How 'Showgirl' Emerged as the Dazzling Look of This Year

Following a long-running stint on the Las Vegas Boulevard, the performers from the production Jubilee! executed their last perfectly timed kick in 2016. The extravaganza, known for its intricate costumes designed by style icon Bob Mackie, ended its run due to declining audience numbers and unimpressed reviewers who described it as a spectacle “trapped in time”.

Now, nearly ten years later, showgirls, or at least the showgirl style, is making a comeback.

The King of Sparkle

Dubbed the “king of sparkle”, Mackie has made theatrical showgirl glamour his trademark look, dressing everyone from Hollywood icons to pop royalty. Earlier this month, a “see-through” bodysuit he created for Cher in 1978 sold for $57,600, far exceeding its projected value, while a metallic beaded bodysuit with lamé wings that Mackie crafted for Tina Turner for a 1977 show sold for $19,200.

“In my view it looks more appealing for the younger performer who is desiring something other than what they grew up with”, he explained to a publication. “Today's artists are embracing a show-stopping, more spectacular, attention-grabbing, memorable statement.”

The Musical Comeback

It’s a look that sashayed all the way to the centre of mainstream fashion in 2025 propelled by a chart-topping superstar. Recently, the music phenomenon wore one of Mackie’s classic Jubilee! costumes on the cover of her 12th studio album. The rhinestone encrusted bra and thong, ostrich-feather armbands and shimmering headpiece were ideal for a record titled The Life of a Showgirl.

The singer has company. This year, glamorous nods have been embraced by singers including Sabrina Carpenter as they danced across world tours in sequins, cut-outs and ostrich feathers, illuminated against overstated sets. A top stylist a fashion expert told a style publication he wanted to bring “a stage persona” to her Radical Optimism tour – inspired by pictures from the mid-century, Lipa’s dancers fluttered giant plumed accessories.

Pulling from the Past

Modern stars and other chart toppers also reference 19th-century entertainment forms, including vaudeville and chorus line references. The outcome are vastly different from the 1990s era pop style of revealing tops and baggy pants, and urban dance moves that came before them.

But not everyone are on board with this showgirl revival. An ex-showgirl, a one-time Jubilee! showgirl who performed in the 2000s says the trend is “puzzling”. She thinks the word showgirl is being “treated as an catch-all phrase covering everything from The Radio City Rockettes to Broadway performers and now apparently today's icons.”

A Coveted Vintage Style

For younger and millennial stars, Mackie’s retro designs have become highly covetable. In 2024, a famous actress honored to one of Mackie’s earliest clients, Cher, when the actor wore a semi-sheer sequined dress created by the designer in 2001, which was reminiscent of one he made for Cher to wear in 1967. Later that year, a singer paid an significant price to buy the Mackie tasseled mini dress she had worn at an awards show to perform at the Grammys. In September, the singer wore a series of retro Mackie designs at the MTV Video Music Awards. They are also a favorite among vintage enthusiasts.

“The showgirl aesthetic bring about nostalgia for a historical elegance,” says Su Kim Chung, an expert at the an academic institution, who studies the history of showgirls. “Today it is considered a sort of ‘acceptable’ appeal because it has been updated. It has got all the sophistication, the sparkles and the shine but without the bare skin.”

A Than Just Style: An Symbol of Vegas

Chung says this figure are integral to the imagery of Vegas. She points to ex-mayor Oscar Goodman who, during official events, was surrounded by two showgirls. Although Las Vegas currently lacks any showgirl-centric productions, Chung says they are still employed as an symbol of the city, showing up at gatherings and in advertisements. “The showgirl is still a enduring symbol of Vegas glitz and glamour,” the expert says.

An Allure of Illusion

Hardy says the transformative effect of a stage character is part of the attraction. This is a notion Swift alludes to in a new documentary series that documents the behind-the-scenes action from her year-long 2023 Eras tour, which included intense preparations, training and numerous performances across multiple nations, each running for 3.5 hours.

The performer explains her own nights in the spotlight as “comparable to running a marathon in stilettos every night”. Her headpiece weighed 34lbs. “I had to support it all the way up the steps to the performance area from the backstage area three floors below in the basement. I had to head up ahead of time for my moment so I could recover before I performed. One is working hard the whole time but crafting this fantasy that it’s effortless and beautiful and magical.”

It could be this is where the fascination of the showgirl fantasy really lies. In the complexity of 2025 there is a craving for escapism. Is there anyone better to emulate than such icons, who have always embodied dreams, idealism and a universe where no one misses a mark.