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

After a three-decade stint on the Las Vegas Boulevard, the showgirls from the spectacle Jubilee! gave one last choreographed kick in 2016. The extravaganza, known for its elaborate costumes designed by celebrated designer Bob Mackie, came to an end due to declining audience numbers and critical reviewers who described it as a spectacle “a relic of another era”.

Now, roughly eight years later, the showgirl persona, or at least the glamorous showgirl look, is making a comeback.

The Sultan of Glitz

Referred to as the “king of sparkle”, Mackie has made theatrical stage sparkle his defining aesthetic, outfitting everyone from Marilyn Monroe to pop royalty. Earlier this month, a “see-through” bodysuit he designed for Cher in 1978 commanded $57,600, seven times its projected value, while a shimmering tasseled bodysuit with shiny wings that Mackie designed for Tina Turner for a 1977 show 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 knew from childhood”, he told a media outlet. “New stars are striving for a glamorous, more theatrical, show-stopping, grand statement.”

A Musical Comeback

It’s a look that made its way all the way to the heart of popular culture in 2025 largely due to Taylor Swift. In the past few months, the music phenomenon wore one of Mackie’s original Jubilee! costumes on the cover of her latest record. The bedazzled bra and thong, ostrich-feather armbands and glittering headpiece were perfect for a record called The Life of a Showgirl.

She has company. This year, showgirl inspirations have been adopted by pop stars including Sabrina Carpenter as they danced across arena stages in sparkles, revealing designs and plumes, illuminated against overstated sets. Her fashion curator a fashion expert mentioned in an interview with a fashion magazine he wanted to bring “a stage persona” to her Radical Optimism tour – drawing from pictures from the 50s, Lipa’s dancers wafted giant feathered fans.

Pulling from History

Modern stars and other successful musicians also reference classic entertainment forms, including vaudeville and dance line references. The results are worlds away from the late-century Britney Spears era of short shirts and cargo pants, and street-style dance moves that were popular earlier.

But some critics are enthusiastic with this showgirl revival. Nancy Hardy, a ex- Jubilee! showgirl who performed in the early 2000s says the trend is “bemusing”. She thinks the word term is being “used as an catch-all phrase covering everything from The Radio City Rockettes to Broadway performers and now seemingly Taylor Swift.”

The Highly Sought-After Classic Look

For gen Z and modern stars, Mackie’s retro designs have become incredibly sought-after. In 2024, a famous actress paid tribute to one of Mackie’s iconic muses, Cher, when the star wore a semi-sheer beaded dress created by the designer in 2001, which was reminiscent of one he designed for Cher to wear in 1967. Subsequently, a singer paid an undisclosed sum to buy the Mackie fringed mini dress she had worn earlier in the year to perform at the Grammys. In September, the singer wore a trio of retro Mackie designs at the MTV Video Music Awards. They are also a hit among fashion collectors.

“This style inspire nostalgia for a historical elegance,” says a historian, head of special collections at the University of Nevada, who documents the legacy of showgirls. “Today it is considered a sort of ‘safe’ sexy because it has been modified. It has got all the sophistication, the sparkles and the sparkle but without the exposure.”

A Than Simply Style: An Icon of Las Vegas

Chung says showgirls are central to the imagery of Sin City. She points to ex-mayor Oscar Goodman who, during civic functions, was accompanied by two showgirls. Even though Las Vegas does not host any showgirl-centric productions, Chung says they are still employed as an logo of the city, showing up at gatherings and in promotional material. “The showgirl is still a lasting symbol of Vegas glitz and glamour,” the expert says.

An Appeal of Illusion

Hardy says the complete change of a showgirl persona is part of the allure. It’s something Swift hints at in a new docuseries that documents the off-camera action from her massive 2023 Eras tour, which included intense rehearsals, workouts and numerous concerts across 21 countries, each lasting 3.5 hours.

She explains her own stage routines as “like extreme physical exertion in heels every night”. Her feathered headdress was 34lbs. “I had to carry it all the way up the steps to the platform from the green rooms three floors below in the underground. I had to start early for my entrance so I could catch my breath before I performed. You are sweating the whole time but creating this fantasy that it’s simple and beautiful and magical.”

Perhaps this is where the appeal of the showgirl really resides. In the chaos of 2025 there is a desire for a break from reality. Who better to emulate than such icons, who have always embodied fantasy, perfection and a realm where no one falters.