The Midnight Pumpkin Blog

Taylor Swift’s new album, The Life of a Showgirl, is officially set to drop on October 3, 2025, but before that we’ve been treated to the album cover and photos of Taylor in gorgeous vintage showgirl costumes. Of course, I wanted to know more about those glittering costumes!

A Sparkling Bob Mackie Revival

Taylor Swift’s projects always arrive with jaw-dropping visuals, but her latest era adds an unexpected sparkling twist. She’s teamed up with legendary designer Bob Mackie, celebrated worldwide as the “Sultan of Sequins.”

Known for dressing icons like Cher, Diana Ross, and Elton John, Mackie’s trademark feathers, rhinestones, and show-stopping glamour now take center stage in what may be Swift’s most theatrical chapter to date.

Showgirl style seems to be having a moment in the spotlight between this and Pamela Anderson’s recent film The Last Showgirl.

According to Taylor Swift Style, the album’s photoshoot concept represents the “end of her night”—glamour meeting the raw, offstage reality. The glitter is still on, but the curtain has fallen.

A Piece of Las Vegas History

The showgirl costumes featured in Taylor’s visuals aren’t new creations—they are carefully selected pieces from the archives of Don Arden’s Jubilee! revue in Las Vegas, which ran for 35 years from 1981 to 2016.

Designed by Bob Mackie alongside Pete Menefee, these elaborate ensembles included rhinestone-encrusted bras and thongs, sweeping feathered armbands, jeweled hip swags, and ornate headpieces.

The album cover costume worn by Taylor Swift for Life of a Showgirl was originally designed for the “Jewel Finale” of the Las Vegas show, which featured many costumes based on Florenz Ziegfeld stage shows.

Florenz Ziegfeld Jr. (1867–1932) was one of the most influential figures in American theater and is best remembered as the creator of the Ziegfeld Follies, a series of extravagant Broadway revues that ran from 1907 through the 1930s.

If you’re making a trip to Vegas, you can still see several of the fabulous Jubilee! costumes in Dita Von Teese’s revue at The Venetian.

Costumes, Rhinestones and Feathers

The showgirl costume is a wearable work of art! The bra, undergarments, and armbands are made with French wirework. Each piece is also backed with blush color fabric for a nude illusion.

Showgirl costumes often feature feathered headdresses and ornate collars which use a wire framework known as French wirework, to shape and support extravagant plumes, rhinestones, and sequins while keeping the piece lightweight and wearable.

French wirework is a decorative metalworking technique, most often associated with jewelry making and ornamental crafts. It involves the careful twisting, wrapping, and weaving of thin wires—often gold, silver, brass, or copper—into intricate patterns.

The bra and underwear in the costume worn by Taylor Swift have set stones, and rhinestone drops at the under-bust of the bra and the waistline of the underwear. 

Up Next for Taylor Swift

With The Life of a Showgirl set for release in October, anticipation is only growing more intense. From Bob Mackie’s dazzling costumes to her collaboration with Sabrina Carpenter, this era promises both spectacle and reinvention.

In true Taylor Swift fashion, fans can expect more Easter eggs, surprise reveals, and layered storytelling leading up to release day. As the countdown continues, all eyes remain on how she’ll blend old-school showgirl glamour with her signature knack for turning personal narrative into cultural phenomenon.

Here’s the confirmed track list for Life of a Showgirl, courtesy of Glamour:

1. The Fate of Ophelia
2. Elizabeth Taylor
3. Opalite
4. Father Figure (a cover of George Michael’s 1987 song)
5. Eldest Daughter
6. Ruin the Friendship
7. Actually Romantic
8. Wi$h Li$t
9. Wood
10. CANCELED!
11. Honey
12. The Life of a Showgirl (feat. Sabrina Carpenter)