🔗 Share this article How 'Showgirl' Became the Dazzling Aesthetic of 2025 Following a three-decade tenure on the iconic Vegas strip, the performers from the revue Jubilee! executed their last perfectly timed kick in 2016. The extravaganza, famous for its ornate costumes created by style icon Bob Mackie, came to an end due to dwindling audience numbers and disappointed critics who called it a spectacle “a relic of another era”. Today, nearly ten years later, the showgirl persona, or at least the showgirl aesthetic, is back. A Master of Sparkle Dubbed the “master of glitz”, Mackie has made theatrical stage sparkle his trademark look, outfitting everyone from Hollywood icons to music superstars. Earlier this month, a “see-through” bodysuit he designed for Cher in 1978 sold for $57,600, seven times its estimated price, while a shimmering tasseled 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 new generation of stars who is seeking something other than what they were accustomed to”, he stated in an interview with a publication. “Contemporary performers are striving for a theatrical, more dramatic, show-stopping, grand statement.” The Pop Culture Resurgence It’s a look that made its way all the way to the heart of popular culture in 2025 thanks to a global pop icon. Recently, the entertainment titan wore one of Mackie’s vintage Jubilee! costumes on the cover of her new musical project. The bedazzled bra and thong, ostrich-feather armbands and glittering headpiece were perfect for a record called The Life of a Showgirl. Swift isn't alone. This year, showgirl references have been embraced by music artists including Dua Lipa as they zoomed across arena stages in sequins, revealing designs and feathers, spotlighted against theatrical sets. Her fashion curator her creative director told a style publication he wanted to bring “a showgirl spirit” to her Radical Optimism tour – inspired by pictures from the 1950s, her performers wafted giant feathered fans. Pulling from the Past Lipa, Carpenter and other successful musicians also take inspiration from classic performances, including vaudeville and ensemble references. The final look are vastly different from the late-century Britney Spears era of revealing tops and baggy pants, and urban dance moves that preceded this trend. But certain observers are on board with this showgirl renaissance. A former performer, a ex- Jubilee! showgirl who entertained in the 00s says the trend is “bemusing”. She thinks the word showgirl is being “employed as an catch-all phrase covering everything from The Radio City Rockettes to Broadway performers and now apparently Taylor Swift.” The Highly Sought-After Classic Look For younger and millennial stars, Mackie’s classic designs have become extremely desirable. In 2024, a famous actress honored to one of Mackie’s earliest clients, Cher, when the actor wore a translucent beaded dress created by the designer in 2001, which was similar to one he created for Cher to wear in 1967. Months after, another pop star paid an significant price to buy the Mackie beaded mini dress she had worn previously to perform at the Grammys. In September, Carpenter wore a trio of vintage Mackie designs at the MTV Video Music Awards. They are also a popular item among collectors. “The showgirl aesthetic inspire a sense of longing for a past glamour,” says an archivist, an expert at the an academic institution, who researches the history of showgirls. “Currently it is viewed as a sort of ‘safe’ sexy because it has been adapted. It has got all the glamour, the crystals and the shine but without the nudity.” A Than Simply Style: An Icon of the City The expert says this figure are central to the iconography of Sin City. She points to ex-mayor Oscar Goodman who, during public appearances, was accompanied by two showgirls. Even though Las Vegas currently lacks any showgirl-centric productions, the historian says they are still featured as an symbol of the city, being present at corporate events and in advertisements. “The showgirl is still a enduring icon of Vegas glamour,” the expert says. The Appeal of Illusion Nancy Hardy says the transformative effect of a showgirl is part of the attraction. It’s something the singer references in a new behind-the-scenes film that captures the behind-the-scenes action from her year-long 2023 Eras tour, which included intense practice sessions, workouts and 149 shows across multiple nations, each going on for 3.5 hours. The performer explains her own stage routines as “comparable to running a marathon in heels every night”. Her headpiece weighed 34lbs. “I had to carry it all the way up the steps to the performance area from the green rooms three floors below in the underground. I had to head up ahead of time for my moment so I could rest before I went on stage. You’re working hard the whole time but creating this fantasy that it’s easy and gorgeous and dreamlike.” Perhaps this is where the true allure of the showgirl really lies. In the busyness of 2025 there is a craving for fantasy. Is there anyone better to turn to than such icons, who have always represented fantasy, flawlessness and a world where no one falters.