How 'Showgirl Glamour' Emerged as the Dazzling Aesthetic of 2025

After a three-decade stint on the Las Vegas Boulevard, the dancers from the revue Jubilee! took a final choreographed kick in 2016. The show, known for its ornate costumes created by celebrated designer Bob Mackie, ended its run due to dwindling audience numbers and disappointed reviewers who labeled it a spectacle “a relic of another era”.

Now, almost a decade later, the showgirl persona, or at least the glamorous showgirl look, is experiencing a revival.

A Master of Glitz

Dubbed the “king of sparkle”, Mackie has made theatrical showgirl glitz his defining aesthetic, clothing everyone from screen legends to Madonna. Earlier this month, a “naked” bodysuit he created for Cher in 1978 fetched $57,600, well over its initial estimate, while a metallic tasseled bodysuit with reflective wings that Mackie created for Tina Turner for a 1977 concert sold for $19,200.

“In my view it looks more appealing for the younger performer who is seeking something other than what they were accustomed to”, he told a publication. “New stars are pushing toward a show-stopping, more spectacular, breathtaking, grand statement.”

A Mainstream Resurgence

It’s a look that made its way all the way to the epicenter of the cultural zeitgeist in 2025 propelled by a chart-topping superstar. Earlier this year, 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, ostrich-feather armbands and sparkly headpiece were tailor-made for a record named The Life of a Showgirl.

The singer isn't alone. This year, glamorous nods have been embraced by music artists including Miley Cyrus as they danced across arena stages in sequins, revealing designs and plumes, illuminated against theatrical sets. Lipa’s stylist her creative director told a fashion magazine he wanted to bring “a showgirl attitude” to her Radical Optimism tour – referencing pictures from the 1950s, the backup dancers fluttered giant plumed accessories.

Drawing from History

These artists and other successful musicians also draw on classic entertainment forms, including classic theater and ensemble references. The outcome are vastly different from the 90s teen pop of revealing tops and baggy pants, and street-style dance moves that preceded this trend.

But some critics are enthusiastic with this glamour resurgence. A former performer, a one-time Jubilee! showgirl who performed in the 2000s says the trend is “confusing”. She thinks the word term is being “used as an broad label encompassing everything from The Radio City Rockettes to Broadway performers and now apparently today's icons.”

A Coveted Classic Style

For gen Z and young adult stars, Mackie’s vintage designs have become highly covetable. In 2024, a famous actress honored to one of Mackie’s first major stars, Cher, when the actress wore a translucent embellished dress made by the designer in 2001, which was similar to 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, Sabrina Carpenter wore a series of retro Mackie designs at the MTV Video Music Awards. They are also a hit among fashion collectors.

“This style inspire nostalgia for a bygone era of glitz,” says an archivist, head of special collections at the University of Nevada, who researches the story of showgirls. “Currently it is viewed as a sort of ‘acceptable’ allure because it has been modified. It has got all the glamour, the sparkles and the sparkle but without the bare skin.”

A Than Just Style: An Symbol of Vegas

Chung says the showgirl image are integral to the imagery of Sin City. She points to former mayor Oscar Goodman who, during civic functions, was surrounded by two showgirls. Although Las Vegas no longer has any traditional showgirl productions, Chung says they are still employed as an symbol of the city, appearing at corporate events and in advertisements. “The showgirl is still a lasting icon of Las Vegas glamour,” the expert says.

An Appeal of Transformation

Nancy Hardy says the magical transformation of a showgirl is part of the attraction. It’s something Taylor Swift alludes to in a new documentary series that captures the off-camera action from her year-long 2023 Eras tour, which included intense preparations, gym sessions and countless performances across dozens of cities, each going on for 3.5 hours.

The performer describes her own nights in the spotlight as “like extreme physical exertion in high heels every night”. Her headpiece tipped the scales at 34lbs. “I had to carry it all the way up the steps to the platform from the dressing rooms three floors below in the basement. I had to leave early for my cue so I could rest before I made my entrance. One is sweating the whole time but maintaining this illusion that it’s simple and gorgeous and ethereal.”

Maybe this is where the appeal of the showgirl really lies. In the complexity of 2025 there is a craving for escapism. What better figure to emulate than such icons, who have always embodied fantasy, idealism and a world where no one misses a mark.