🔗 Share this article How 'Showgirl' Transformed into the Dazzling Aesthetic of the New Year After a 31-year tenure on the Las Vegas strip, the showgirls from the spectacle Jubilee! gave one last choreographed kick in 2016. The production, known for its ornate costumes designed by American fashion designer Bob Mackie, ended its run due to falling audience numbers and disappointed commentators who labeled it a spectacle “stuck in the past”. Currently, roughly eight years later, showgirls, or at least the showgirl aesthetic, is back. The Sultan of Glitz Dubbed the “king of sparkle”, Mackie has made dramatic stage sparkle his trademark look, dressing everyone from screen legends to Madonna. In a recent auction, a “naked” bodysuit he created for Cher in 1978 sold for $57,600, seven times its initial estimate, while a shimmering tasseled bodysuit with lamé wings that Mackie created for Tina Turner for a 1977 performance sold for $19,200. “I think it looks more enticing for the emerging artists who is seeking something other than what they were accustomed to”, he stated in an interview with a publication. “New stars are pushing toward a glamorous, more spectacular, attention-grabbing, memorable statement.” A Mainstream Comeback It’s a look that glided all the way to the centre of popular culture in 2025 propelled by Taylor Swift. Earlier this year, the cultural juggernaut wore one of Mackie’s vintage Jubilee! costumes on the cover of her new musical project. The rhinestone encrusted bra and thong, plumed armbands and glittering headpiece were perfect for a record named The Life of a Showgirl. The singer isn't alone. This year, glamorous nods have been adopted by music artists including Miley Cyrus as they danced across concert platforms in glitter, cut-outs and ostrich feathers, illuminated against theatrical sets. A top stylist her creative director told Vogue he wanted to bring “a showgirl spirit” to her Radical Optimism tour – inspired by pictures from the 1950s, her performers waved giant ostrich feather fans. Pulling from History These artists and other chart toppers also take inspiration from 19th-century entertainment forms, including burlesque and ensemble references. The final look are vastly different from the 90s pop style of crop tops and utilitarian trousers, and street-style dance moves that preceded this trend. But certain observers are convinced with this showgirl renaissance. Nancy Hardy, a ex- Jubilee! showgirl who performed in the early 2000s says the trend is “puzzling”. She thinks the word showgirl title is being “used as an catch-all phrase encompassing everything from The Radio City Rockettes to Broadway performers and now apparently Taylor Swift.” A Coveted Classic Style For younger and modern stars, Mackie’s classic designs have become incredibly sought-after. In 2024, Zendaya honored to one of Mackie’s first major stars, Cher, when the actress wore a see-through sequined dress created by the designer in 2001, which was similar to one he created for Cher to wear in 1967. Subsequently, a singer paid an undisclosed sum to buy the Mackie fringed mini dress she had worn previously to perform at the Grammys. In September, Carpenter wore a series of retro Mackie designs at the MTV Video Music Awards. They are also a hit among fashion collectors. “Showgirls evoke a sense of longing for a historical elegance,” says a historian, a curator at the University of Nevada, who documents the history of showgirls. “Today it is seen as a sort of ‘acceptable’ allure because it has been adapted. It has got all the sophistication, the sparkles and the sparkle but without the bare skin.” A Than Just Style: An Icon of Vegas She says the showgirl image are central to the iconography of Las Vegas. She points to ex-mayor Oscar Goodman who, during civic functions, was surrounded by two showgirls. Even though Las Vegas currently lacks any traditional showgirl productions, Jung says they are still featured as an symbol of the city, appearing at conventions and in marketing. “The showgirl is still a lasting symbol of Vegas glamour,” the expert says. The Allure of Transformation Hardy says the transformative effect of a showgirl persona is part of the appeal. It’s something the singer references in a recent documentary series that shows the backstage action from her year-long 2023 Eras tour, which included intense preparations, gym sessions and numerous performances across multiple nations, each running for 3.5 hours. She recalls her own showgirl performances as “similar to extreme physical exertion in stilettos every night”. Her headdress weighed 34lbs. “I had to support it all the way up the staircase to the platform from the green rooms three floors below in the underground. I had to head up ahead of time for my entrance so I could recover before I performed. You are perspiring the whole time but crafting this fantasy that it’s easy and beautiful and magical.” Maybe this is where the fascination of the showgirl fantasy really resides. In the complexity of 2025 there is a desire for escapism. What better figure to look to than showgirls, who have always embodied make-believe, perfection and a universe where nobody falters.