Ahead of the Friday release of Taylor Swift’s 12th studio album, “The Life of a Showgirl,” the singer teased it by sharing imagery of her dressing the part in jewels, feathers and a towering headdress. It was the kind of transformation fans have come to expect from Ms. Swift, whose eras as a musical artist are associated with distinct aesthetics.
Her turn toward rhinestones and sequins borrows the dress codes of a performance genre that emerged in 19th-century European cabarets and exploded in Las Vegas in the 1950s. To execute that turn, Ms. Swift borrowed an ensemble that was designed by a man who has dressed showgirls (and the rare showman) from the Silent Generation to Gen Z: Bob Mackie.
“I always think of her as a little fairy-tale princess,” Mr. Mackie, 85, said in an interview, referring to Ms. Swift. “That young, young girl. But she’s a grown-up now.”
Photos by Mert Alas and Marcus Piggott of Ms. Swift, 35, wearing a silvery bejeweled design by Mr. Mackie, appear on the covers of three of the eight versions of “The Life of a Showgirl” album (specifically, on two vinyl records and one CD).
That ensemble was originally designed for “Jubilee!,” the lavish revue in Las Vegas from 1981 to 2016 that became the city’s longest-running production. It featured more than 1,000 costumes that Mr. Mackie made in collaboration with the designer Pete Menefee for the show.
The costumes’ gemstone and featherwork was done in France, Mr. Mackie said, adding that completing all of the looks took more than a year. The show’s expansive wardrobe was said to have caused a Swarovski crystal shortage because so many stones were needed.
“When they had every showgirl up onstage in the finale, you can’t believe your eyes,” Mr. Mackie said. “It was so wild.”
Mr. Mackie typically does fittings with stars who wear his designs. He does not own the pieces he made for “Jubilee!” and did not get the costume to Ms. Swift. (A spokeswoman for Ms. Swift did not immediately respond to emailed questions about how she got the costume.) Her wearing it on some album covers of “The Life of a Showgirl” came as a surprise to him.
“Well, it was kind of fun to see,” said Mr. Mackie, who shared a post about Ms. Swift wearing the look on Instagram soon after she teased her album imagery.
The master costumer has become synonymous with spectacle in the six decades since he dressed his first star, the actress and singer Mitzi Gaynor. Those that followed include Cher, Tina Turner, Carol Burnett, Dolly Parton, Bette Midler, Diana Ross, Madonna, Beyoncé, Pink and Elton John.
Ms. Swift and superstars like Zendaya, Miley Cyrus and Sabrina Carpenter, who attended an MTV Video Music Awards after-party last month in a sparkly, fringed Bob Mackie confection, have helped introduce him and his designs to new audiences.
“They all want to look like that showgirl,” Mr. Mackie said.
Why?
“It shocked me because it was kind of, like, an old-fashioned thing that has had its day,” he said. “But now all of a sudden, the stylists and the stars are just kind of fascinated with those outfits, and they love getting into them, and it’s like a whole other world for them.”
Yola Mzizi is a reporter for the Styles section and a member of the 2025-2026 Times Fellowship class, a program for journalists early in their careers.
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