Why 'Showgirl Glamour' Transformed into the Dazzling Aesthetic of 2025

After a long-running stint on the Las Vegas Boulevard, the performers from the spectacle Jubilee! gave one last choreographed kick in 2016. The extravaganza, known for its ornate costumes created by style icon Bob Mackie, came to an end due to falling audience numbers and critical commentators who labeled it a spectacle “stuck in the past”.

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

The Master of Glitz

Referred to as the “master of glitz”, Mackie has made dramatic showgirl glamour his signature style, clothing everyone from screen legends to pop royalty. Recently, a “barely-there” bodysuit he made for Cher in 1978 sold for $57,600, seven times its initial estimate, while a shimmering fringed bodysuit with reflective wings that Mackie crafted for Tina Turner for a 1977 concert sold for $19,200.

“I believe it looks more attractive for the new generation of stars who is desiring something other than what they were accustomed to”, he explained to a publication. “Today's artists are striving for a show-stopping, more spectacular, show-stopping, grand statement.”

The Mainstream Revival

It’s a look that made its way all the way to the heart of popular culture in 2025 propelled by a global pop icon. Recently, the entertainment titan wore one of Mackie’s classic Jubilee! costumes on the cover of her latest record. The crystal-covered bra and thong, feathered armbands and sparkly headpiece were tailor-made for a record called The Life of a Showgirl.

She isn't alone. This year, showgirl inspirations have been embraced by pop stars including Miley Cyrus as they danced across concert platforms in sparkles, cut-outs and ostrich feathers, illuminated against camp sets. A top stylist a fashion expert explained to a fashion magazine he wanted to bring “a showgirl spirit” to her Radical Optimism tour – inspired by pictures from the 1950s, the backup dancers wafted giant plumed accessories.

Pulling from History

Modern stars and other chart toppers also reference historical performances, including vaudeville and dance line references. The final look are vastly different from the 1990s era teen pop of revealing tops and utilitarian trousers, and street-style dance moves that were popular earlier.

But not everyone are on board with this showgirl renaissance. Nancy Hardy, a former Jubilee! showgirl who performed in the early 2000s says the trend is “bemusing”. She thinks the word showgirl title is being “treated as an broad label including everything from The Radio City Rockettes to Broadway performers and now even modern pop stars.”

The Highly Sought-After Retro Look

For millennial and young adult stars, Mackie’s retro designs have become extremely desirable. In 2024, a style icon honored to one of Mackie’s first major stars, Cher, when the actor wore a translucent sequined dress designed by the designer in 2001, which was reminiscent of one he created for Cher to wear in 1967. Later that year, another pop star paid an undisclosed sum to buy the Mackie fringed 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 favorite among vintage enthusiasts.

“The showgirl aesthetic evoke fond memories for a bygone era of glitz,” says a historian, a curator at the University of Nevada, who researches the story of showgirls. “Currently it is viewed as a sort of ‘acceptable’ sexy because it has been modified. It has got all the glamour, the crystals and the sparkle but without the nudity.”

A Than Simply Style: An Icon of the City

The expert says showgirls are key to the iconography of Sin City. She points to former mayor Oscar Goodman who, during civic functions, was surrounded by two showgirls. While Las Vegas no longer has any showgirl-based productions, Chung says they are still employed as an logo of the city, appearing at conventions and in marketing. “The showgirl is still a enduring symbol of Las Vegas glitz and glamour,” she says.

The Allure of Transformation

The former showgirl says the transformative effect of a stage character is part of the appeal. This idea Taylor Swift hints at in a new documentary series that documents the behind-the-scenes action from her massive 2023 Eras tour, which included intense practice sessions, workouts and 149 concerts across multiple nations, each running for 3.5 hours.

She recalls her own nights in the spotlight as “comparable to running a marathon in heels every night”. Her headdress weighed 34lbs. “I had to wear it all the way up the stairs to the stage from the backstage area three floors below in the basement. I had to head up ahead of time for my cue so I could rest before I performed. One is perspiring the whole time but creating this fantasy that it’s simple and gorgeous and ethereal.”

It could be this is where the appeal of the showgirl really resides. In the complexity of 2025 there is a longing for escapism. Who better to look to than showgirls, who have always represented make-believe, idealism and a universe where nobody falters.