Why 'Showgirl' Emerged as the Glittering Look of the New Year

Following a long-running run on the Las Vegas strip, the performers from the spectacle Jubilee! took a final synchronised kick in 2016. The extravaganza, famous for its ornate costumes crafted by style icon Bob Mackie, came to an end due to falling audience numbers and disappointed commentators who labeled it a spectacle “trapped in time”.

Today, nearly ten years later, the showgirl, or at least the glamorous showgirl look, is making a comeback.

The Sultan of Sequins

Dubbed the “master of glitz”, Mackie has made dramatic showgirl glitz his signature style, outfitting everyone from Hollywood icons to music superstars. In a recent auction, a “naked” bodysuit he made for Cher in 1978 sold for $57,600, far exceeding its projected value, while a metallic beaded bodysuit with reflective wings that Mackie designed for Tina Turner for a 1977 performance sold for $19,200.

“I believe it looks more enticing for the younger performer who is seeking something other than what they were accustomed to”, he told a publication. “Contemporary performers are striving for a theatrical, more spectacular, breathtaking, memorable statement.”

The Mainstream Resurgence

It’s a look that sashayed all the way to the heart of the cultural zeitgeist 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 new musical project. The bedazzled bra and thong, feathered armbands and shimmering headpiece were tailor-made for a record named The Life of a Showgirl.

Swift is part of a trend. This year, glamorous nods have been adopted by pop stars including Miley Cyrus as they whizzed across world tours in glitter, strategic openings and ostrich feathers, highlighted against overstated sets. A top stylist a fashion expert mentioned in an interview with Vogue he wanted to bring “a stage persona” to her Radical Optimism tour – inspired by pictures from the mid-century, her performers waved giant ostrich feather fans.

Pulling from History

Lipa, Carpenter and other hitmakers also draw on classic performances, including classic theater and chorus line references. The outcome are worlds away from the 90s Britney Spears era of crop tops and utilitarian trousers, and urban dance moves that preceded this trend.

But some critics are on board with this showgirl revival. A former performer, a former Jubilee! showgirl who danced in the 00s says the trend is “puzzling”. She thinks the word showgirl title is being “treated as an catch-all phrase encompassing everything from The Radio City Rockettes to Broadway performers and now seemingly today's icons.”

The Coveted Retro Look

For younger and young adult stars, Mackie’s retro designs have become extremely desirable. In 2024, a famous actress gave a nod to one of Mackie’s iconic muses, Cher, when the actress wore a semi-sheer beaded dress designed by the designer in 2001, which was reminiscent of one he created 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 earlier in the year to perform at the Grammys. In September, Sabrina Carpenter wore a series of vintage Mackie designs at the MTV Video Music Awards. They are also a popular item among vintage enthusiasts.

“Showgirls bring about nostalgia for a bygone era of glitz,” says a historian, a curator at the an academic institution, who researches the legacy of showgirls. “Today it is considered a sort of ‘acceptable’ sexy because it has been modified. It has got all the sophistication, the crystals and the glitter but without the bare skin.”

A Than Just Style: An Symbol of Las Vegas

The expert says showgirls are central to the identity of Las Vegas. She points to ex-mayor Oscar Goodman who, during official events, was accompanied by two showgirls. While Las Vegas does not host any showgirl-centric productions, the historian says they are still employed as an emblem of the city, showing up at gatherings and in marketing. “The showgirl is still a remaining icon of Las Vegas glitz and glamour,” Chung says.

The Appeal of Illusion

Hardy says the magical transformation of a showgirl persona is part of the attraction. It’s something the singer alludes to in a new behind-the-scenes film that captures the off-camera action from her year-long 2023 Eras tour, which included gruelling preparations, training and 149 shows across dozens of cities, each lasting 3.5 hours.

She explains her own stage routines as “comparable to extreme physical exertion in heels every night”. Her feathered headdress was 34lbs. “I had to support it all the way up the steps to the platform from the green rooms three floors below in the lower level. I had to head up ahead of time for my cue so I could recover before I made my entrance. You’re working hard the whole time but crafting this fantasy that it’s simple and gorgeous and magical.”

Perhaps this is where the true allure of the showgirl fantasy really is found. In the complexity of 2025 there is a longing for fantasy. Is there anyone better to emulate than such icons, who have always embodied dreams, flawlessness and a world where nobody falters.