Why 'Showgirl' Transformed into the Glittering Aesthetic of the New Year

Following a long-running tenure on the Las Vegas strip, the dancers from the production Jubilee! gave one last choreographed kick in 2016. The extravaganza, famous for its intricate costumes created by celebrated designer Bob Mackie, closed its doors due to dwindling audience numbers and critical reviewers who described it as a spectacle “trapped in time”.

Today, roughly eight years later, showgirls, or at least the showgirl style, is making a comeback.

A Master of Sparkle

Known as the “sultan of sequins”, Mackie has made theatrical showgirl glamour his defining aesthetic, outfitting everyone from Marilyn Monroe to pop royalty. Earlier this month, a “naked” bodysuit he created for Cher in 1978 commanded $57,600, far exceeding its estimated price, while a metallic tasseled bodysuit with reflective wings that Mackie designed for Tina Turner for a 1977 performance sold for $19,200.

“I believe it looks more attractive for the younger performer who is looking for something other than what they knew from childhood”, he stated in an interview with a newspaper. “New stars are embracing a theatrical, more spectacular, breathtaking, entrance-making statement.”

A Musical Revival

It’s a look that made its way all the way to the heart of the cultural zeitgeist in 2025 propelled by a global pop icon. Recently, the entertainment titan 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 tailor-made for a record named The Life of a Showgirl.

The singer is part of a trend. This year, showgirl references have been embraced by pop stars including Sabrina Carpenter as they zoomed across world tours in sequins, strategic openings and ostrich feathers, spotlighted against camp sets. Her fashion curator her creative director explained to Vogue he wanted to bring “a stage persona” to her Radical Optimism tour – referencing pictures from the 50s, the backup dancers waved giant plumed accessories.

Pulling from Tradition

These artists and other successful musicians also take inspiration from historical entertainment forms, including burlesque and chorus line references. The final look are poles apart from the 90s Britney Spears era of short shirts and utilitarian trousers, and urban dance moves that were popular earlier.

But some critics are enthusiastic with this showgirl renaissance. Nancy Hardy, a former Jubilee! showgirl who danced in the 00s says the trend is “puzzling”. She thinks the word term is being “employed as an catch-all phrase including everything from The Radio City Rockettes to Broadway performers and now seemingly modern pop stars.”

The Highly Sought-After Retro Style

For millennial and millennial stars, Mackie’s classic designs have become extremely desirable. In 2024, Zendaya honored to one of Mackie’s earliest clients, Cher, when the star wore a translucent beaded dress made by the designer in 2001, which was inspired by one he designed for Cher to wear in 1967. Months after, a singer paid an undisclosed sum to buy the Mackie tasseled mini dress she had worn previously to perform at the Grammys. In September, the singer wore a collection of vintage Mackie designs at the MTV Video Music Awards. They are also a hit among vintage enthusiasts.

“Showgirls inspire nostalgia for a historical elegance,” says an archivist, a curator at the a Las Vegas university, who studies the history of showgirls. “Now it is viewed as a sort of ‘safe’ sexy because it has been modified. It has got all the glamour, the crystals and the glitter but without the nudity.”

A Than Simply Fashion: An Symbol of the City

She says the showgirl image are integral to the imagery of Vegas. She points to ex-mayor Oscar Goodman who, during civic functions, was surrounded by two showgirls. Although Las Vegas does not host any showgirl-based productions, Chung says they are still employed as an emblem of the city, appearing at corporate events and in promotional material. “The showgirl is still a lasting icon of Las Vegas glamour,” she says.

The Allure of Escape

The former showgirl says the complete change of a showgirl is part of the appeal. It’s something Swift references in a latest docuseries that captures the backstage action from her massive 2023 Eras tour, which included exhausting rehearsals, training and numerous concerts across 21 countries, each lasting 3.5 hours.

She recalls her own stage routines as “comparable to running a marathon in heels every night”. Her feathered headdress weighed 34lbs. “I had to wear it all the way up the staircase to the performance area from the green rooms three floors below in the underground. I had to head up ahead of time for my cue so I could catch my breath before I performed. You’re perspiring the whole time but crafting this fantasy that it’s simple and beautiful and dreamlike.”

Maybe this is where the appeal of the showgirl really lies. In the complexity of 2025 there is a craving for fantasy. What better figure to emulate than such icons, who have always represented dreams, flawlessness and a universe where no one misses a mark.