After a 31-year run on the iconic Vegas strip, the showgirls from the revue Jubilee! gave one last synchronised kick in 2016. The show, known for its elaborate costumes designed by style icon Bob Mackie, came to an end due to dwindling audience numbers and unimpressed critics who described it as a spectacle “trapped in time”.
Now, nearly ten years later, the showgirl persona, or at least the showgirl style, is making a comeback.
The Master of Sequins
Referred to as the “master of glitz”, Mackie has made theatrical showgirl glamour his defining aesthetic, dressing everyone from Hollywood icons to Madonna. Recently, a “barely-there” bodysuit he designed for Cher in 1978 sold for $57,600, seven times its estimated price, while a metallic tasseled bodysuit with reflective wings that Mackie designed for Tina Turner for a 1977 show sold for $19,200.
“In my view it looks more appealing for the younger performer who is looking for something other than what they grew up with”, he told a publication. “New stars are striving for a show-stopping, more theatrical, breathtaking, grand statement.”
A Mainstream Comeback
It’s a look that glided all the way to the heart of mainstream fashion in 2025 propelled by a global pop icon. Recently, the music phenomenon wore one of Mackie’s classic Jubilee! costumes on the cover of her latest record. The crystal-covered bra and thong, feathered armbands and sparkly headpiece were perfect for a record called The Life of a Showgirl.
She isn't alone. This year, showgirl references have been incorporated by singers including Dua Lipa as they zoomed across arena stages in sequins, revealing designs and plumes, spotlighted against theatrical sets. Her fashion curator her creative director mentioned in an interview with Vogue he wanted to bring “a showgirl spirit” to her Radical Optimism tour – drawing from pictures from the 1950s, the backup dancers waved giant plumed accessories.
Drawing from Tradition
These artists and other chart toppers also draw on 19th-century performances, including burlesque and ensemble references. The outcome are worlds away from the 1990s era pop style of short shirts and cargo pants, and street-style dance moves that were popular earlier.
But certain observers are convinced with this showgirl renaissance. Nancy Hardy, a ex- Jubilee! showgirl who performed in the 00s says the trend is “puzzling”. She thinks the word showgirl title is being “employed as an catch-all phrase covering everything from The Radio City Rockettes to Broadway performers and now seemingly modern pop stars.”
The Coveted Retro Look
For gen Z and millennial stars, Mackie’s retro designs have become incredibly sought-after. In 2024, a style icon gave a nod to one of Mackie’s first major stars, Cher, when the actress wore a see-through beaded dress made by the designer in 2001, which was similar to one he made for Cher to wear in 1967. Subsequently, another pop star paid an undisclosed sum to buy the Mackie tasseled mini dress she had worn earlier in the year to perform at the Grammys. In September, the singer wore a trio of vintage Mackie designs at the MTV Video Music Awards. They are also a favorite among collectors.
“This style inspire nostalgia for a past glamour,” says an archivist, an expert at the a Las Vegas university, who documents the legacy of showgirls. “Now it is viewed as a sort of ‘safe’ appeal because it has been modified. It has got all the elegance, the rhinestones and the sparkle but without the exposure.”
A Than Simply Style: An Icon of the City
She says the showgirl image are key to the imagery of Vegas. She points to former mayor Oscar Goodman who, during official events, was flanked by two showgirls. While Las Vegas no longer has any traditional showgirl productions, Chung says they are still used as an symbol of the city, appearing at conventions and in promotional material. “The showgirl is still a enduring icon of Vegas glitz and glamour,” Chung says.
The Appeal of Escape
Hardy says the magical transformation of a stage character is part of the appeal. This is a notion the singer hints at in a recent behind-the-scenes film that captures the backstage action from her year-long 2023 Eras tour, which included intense preparations, gym sessions and numerous concerts across multiple nations, each running for 3.5 hours.
Hardy describes her own showgirl performances as “comparable to extreme physical exertion in stilettos every night”. Her feathered headdress was 34lbs. “I had to support it all the way up the stairs to the stage from the dressing rooms three floors below in the lower level. I had to start early for my entrance so I could rest before I made my entrance. You are sweating the whole time but crafting this fantasy that it’s effortless and beautiful and dreamlike.”
It could be this is where the true allure of the showgirl really resides. In the busyness of 2025 there is a craving for a break from reality. Is there anyone better to turn to than such icons, who have always embodied make-believe, flawlessness and a universe where no one makes a mistake.
