🔗 Share this article How 'Showgirl' Emerged as the Dazzling Style of the New Year After a long-running tenure on the iconic Vegas strip, the dancers from the production Jubilee! took a final synchronised kick in 2016. The extravaganza, known for its intricate costumes created by celebrated designer Bob Mackie, closed its doors due to falling audience numbers and unimpressed critics who described it as a spectacle “trapped in time”. Now, almost a decade later, showgirls, or at least the showgirl aesthetic, is making a comeback. A Master of Sparkle Dubbed the “king of sparkle”, Mackie has made theatrical stage sparkle his trademark look, dressing everyone from screen legends to pop royalty. Earlier this month, a “naked” bodysuit he created for Cher in 1978 fetched $57,600, far exceeding its initial estimate, while a silver and gold tasseled bodysuit with lamé wings that Mackie crafted for Tina Turner for a 1977 performance sold for $19,200. “I think it looks more enticing for the new generation of stars who is looking for something other than what they knew from childhood”, he stated in an interview with a newspaper. “Today's artists are striving for a glamorous, more theatrical, attention-grabbing, grand statement.” The Musical Comeback It’s a look that glided all the way to the epicenter of mainstream fashion 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 12th studio album. The rhinestone encrusted bra and thong, feathered armbands and sparkly headpiece were perfect for a record called The Life of a Showgirl. She is part of a trend. This year, glamorous nods have been adopted by pop stars including Miley Cyrus as they danced across world tours in sequins, cut-outs and feathers, illuminated against camp sets. Her fashion curator Lorenzo Posocco told a style publication he wanted to bring “a stage persona” to her Radical Optimism tour – referencing pictures from the 50s, her performers wafted giant feathered fans. Pulling from History These artists and other successful musicians also take inspiration from 19th-century performances, including vaudeville and dance line references. The outcome are poles apart from the 90s teen pop of short shirts and baggy pants, and hip-hop inspired dance moves that preceded this trend. But not everyone are on board with this showgirl renaissance. A former performer, a one-time Jubilee! showgirl who entertained in the 2000s says the trend is “puzzling”. She thinks the word term is being “treated as an catch-all phrase encompassing everything from The Radio City Rockettes to Broadway performers and now even Taylor Swift.” The Coveted Classic Look For millennial and modern stars, Mackie’s classic designs have become extremely desirable. In 2024, Zendaya gave a nod to one of Mackie’s iconic muses, Cher, when the actor wore a semi-sheer sequined dress designed by the designer in 2001, which was inspired by one he made for Cher to wear in 1967. Later that year, Miley Cyrus paid an significant price to buy the Mackie fringed mini dress she had worn previously to perform at the Grammys. In September, Carpenter wore a collection of vintage Mackie designs at the MTV Video Music Awards. They are also a favorite among vintage enthusiasts. “This style bring about fond memories for a past glamour,” says Su Kim Chung, a curator at the a Las Vegas university, who documents the story of showgirls. “Currently it is considered a sort of ‘toned-down’ sexy because it has been updated. It has got all the elegance, the rhinestones and the shine but without the exposure.” A Than Simply Fashion: An Icon of the City The expert says showgirls are integral to the identity of Vegas. She points to former mayor Oscar Goodman who, during official events, was flanked by two showgirls. While Las Vegas currently lacks any showgirl-centric productions, the historian says they are still featured as an emblem of the city, being present at gatherings and in advertisements. “The showgirl is still a lasting figure of Las Vegas glitz and glamour,” Chung says. An Allure of Illusion The former showgirl says the magical transformation of a stage character is part of the appeal. It’s something Swift alludes to in a new documentary series that shows the off-camera action from her massive 2023 Eras tour, which included exhausting practice sessions, gym sessions and countless shows across dozens of cities, each lasting 3.5 hours. Hardy describes her own stage routines as “similar to completing an endurance race in high heels every night”. Her headpiece was 34lbs. “I had to carry it all the way up the steps to the performance area from the dressing rooms three floors below in the underground. I had to start early for my moment so I could recover before I went on stage. One is perspiring the whole time but creating this illusion that it’s easy and gorgeous and magical.” Perhaps this is where the appeal of the showgirl fantasy really resides. In the complexity of 2025 there is a craving for a break from reality. Is there anyone better to emulate than these performers, who have always represented make-believe, flawlessness and a universe where nobody makes a mistake.