🔗 Share this article Why 'Showgirl Glamour' Emerged as the Glittering Aesthetic of 2025 After a 31-year tenure on the Las Vegas strip, the showgirls from the production Jubilee! took a final perfectly timed kick in 2016. The show, famous for its intricate costumes crafted by American fashion designer Bob Mackie, came to an end due to dwindling audience numbers and critical commentators who described it as a spectacle “a relic of another era”. Currently, almost a decade later, the showgirl, or at least the showgirl aesthetic, is experiencing a revival. The Master of Sparkle Referred to as the “king of sparkle”, Mackie has made theatrical stage sparkle his defining aesthetic, dressing everyone from Marilyn Monroe to music superstars. In a recent auction, a “naked” bodysuit he created for Cher in 1978 fetched $57,600, well over its estimated price, while a metallic beaded bodysuit with lamé wings that Mackie designed for Tina Turner for a 1977 performance sold for $19,200. “I think it looks more enticing for the younger performer who is desiring something other than what they were accustomed to”, he explained to a media outlet. “Contemporary performers are pushing toward a glamorous, more theatrical, breathtaking, memorable statement.” The Mainstream Revival It’s a look that made its way all the way to the heart of popular culture in 2025 propelled by Taylor Swift. Earlier this year, the music phenomenon wore one of Mackie’s original Jubilee! costumes on the cover of her latest record. The crystal-covered bra and thong, ostrich-feather armbands and sparkly headpiece were ideal for a record named The Life of a Showgirl. She has company. This year, showgirl references have been embraced by pop stars including Miley Cyrus as they whizzed across world tours in glitter, cut-outs and ostrich feathers, illuminated against overstated sets. Lipa’s stylist a fashion expert explained to a fashion magazine he wanted to bring “a showgirl spirit” to her Radical Optimism tour – drawing from pictures from the mid-century, Lipa’s dancers fluttered giant plumed accessories. Drawing from Tradition Modern stars and other hitmakers also reference classic performances, including classic theater and dance line references. The results are vastly different from the 1990s era Britney Spears era of crop tops and cargo pants, and hip-hop inspired dance moves that came before them. But certain observers are on board with this showgirl revival. An ex-showgirl, a one-time Jubilee! showgirl who danced in the 00s says the trend is “bemusing”. She thinks the word showgirl title is being “used as an catch-all phrase including everything from The Radio City Rockettes to Broadway performers and now seemingly today's icons.” The Coveted Vintage Look For younger and millennial 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 semi-sheer beaded dress made by the designer in 2001, which was inspired by one he created for Cher to wear in 1967. Subsequently, another pop star paid an undisclosed sum to buy the Mackie beaded mini dress she had worn earlier in the year to perform at the Grammys. In September, the singer wore a trio of retro Mackie designs at the MTV Video Music Awards. They are also a popular item among fashion collectors. “The showgirl aesthetic bring about fond memories for a past glamour,” says Su Kim Chung, head of special collections at the an academic institution, who researches the story of showgirls. “Currently it is considered a sort of ‘toned-down’ appeal because it has been adapted. It has got all the glamour, the crystals and the sparkle but without the exposure.” A Than Just Style: An Icon of the City She says showgirls 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 showgirl-centric productions, the historian says they are still used as an emblem of the city, showing up at corporate events and in promotional material. “The showgirl is still a remaining icon of Las Vegas glamour,” the expert says. The Appeal of Escape The former showgirl says the magical transformation of a showgirl is part of the appeal. This is a notion Taylor Swift hints at in a new documentary series that captures the behind-the-scenes action from her extensive 2023 Eras tour, which included intense preparations, gym sessions and 149 concerts across multiple nations, each lasting 3.5 hours. She describes her own showgirl performances as “similar to extreme physical exertion in high heels every night”. Her headdress was 34lbs. “I had to carry it all the way up the steps to the platform from the green rooms three floors below in the underground. I had to head up ahead of time for my entrance so I could recover before I made my entrance. You are working hard the whole time but maintaining this illusion that it’s simple and stunning and ethereal.” It could be this is where the true allure of the showgirl fantasy really is found. In the busyness of 2025 there is a longing for fantasy. Who better to turn to than showgirls, who have always represented fantasy, idealism and a universe where no one makes a mistake.