How 'Showgirl Glamour' Transformed into the Dazzling Look of This Year

Following a long-running run on the Las Vegas Boulevard, the showgirls from the production Jubilee! gave one last choreographed kick in 2016. The extravaganza, famous for its ornate costumes crafted by American fashion designer Bob Mackie, ended its run due to falling audience numbers and unimpressed reviewers who labeled it a spectacle “trapped in time”.

Now, roughly eight years later, the showgirl persona, or at least the showgirl aesthetic, is experiencing a revival.

A Master of Sequins

Dubbed the “king of sparkle”, Mackie has made dramatic showgirl glitz his signature style, clothing everyone from screen legends to music superstars. Earlier this month, a “naked” bodysuit he designed for Cher in 1978 commanded $57,600, far exceeding its initial estimate, while a shimmering beaded bodysuit with reflective wings that Mackie created for Tina Turner for a 1977 performance sold for $19,200.

“In my view it looks more appealing for the emerging artists who is seeking something other than what they were accustomed to”, he told a publication. “Contemporary performers are embracing a glamorous, more spectacular, breathtaking, memorable statement.”

The Pop Culture Comeback

It’s a look that sashayed all the way to the centre of mainstream fashion in 2025 propelled by a global pop icon. Recently, the entertainment titan wore one of Mackie’s original Jubilee! costumes on the cover of her latest record. The bedazzled bra and thong, ostrich-feather armbands and shimmering headpiece were tailor-made for a record named The Life of a Showgirl.

She has company. This year, showgirl inspirations have been incorporated by music artists including Dua Lipa as they danced across concert platforms in sequins, cut-outs and ostrich feathers, spotlighted against overstated sets. Her fashion curator her creative director told a fashion magazine he wanted to bring “a stage persona” to her Radical Optimism tour – drawing from pictures from the mid-century, Lipa’s dancers waved giant plumed accessories.

Drawing from History

These artists and other hitmakers also reference classic performances, including vaudeville and dance line references. The results are poles apart from the 1990s era Britney Spears era of revealing tops and cargo pants, and urban dance moves that were popular earlier.

But not everyone are on board with this showgirl revival. Nancy Hardy, a ex- Jubilee! showgirl who performed in the 00s says the trend is “bemusing”. She thinks the word showgirl is being “used as an umbrella term encompassing everything from The Radio City Rockettes to Broadway performers and now seemingly Taylor Swift.”

A Highly Sought-After Retro Look

For younger and young adult stars, Mackie’s vintage designs have become incredibly sought-after. In 2024, a famous actress gave a nod to one of Mackie’s first major stars, Cher, when the actress wore a translucent beaded dress designed by the designer in 2001, which was inspired by one he designed for Cher to wear in 1967. Later that year, a singer 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 series of vintage Mackie designs at the MTV Video Music Awards. They are also a favorite among fashion collectors.

“This style inspire a sense of longing for a past glamour,” says an archivist, an expert at the an academic institution, who documents the story of showgirls. “Today it is considered a sort of ‘safe’ sexy because it has been modified. It has got all the elegance, the crystals and the sparkle but without the nudity.”

More Than Just Fashion: An Icon of Vegas

She says this figure are central to the identity of Las Vegas. She points to ex-mayor Oscar Goodman who, during official events, was accompanied by two showgirls. Although Las Vegas currently lacks any showgirl-based productions, Jung says they are still featured as an logo of the city, being present at gatherings and in marketing. “The showgirl is still a lasting symbol of Vegas spectacle,” Chung says.

An Allure of Transformation

The former showgirl says the transformative effect of a showgirl persona is part of the appeal. This idea the singer hints at in a new documentary series that shows the backstage action from her year-long 2023 Eras tour, which included exhausting preparations, workouts and numerous concerts across multiple nations, each running for 3.5 hours.

The performer recalls her own nights in the spotlight as “similar to running a marathon in stilettos every night”. Her headpiece weighed 34lbs. “I had to support it all the way up the steps to the performance area from the backstage area three floors below in the basement. I had to start early for my entrance so I could recover before I went on stage. You’re perspiring the whole time but crafting this illusion that it’s easy and gorgeous and dreamlike.”

It could be this is where the appeal of the showgirl really resides. In the busyness of 2025 there is a craving for a break from reality. Who better to turn to than showgirls, who have always personified make-believe, idealism and a world where nobody misses a mark.