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

Following a three-decade run on the Las Vegas strip, the dancers from the spectacle Jubilee! executed their last choreographed kick in 2016. The extravaganza, famous for its ornate costumes designed by celebrated designer Bob Mackie, closed its doors due to dwindling audience numbers and unimpressed reviewers who labeled it a spectacle “stuck in the past”.

Now, nearly ten years later, the showgirl, or at least the showgirl style, is making a comeback.

A Sultan of Glitz

Referred to as the “master of glitz”, Mackie has made dramatic stage sparkle his trademark look, dressing everyone from Marilyn Monroe to pop royalty. In a recent auction, a “naked” bodysuit he designed for Cher in 1978 sold for $57,600, seven times its estimated price, while a silver and gold tasseled bodysuit with shiny wings that Mackie designed for Tina Turner for a 1977 performance sold for $19,200.

“In my view it looks more appealing for the new generation of stars who is looking for something other than what they grew up with”, he explained to a newspaper. “Today's artists are striving for a show-stopping, more theatrical, show-stopping, grand statement.”

A Mainstream Resurgence

It’s a look that made its way all the way to the centre of popular culture in 2025 thanks to Taylor Swift. Earlier this year, the entertainment titan wore one of Mackie’s vintage Jubilee! costumes on the cover of her 12th studio album. The crystal-covered bra and thong, feathered armbands and glittering headpiece were ideal for a record called The Life of a Showgirl.

The singer has company. This year, showgirl inspirations have been incorporated by pop stars including Miley Cyrus as they danced across arena stages in sequins, cut-outs and plumes, illuminated against camp sets. A top stylist her creative director explained to a fashion magazine he wanted to bring “a showgirl spirit” to her Radical Optimism tour – inspired by pictures from the 1950s, Lipa’s dancers wafted giant feathered fans.

Pulling from History

These artists and other chart toppers also take inspiration from 19th-century performances, including vaudeville and dance line references. The final look are vastly different from the 90s pop style of crop tops and utilitarian trousers, and hip-hop inspired dance moves that preceded this trend.

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

A Coveted Vintage Style

For millennial and young adult stars, Mackie’s classic designs have become incredibly sought-after. In 2024, Zendaya paid tribute to one of Mackie’s first major stars, Cher, when the star wore a translucent sequined dress made by the designer in 2001, which was reminiscent of one he made for Cher to wear in 1967. Months after, Miley Cyrus paid an undisclosed sum to buy the Mackie beaded mini dress she had worn previously to perform at the Grammys. In September, Carpenter wore a series of vintage Mackie designs at the MTV Video Music Awards. They are also a hit among fashion collectors.

“Showgirls bring about nostalgia for a historical elegance,” says an archivist, head of special collections at the an academic institution, who documents the legacy of showgirls. “Currently it is considered a sort of ‘acceptable’ allure because it has been updated. It has got all the sophistication, the sparkles and the sparkle but without the exposure.”

More Than Simply Fashion: An Symbol of Las Vegas

The expert says showgirls are key to the iconography of Sin City. She points to one-time leader Oscar Goodman who, during official events, was surrounded by two showgirls. Even though Las Vegas currently lacks any showgirl-based productions, the historian says they are still used as an emblem of the city, being present at gatherings and in advertisements. “The showgirl is still a remaining icon of Vegas spectacle,” the expert says.

An Allure of Illusion

Nancy Hardy says the complete change of a stage character is part of the appeal. This idea the singer alludes to in a new behind-the-scenes film that documents the off-camera action from her massive 2023 Eras tour, which included intense practice sessions, gym sessions and countless performances across dozens of cities, each going on for 3.5 hours.

She recalls her own showgirl performances as “similar to extreme physical exertion in stilettos every night”. Her headpiece weighed 34lbs. “I had to support it all the way up the stairs to the platform from the dressing rooms three floors below in the underground. I had to start early for my entrance so I could catch my breath before I made my entrance. You’re sweating the whole time but creating this fantasy that it’s effortless and beautiful and dreamlike.”

It could be this is where the appeal of the showgirl really lies. In the complexity of 2025 there is a longing for escapism. What better figure to look to than showgirls, who have always represented fantasy, flawlessness and a universe where no one misses a mark.