiece weighed 34lbs. “I had to wear it all the way up the stairs to the performance area from the dressing rooms three floors below in the basement. I had to leave early for my cue so I could recover before I made my entrance. You are perspiring the whole time but crafting this illusion that it’s easy and beautiful and magical.”

Maybe this is where the appeal of the showgirl really is found. In the chaos of 2025 there is a desire for escapism. Is there anyone better to turn to than showgirls, who have always embodied make-believe, idealism and a universe where nobody makes a mistake.