🔗 Share this article How 'Showgirl' Emerged as the Dazzling Look of This Year After a long-running tenure on the Las Vegas Boulevard, the performers from the spectacle Jubilee! gave one last choreographed kick in 2016. The production, known for its elaborate costumes created by style icon Bob Mackie, came to an end due to declining audience numbers and critical commentators who described it as a spectacle “trapped in time”. Now, nearly ten years later, showgirls, or at least the showgirl style, is experiencing a revival. The Master of Sparkle Referred to as the “master of glitz”, Mackie has made over-the-top showgirl glamour his defining aesthetic, outfitting everyone from screen legends to music superstars. In a recent auction, a “naked” bodysuit he created for Cher in 1978 sold for $57,600, well over its estimated price, while a shimmering tasseled bodysuit with reflective wings that Mackie crafted for Tina Turner for a 1977 performance sold for $19,200. “I think it looks more appealing for the new generation of stars who is looking for something other than what they grew up with”, he told a publication. “New stars are striving for a glamorous, more spectacular, show-stopping, grand statement.” A Musical Revival 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 entertainment titan wore one of Mackie’s classic Jubilee! costumes on the cover of her 12th studio album. The crystal-covered bra and thong, ostrich-feather armbands and shimmering headpiece were tailor-made for a record called The Life of a Showgirl. The singer isn't alone. This year, glamorous nods have been adopted by music artists including Miley Cyrus as they danced across world tours in sequins, revealing designs and ostrich feathers, highlighted against theatrical sets. A top stylist a fashion expert mentioned in an interview with Vogue he wanted to bring “a showgirl attitude” to her Radical Optimism tour – inspired by pictures from the mid-century, her performers fluttered giant feathered fans. Pulling from Tradition Modern stars and other chart toppers also reference historical entertainment forms, including burlesque and chorus line references. The outcome are worlds away from the 90s pop style of short shirts and baggy pants, and street-style dance moves that were popular earlier. But some critics are convinced with this glamour resurgence. Nancy Hardy, a one-time Jubilee! showgirl who performed in the 2000s says the trend is “bemusing”. She thinks the word term is being “employed as an broad label covering everything from The Radio City Rockettes to Broadway performers and now even today's icons.” The Coveted Vintage Look For gen Z and young adult stars, Mackie’s retro designs have become incredibly sought-after. In 2024, Zendaya paid tribute to one of Mackie’s first major stars, Cher, when the star wore a translucent embellished dress created by the designer in 2001, which was reminiscent of one he made for Cher to wear in 1967. Subsequently, another pop star paid an private amount 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 collection of classic Mackie designs at the MTV Video Music Awards. They are also a popular item among vintage enthusiasts. “This style evoke nostalgia for a bygone era of glitz,” says a historian, a curator at the an academic institution, who documents the legacy of showgirls. “Now it is seen as a sort of ‘safe’ appeal because it has been updated. It has got all the elegance, the crystals and the sparkle but without the bare skin.” A Than Simply Style: An Symbol of the City Chung says this figure are key to the iconography of Vegas. She points to former mayor Oscar Goodman who, during official events, was accompanied by two showgirls. Even though Las Vegas no longer has any showgirl-centric productions, the historian says they are still used as an logo of the city, being present at gatherings and in advertisements. “The showgirl is still a remaining figure of Vegas glamour,” the expert says. The Allure of Illusion The former showgirl says the transformative effect of a stage character is part of the attraction. This is a notion the singer references in a latest behind-the-scenes film that captures the off-camera action from her year-long 2023 Eras tour, which included intense preparations, workouts and countless performances across multiple nations, each lasting 3.5 hours. Hardy describes her own showgirl performances as “comparable to running a marathon in stilettos every night”. Her feathered headdress was 34lbs. “I had to support it all the way up the stairs to the stage from the backstage area three floors below in the basement. I had to leave early for my moment so I could recover before I made my entrance. One is sweating the whole time but crafting this fantasy that it’s easy and beautiful and ethereal.” It could be this is where the true allure of the showgirl fantasy really lies. In the chaos of 2025 there is a desire for fantasy. What better figure to emulate than these performers, who have always personified fantasy, idealism and a world where no one misses a mark.