🔗 Share this article Why 'Showgirl Glamour' Transformed into the Dazzling Look of This Year After a three-decade tenure on the Las Vegas strip, the showgirls from the revue Jubilee! took a final perfectly timed kick in 2016. The production, famous for its elaborate costumes designed by style icon Bob Mackie, closed its doors due to dwindling audience numbers and disappointed reviewers who called it a spectacle “trapped in time”. Now, roughly eight years later, the showgirl, or at least the showgirl style, is back. A Sultan of Sparkle Referred to as the “king of sparkle”, Mackie has made over-the-top showgirl glamour his defining aesthetic, clothing everyone from Marilyn Monroe to pop royalty. In a recent auction, a “barely-there” bodysuit he designed for Cher in 1978 commanded $57,600, seven times its estimated price, while a silver and gold fringed bodysuit with shiny wings that Mackie created for Tina Turner for a 1977 performance sold for $19,200. “I think it looks more appealing for the younger performer who is looking for something other than what they were accustomed to”, he told a media outlet. “Today's artists are embracing a glamorous, more theatrical, breathtaking, memorable statement.” A Mainstream Revival It’s a look that made its way all the way to the heart of mainstream fashion in 2025 thanks to a chart-topping superstar. Recently, the cultural juggernaut wore one of Mackie’s classic Jubilee! costumes on the cover of her latest record. The crystal-covered bra and thong, feathered armbands and glittering headpiece were ideal for a record titled The Life of a Showgirl. Swift isn't alone. This year, showgirl inspirations have been embraced by music artists including Miley Cyrus as they danced across arena stages in sequins, revealing designs and ostrich feathers, highlighted against camp sets. A top stylist Lorenzo Posocco explained to a style publication he wanted to bring “a showgirl spirit” to her Radical Optimism tour – referencing pictures from the 1950s, the backup dancers waved giant feathered fans. Drawing from Tradition Modern stars and other chart toppers also take inspiration from historical entertainment forms, including classic theater and dance line references. The results are vastly different from the 90s Britney Spears era of crop tops and baggy pants, and hip-hop inspired dance moves that preceded this trend. But not everyone are convinced with this glamour resurgence. An ex-showgirl, a one-time Jubilee! showgirl who performed in the 00s says the trend is “puzzling”. She thinks the word showgirl is being “employed as an catch-all phrase including everything from The Radio City Rockettes to Broadway performers and now seemingly modern pop stars.” A Coveted Retro Look For younger and modern stars, Mackie’s vintage designs have become incredibly sought-after. In 2024, a style icon honored to one of Mackie’s first major stars, Cher, when the actor wore a see-through sequined dress created by the designer in 2001, which was similar to one he made for Cher to wear in 1967. Later that year, Miley Cyrus paid an undisclosed sum to buy the Mackie beaded mini dress she had worn at an awards show to perform at the Grammys. In September, Carpenter wore a collection of retro Mackie designs at the MTV Video Music Awards. They are also a popular item among collectors. “This style evoke fond memories for a past glamour,” says an archivist, an expert at the University of Nevada, who documents the story of showgirls. “Today it is viewed as a sort of ‘acceptable’ appeal because it has been modified. It has got all the sophistication, the sparkles and the sparkle but without the nudity.” A Than Simply Style: An Symbol of the City She says the showgirl image are key to the iconography of Sin City. She points to former mayor Oscar Goodman who, during civic functions, was accompanied by two showgirls. Even though Las Vegas currently lacks any traditional showgirl productions, the historian says they are still used as an logo of the city, appearing at gatherings and in advertisements. “The showgirl is still a lasting icon of Vegas glitz and glamour,” she says. An Allure of Illusion Nancy Hardy says the magical transformation of a stage character is part of the attraction. It’s something Swift hints at in a new behind-the-scenes film that documents the behind-the-scenes action from her massive 2023 Eras tour, which included intense preparations, workouts and 149 performances across multiple nations, each running for 3.5 hours. The performer describes her own showgirl performances as “comparable to extreme physical exertion in heels every night”. Her headpiece was 34lbs. “I had to wear it all the way up the steps to the stage from the backstage area three floors below in the lower level. I had to leave early for my moment so I could catch my breath before I made my entrance. You’re perspiring the whole time but crafting this image that it’s easy and beautiful and magical.” It could be this is where the fascination of the showgirl really is found. In the complexity of 2025 there is a desire for escapism. What better figure to look to than showgirls, who have always personified make-believe, flawlessness and a universe where nobody misses a mark.