How 'Showgirl Glamour' Transformed into the Sparkling Aesthetic of This Year

Following a long-running run on the Las Vegas strip, the showgirls from the production Jubilee! gave one last choreographed kick in 2016. The show, renowned for its elaborate costumes crafted by style icon Bob Mackie, came to an end due to falling audience numbers and critical critics who called it a spectacle “stuck in the past”.

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

The Sultan of Glitz

Dubbed the “king of sparkle”, Mackie has made dramatic showgirl glitz his signature style, dressing everyone from screen legends to music superstars. Recently, a “naked” bodysuit he made for Cher in 1978 fetched $57,600, seven times its estimated price, while a silver and gold tasseled bodysuit with lamé wings that Mackie crafted for Tina Turner for a 1977 concert sold for $19,200.

“In my view it looks more appealing for the younger performer who is seeking something other than what they knew from childhood”, he stated in an interview with a newspaper. “Today's artists are embracing a show-stopping, more dramatic, breathtaking, memorable statement.”

A Mainstream Comeback

It’s a look that made its way all the way to the centre of mainstream fashion in 2025 propelled by Taylor Swift. Recently, the music phenomenon wore one of Mackie’s original Jubilee! costumes on the cover of her latest record. The rhinestone encrusted bra and thong, plumed armbands and shimmering headpiece were perfect for a record named The Life of a Showgirl.

The singer has company. This year, showgirl references have been incorporated by singers including Dua Lipa as they zoomed across world tours in sequins, cut-outs and plumes, illuminated against overstated sets. Her fashion curator a fashion expert explained to Vogue he wanted to bring “a showgirl spirit” to her Radical Optimism tour – drawing from pictures from the 50s, Lipa’s dancers wafted giant ostrich feather fans.

Pulling from History

These artists and other hitmakers also reference historical entertainment forms, including burlesque and chorus line references. The results are vastly different from the 1990s era pop style of short shirts and cargo pants, and hip-hop inspired dance moves that preceded this trend.

But not everyone are enthusiastic with this showgirl renaissance. An ex-showgirl, a former Jubilee! showgirl who entertained in the early 2000s says the trend is “confusing”. She thinks the word showgirl title is being “used as an umbrella term encompassing everything from The Radio City Rockettes to Broadway performers and now even today's icons.”

The Highly Sought-After Classic Look

For millennial 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 earliest clients, Cher, when the actress wore a semi-sheer embellished dress created by the designer in 2001, which was inspired by one he made for Cher to wear in 1967. Subsequently, a singer paid an private amount to buy the Mackie fringed mini dress she had worn at an awards show to perform at the Grammys. In September, the singer wore a collection of retro Mackie designs at the MTV Video Music Awards. They are also a popular item among collectors.

“The showgirl aesthetic inspire nostalgia for a past glamour,” says a historian, an expert at the a Las Vegas university, who researches the legacy of showgirls. “Today it is considered a sort of ‘toned-down’ sexy because it has been modified. It has got all the sophistication, the crystals and the shine but without the nudity.”

More Than Simply Style: An Symbol of Las Vegas

She says the showgirl image are key to the identity of Sin City. She points to former mayor Oscar Goodman who, during official events, was surrounded by two showgirls. While Las Vegas no longer has any showgirl-based productions, Chung says they are still used as an logo of the city, being present at gatherings and in marketing. “The showgirl is still a lasting icon of Vegas glamour,” she says.

An Appeal of Transformation

Hardy says the transformative effect of a showgirl persona is part of the allure. It’s something Taylor Swift references in a recent behind-the-scenes film that captures the backstage action from her year-long 2023 Eras tour, which included intense preparations, training and 149 shows across dozens of cities, each lasting 3.5 hours.

Hardy recalls her own showgirl performances as “like completing an endurance race in high heels every night”. Her feathered headdress tipped the scales at 34lbs. “I had to wear it all the way up the stairs to the performance area from the green rooms three floors below in the underground. I had to head up ahead of time for my entrance so I could catch my breath before I went on stage. You are sweating the whole time but crafting this illusion that it’s simple and stunning and magical.”

Perhaps this is where the appeal of the showgirl really resides. In the complexity of 2025 there is a craving for fantasy. Is there anyone better to turn to than showgirls, who have always represented fantasy, perfection and a universe where nobody misses a mark.