Taylor Swift’s brand-new music video for “The Fate of Ophelia,” the lead single off her latest album “The Life of a Showgirl,” is a true fashion feast.
Billed by Swift (who both wrote and directed the visuals) as “a journey through the chaotic world of show business,” the four-minute clip sees the musical icon cosplaying the titular “Hamlet” heroine, a glamorous synchronized swimmer, a late Hollywood legend and more — all while clad in custom looks from some of the industry’s foremost designers.
Below, a breakdown of each and every outfit Swift wears in the video, from a Roberto Cavalli dress crafted almost entirely from wrapped cords to a vintage Bob Mackie costume once worn on the Vegas stage.
Shakespearean style
Swift slips into the role of Ophelia — as depicted in Sir John Everett Millais’s 1851 painting — in an ethereal ivory gown by Alberta Ferretti featuring romantic floor-length sleeves and a tiered ruffled hem.
Per the brand’s press release, the custom georgette dress was tea-stained to achieve an appropriately antiqued aesthetic.
Gentlemen prefer blondes
Next, Swift morphs into Hollywood icon Marilyn Monroe in a red Versace bodysuit, opera gloves and garter belt covered in crystals and beadwork — and complete with ruby-colored Jimmy Choo pumps, a platinum blond wig, a beauty mark and plenty of dazzling Lorraine Schwartz diamonds. (They’re a girl’s best friend, after all.)
Girl-group glamour
Swift transforms into the lead singer of a Ronettes-style ’60s girl group in the next sequence, with the Grammy winner and her two bandmates clad in matching Roberto Cavalli halter dresses. Per the house’s press release, the looks are crafted from metallic leather diamonds linked by gold metal rings and finished at the top with built-in, crystal-studded chokers.
Sapphire-colored Jennifer Behr crystal earrings and a sleek brunette wig finish off Swift’s look.
Out to sea
We then see a redheaded Swift set sail in a sparkling silver Paolo Sebastian gown with an exposed corset and hand-beaded heart-and-arrow motif at the chest. The look hails from the brand’s fall 2024 couture collection, titled “A Lover’s Kiss” and aptly inspired by Shakespeare.
“A Lover’s Kiss draws inspiration from the great love stories of old. The fearless passion of Romeo and Juliet; star-crossed lovers doomed to meet their fate. The divine worship of Dante and Beatrice; her infinite grace guiding him to ascension. The eternal devotion of Cupid and Psyche; relentless in their pursuit to reunite,” the collection notes read.
“With these tales and countless more we are reminded that whether through strength or sacrifice, romance or revelation, true love is a power unto itself.”
Making a splash
For her next act, the songstress takes cues from Busby Berkeley and shows off some flashy footwork in an aquamarine-hued Area bathing suit styled with a paillette-covered swim cap and tinsel boa; her dancers are all clad in matching looks.
A Larkspur & Hawk necklace and heart-shaped Retrouvaí ring finish off Swift’s ‘fit.
All tied up
She shows us the ropes of showgirl life in a custom Roberto Cavalli gown crafted from cords and gold-toned crystals, accessorized with a Joanna Laura Constantine choker and colorful Sanamama gemstone ring.
Razzle-dazzle
Nobody designs for showgirls like Bob Mackie, so it’s fitting that Swift incorporated archival styles from the so-called “Sultan of Sequins” into her first music video from this new era — feathered headpieces and all.
“He is a master at his craft, and his designs have endured decades,” Las Vegas stylist Jose Rodrigo — who’s worked extensively with vintage Mackie designs — previously told Page Six Style.
“They were built with the best of the best.”
Fringe benefits
Swift’s sheer, shimmering party dress for the video’s grand finale is the work of New York designer Kelsey Randall, who spoke exclusively with Page Six Style about the process of creating the playful piece.
“It’s all iridescent — primarily in shades of pink and purple but with undertones of peach, white and gold,” Randall told us. “It specifically reminded me of the Versace bodysuit from the Eras Tour, which is so symbolic and iconic.”
The designer says she had just 13 days to make the dress in time for Swift’s shoot, so she tapped her “most crafty” friends to help cut the chain fringe and glue on crystals; “It was like a sewing circle, but a rhinestone circle,” she quipped.
Bejeweled in the bath
The video ends with a nod to the “Life of a Showgirl” album cover, with Swift soaking in the tub in a crystallized Area minidress and Zydo Italy diamonds.
“This [image] represents the end of my night … My day ends with me in a bathtub,” the songwriter previously shared on “New Heights” of how “Showgirl” was inspired by her life during the Eras Tour.
“The reason I wanted to have an offstage moment as the album cover is that this album isn’t really about what happened to me onstage, it’s about what I was going through offstage … The life beyond the show.”
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