How showgirl' became the sparkling look of 2025

"After a 31-year stint on the Las Vegas strip, the showgirls from the revue Jubilee! took a final synchronised kick in 2016. The show, known for its elaborate costumes created by the American fashion designer Bob Mackie, came to an end 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 back."

"Known as the sultan of sequins, Mackie has made theatrical showgirl glitz his signature style, dressing everyone from Marilyn Monroe to Madonna. Earlier this month, a naked bodysuit he created for Cher in 1978 fetched $57,600, seven times its estimated price, while a silver and gold fringed bodysuit with lame wings that Mackie designed for Tina Turner for a 1977 performance sold for $19,200. It's a look that sashayed all the way to the centre of popular culture in 2025 thanks to Taylor Swift."

"Earlier this year, the cultural juggernaut wore one of Mackie's original 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 titled The Life of a Showgirl. Swift isn't alone. This year, showgirl references have been embraced by pop stars including Sabrina Carpenter, Miley Cyrus and Dua Lipa as they whizzed across arena stages in sequins, cut-outs and feathers, spotlighted against camp sets."

Jubilee! ended in 2016 after a 31-year Las Vegas run because of falling audience numbers and critics who called it a spectacle trapped in time. Bob Mackie, famed for theatrical showgirl glitz and dressing stars from Marilyn Monroe to Madonna, has seen his designs fetch high prices at auction, including Cher's 1978 naked bodysuit selling for $57,600 and a Tina Turner 1977 fringed bodysuit selling for $19,200. The showgirl look returned to mainstream visibility in 2025 when Taylor Swift wore an original Jubilee! costume on her album cover. Other pop stars such as Sabrina Carpenter, Miley Cyrus and Dua Lipa have adopted sequins, feathers and vintage chorus-line and burlesque references on arena stages.

Read at www.theguardian.com