Why 'Showgirl' Became the Glittering Style of This Year
After a three-decade run on the Las Vegas Boulevard, the dancers from the revue Jubilee! gave one last synchronised kick in 2016. The production, known for its ornate costumes created by celebrated designer Bob Mackie, ended its run due to declining audience numbers and unimpressed commentators who labeled it a spectacle “a relic of another era”.
Today, nearly ten years later, the showgirl, or at least the showgirl style, is back.
The Sultan of Sequins
Referred to as the “master of glitz”, Mackie has made dramatic showgirl glamour his trademark look, dressing everyone from Hollywood icons to Madonna. Recently, a “naked” bodysuit he designed for Cher in 1978 commanded $57,600, well over its estimated price, while a silver and gold beaded bodysuit with lamé wings that Mackie crafted for Tina Turner for a 1977 concert sold for $19,200.
“I believe it looks more enticing for the emerging artists who is looking for something other than what they grew up with”, he explained to a newspaper. “Today's artists are striving for a glamorous, more spectacular, breathtaking, grand statement.”
The Pop Culture Resurgence
It’s a look that made its way all the way to the epicenter of the cultural zeitgeist in 2025 thanks to a global pop icon. Earlier this year, the music phenomenon wore one of Mackie’s original Jubilee! costumes on the cover of her new musical project. The bedazzled bra and thong, feathered armbands and sparkly headpiece were perfect for a record named The Life of a Showgirl.
She has company. This year, showgirl inspirations have been adopted by music artists including Dua Lipa as they whizzed across world tours in glitter, revealing designs and plumes, highlighted against camp sets. Lipa’s stylist a fashion expert explained to Vogue he wanted to bring “a showgirl attitude” to her Radical Optimism tour – referencing pictures from the mid-century, Lipa’s dancers wafted giant ostrich feather fans.
Drawing from Tradition
These artists and other chart toppers also reference historical performances, including classic theater and dance line references. The results are vastly different from the 1990s era pop style of short shirts and cargo pants, and hip-hop inspired dance moves that came before them.
But certain observers are on board with this showgirl revival. Nancy Hardy, a one-time Jubilee! showgirl who danced in the early 2000s says the trend is “bemusing”. She thinks the word term is being “used as an umbrella term including everything from The Radio City Rockettes to Broadway performers and now seemingly today's icons.”
The Coveted Retro Style
For gen Z and modern stars, Mackie’s vintage designs have become incredibly sought-after. In 2024, a famous actress honored to one of Mackie’s first major stars, Cher, when the star wore a see-through sequined dress designed by the designer in 2001, which was inspired by one he made for Cher to wear in 1967. Months after, a singer paid an private amount to buy the Mackie beaded mini dress she had worn previously to perform at the Grammys. In September, Carpenter wore a series of classic Mackie designs at the MTV Video Music Awards. They are also a popular item among collectors.
“This style evoke nostalgia for a bygone era of glitz,” says an archivist, head of special collections at the University of Nevada, who researches the history of showgirls. “Today it is considered a sort of ‘safe’ sexy because it has been updated. It has got all the glamour, the rhinestones and the glitter but without the exposure.”
A Than Just Style: An Icon of Vegas
Chung says this figure are key to the identity of Sin City. She points to ex-mayor Oscar Goodman who, during civic functions, was flanked by two showgirls. Even though Las Vegas currently lacks any traditional showgirl productions, the historian says they are still featured as an emblem of the city, being present at conventions and in promotional material. “The showgirl is still a remaining symbol of Vegas glamour,” Chung says.
The Allure of Escape
Hardy says the transformative effect of a stage character is part of the attraction. It’s something the singer hints at in a new documentary series that captures the backstage action from her extensive 2023 Eras tour, which included exhausting rehearsals, workouts and 149 performances across multiple nations, each going on for 3.5 hours.
The performer recalls her own stage routines as “similar to extreme physical exertion in heels every night”. Her headpiece tipped the scales at 34lbs. “I had to wear it all the way up the stairs to the performance area from the green rooms three floors below in the underground. I had to start early for my entrance so I could catch my breath before I performed. You’re perspiring the whole time but crafting this fantasy that it’s simple and gorgeous and magical.”
Maybe this is where the fascination of the showgirl fantasy really is found. In the chaos of 2025 there is a desire for fantasy. Who better to emulate than showgirls, who have always personified make-believe, idealism and a universe where nobody makes a mistake.