Why 'Showgirl Glamour' Emerged as the Dazzling Style of the New Year

Following a 31-year stint on the Las Vegas Boulevard, the performers from the spectacle Jubilee! executed their last perfectly timed kick in 2016. The production, renowned for its ornate costumes designed by American fashion designer Bob Mackie, closed its doors due to dwindling audience numbers and disappointed commentators who called it a spectacle “trapped in time”.

Currently, almost a decade later, the showgirl persona, or at least the showgirl aesthetic, is making a comeback.

A Master of Sequins

Referred to as the “master of glitz”, Mackie has made theatrical stage sparkle his trademark look, clothing everyone from Hollywood icons to Madonna. Earlier this month, a “barely-there” bodysuit he created for Cher in 1978 fetched $57,600, well over its estimated price, while a shimmering fringed bodysuit with shiny wings that Mackie designed for Tina Turner for a 1977 concert sold for $19,200.

“I think it looks more enticing for the emerging artists who is desiring something other than what they grew up with”, he stated in an interview with a publication. “New stars are pushing toward a theatrical, more spectacular, attention-grabbing, memorable statement.”

A Musical Comeback

It’s a look that glided all the way to the heart of popular culture in 2025 thanks to Taylor Swift. In the past few months, the entertainment titan wore one of Mackie’s vintage Jubilee! costumes on the cover of her latest record. The crystal-covered bra and thong, ostrich-feather armbands and shimmering headpiece were perfect for a record named The Life of a Showgirl.

Swift isn't alone. This year, showgirl inspirations have been embraced by music artists including Sabrina Carpenter as they zoomed across concert platforms in sparkles, cut-outs and plumes, illuminated against theatrical sets. A top stylist her creative director told a fashion magazine he wanted to bring “a showgirl attitude” to her Radical Optimism tour – drawing from pictures from the 1950s, her performers waved giant plumed accessories.

Pulling from the Past

These artists and other successful musicians also reference classic entertainment forms, including burlesque and dance line references. The outcome are worlds away from the 1990s era pop style of revealing tops and utilitarian trousers, and urban dance moves that preceded this trend.

But certain observers are on board with this showgirl renaissance. A former performer, a ex- Jubilee! showgirl who performed in the early 2000s says the trend is “bemusing”. She thinks the word showgirl is being “used as an catch-all phrase covering everything from The Radio City Rockettes to Broadway performers and now seemingly modern pop stars.”

The Highly Sought-After Classic Style

For gen Z and modern stars, Mackie’s retro designs have become highly covetable. In 2024, a famous actress gave a nod to one of Mackie’s first major stars, Cher, when the star wore a translucent embellished dress designed by the designer in 2001, which was similar to one he designed for Cher to wear in 1967. Later that year, Miley Cyrus paid an significant price to buy the Mackie beaded 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 fashion collectors.

“The showgirl aesthetic bring about fond memories for a historical elegance,” says a historian, an expert at the an academic institution, who documents the history of showgirls. “Now it is seen as a sort of ‘toned-down’ appeal because it has been modified. It has got all the sophistication, the sparkles and the shine but without the exposure.”

More Than Simply Style: An Icon of Las Vegas

Chung says showgirls are integral to the iconography of Vegas. She points to former mayor Oscar Goodman who, during public appearances, was accompanied by two showgirls. While Las Vegas does not host any showgirl-centric productions, the historian says they are still featured as an symbol of the city, being present at conventions and in marketing. “The showgirl is still a remaining icon of Vegas spectacle,” she says.

The Allure of Illusion

Nancy Hardy says the transformative effect of a stage character is part of the attraction. It’s something Taylor Swift hints at in a new behind-the-scenes film that captures the off-camera action from her extensive 2023 Eras tour, which included gruelling practice sessions, workouts and countless shows across multiple nations, each lasting 3.5 hours.

She describes her own showgirl performances as “like extreme physical exertion in high heels every night”. Her feathered headdress was 34lbs. “I had to support it all the way up the stairs to the performance area from the backstage area 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 made my entrance. You’re perspiring the whole time but creating this fantasy that it’s effortless and stunning and magical.”

It could be this is where the fascination of the showgirl really is found. In the busyness of 2025 there is a desire for fantasy. Is there anyone better to emulate than such icons, who have always embodied fantasy, flawlessness and a realm where nobody falters.