Taylor Swift announced her new record last week in classic, cultish, Swiftie fashion. Visuals for The Life of a Showgirl, her 12th studio album, dropped at 12.12am on August 12 (but her fans had already predicted that, obviously). The album’s imagery set the internet alight. A photoshoot depicted Swift in various showgirl outfits — including one traditional burlesque costume which anyone with any knowledge of showgirls would immediately recognise as a Bob Mackie creation. The American designer is responsible for the majority of modern showgirl looks; the so-called “Guru of Glitter” has worked with everyone from Sir Elton John and Miley Cyrus to Zendaya.
The album is inspired by Swift’s behind-the-scenes experiences on the Eras tour — on the official cover, she poses partly submerged in a bath while wearing a glittery dress by Area, telling a podcast co-hosted by her boyfriend, Travis Kelce: “My show days are the same every single day, I just have a different city. And my day ends with me in a bathtub.”
