Why Taylor Swift's gold 'Reputation' bodysuit on Eras Tour mattered
- - Why Taylor Swift's gold 'Reputation' bodysuit on Eras Tour mattered
Bryan West, USA TODAY NETWORK December 19, 2025 at 5:00 AM
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Taylor Swift cycled through dozens of outfits across the Eras Tour, changing looks from city to city. There was only one exception: "Reputation."
For 131 shows, the superstar wore the exact same custom red-and-black bodysuit during the snake set, night after night, inciting fans to read meaning into its immutability. Many clowned that if she changed the bodysuit, she would announce "Reputation (Taylor's Version)" like she had with "Speak Now (Taylor's Version)" and "1989 (Taylor's Version)" at earlier stops.
So when she finally shed the original snakeskin look for a black-and-gold version in Miami, the reaction was instant and deafening.
Golden bodysuit hits a snag
When Joseph Cassell Falconer, Swift's longtime stylist, and his team finally began work on a second bodysuit ahead of the final U.S. leg, the process proved far more complicated than expected. In Episode 3, Swift is shown trying on an early version of the new design, immediately clocking issues with the fit.
"It's just really annoying and I have to do athletic sh** in this," she says bluntly, pointing out problems in the bust area that made the suit impractical.
"The original bodysuit was made from a different fabric," Cassell tries to explain. "That was all the fabric there was in the world, so we had to recreate the fabric for the second one and for this one."
With little time before the Miami kickoff, the team scrambled to alter the design and during a fitting at the Hard Rock Stadium, Swift becomes ecstatic.
"It fits. It fits. It fits," she says, smiling in the mirror. "It's perfect. Nothing is going to pop out."
Cassell, standing nearby, delivers the understatement of the episode: "People are going to lose their minds."
They did.
Taylor Swift unveiled a new bodysuit for her "Reputation" era — this one featuring gold snakes rather than red ones — during the Eras Tour in Miami on Friday, Oct. 18, 2024.
What could it mean? Taylor Swift debuts new 'Reputation' bodysuit, finally.
'Reputation (Vault Tracks)'
While Swift didn't release the rerecorded version of her sixth album alongside the bodysuit reveal, it only fueled the mythology surrounding her most snake-snarled era.
In May, Swift stunned fans by announcing she had bought back the masters to her entire catalog, including "Reputation." In a handwritten letter posted to the singer's website, Swift explained she had not finished rerecording the project, saying it was the one album from her first six she felt "couldn't be improved upon by redoing it."
Still, the singer-songwriter left the door open for fans.
"There will be a time (if you’re into the idea) for the unreleased Vault tracks from that album to hatch," she teased.
Just days before the docuseries debuted, fans noticed subtle but eyebrow-raising changes to two "Reputation" tracks on Apple Music. On "I Did Something Bad," the lyric shifted from "I don't regret it one bit 'cause he had it coming" to "and if he calls me a b**** then he had it coming," while "Delicate" was from "oh damn, never seen that color blue" to "goddamn, never seen that color blue."
There's still no release date for the vault tracks.
Melissa Ruggieri writes. Here are some of the lyrics on the album that nod to Travis Kelce.
" style=padding-bottom:56%>In "The Life of a Showgirl," Taylor Swift shows she's a woman in love and "proudly flaunts the physical and emotional attributes of her man," USA TODAY critic Melissa Ruggieri writes. Here are some of the lyrics on the album that nod to Travis Kelce.
" data-src=https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/DmOjuQ_r8ohT6L1M52gvNQ--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD0xMjQy/https://media.zenfs.com/en/usa_today_slideshows_242/5813552a0c11ccb347a45c64099c594a class=caas-img data-headline="Taylor Swift's most notable lyrics about Travis Kelce on 'The Life of a Showgirl'" data-caption="
In "The Life of a Showgirl," Taylor Swift shows she's a woman in love and "proudly flaunts the physical and emotional attributes of her man," USA TODAY critic Melissa Ruggieri writes. Here are some of the lyrics on the album that nod to Travis Kelce.
">In "The Life of a Showgirl," Taylor Swift shows she's a woman in love and "proudly flaunts the physical and emotional attributes of her man," USA TODAY critic Melissa Ruggieri writes. Here are some of the lyrics on the album that nod to Travis Kelce.
" src=https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/DmOjuQ_r8ohT6L1M52gvNQ--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD0xMjQy/https://media.zenfs.com/en/usa_today_slideshows_242/5813552a0c11ccb347a45c64099c594a class=caas-img>— Taylor Swift, "Ophelia"
" style=padding-bottom:56%>"I swore loyalty to me, myself and I / Right before you lit my sky up." — Taylor Swift, "Ophelia"
" data-src=https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/MN0Jc8SQoqLWRSdgq5q_4g--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD0xMjQy/https://media.zenfs.com/en/usa_today_slideshows_242/b8c687465070c70a444301b8a4bd8bbe class=caas-img data-headline="Taylor Swift's most notable lyrics about Travis Kelce on 'The Life of a Showgirl'" data-caption="
"I swore loyalty to me, myself and I / Right before you lit my sky up." — Taylor Swift, "Ophelia"
">"I swore loyalty to me, myself and I / Right before you lit my sky up." — Taylor Swift, "Ophelia"
" src=https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/MN0Jc8SQoqLWRSdgq5q_4g--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD0xMjQy/https://media.zenfs.com/en/usa_today_slideshows_242/b8c687465070c70a444301b8a4bd8bbe class=caas-img>— Taylor Swift, "Eldest Daughter"
" style=padding-bottom:56%>"When I said I don't believe in marriage / That was a lie."— Taylor Swift, "Eldest Daughter"
" data-src=https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/ol8bXZwtR3JhjH7yR.YQGA--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD04Mjg-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/usa_today_slideshows_242/8adcf9f96ef55ce8efc3aaf7c53b80ef class=caas-img data-headline="Taylor Swift's most notable lyrics about Travis Kelce on 'The Life of a Showgirl'" data-caption="
"When I said I don't believe in marriage / That was a lie."— Taylor Swift, "Eldest Daughter"
">"When I said I don't believe in marriage / That was a lie."— Taylor Swift, "Eldest Daughter"
" src=https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/ol8bXZwtR3JhjH7yR.YQGA--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD04Mjg-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/usa_today_slideshows_242/8adcf9f96ef55ce8efc3aaf7c53b80ef class=caas-img>— Taylor Swift, "Ophelia"
" style=padding-bottom:56%>"You dug me out of my grave and saved my heart from the fate of Ophelia / Keep it 100 / On the land, the sea, the sky / Pledge allegiance to your hands / Your team, your vibes." — Taylor Swift, "Ophelia"
" data-src=https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/TXd4Ff6PhiiNbTwpKai5jQ--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD0xMjQy/https://media.zenfs.com/en/usa_today_slideshows_242/dab243144ad90ce67125496da37d236a class=caas-img data-headline="Taylor Swift's most notable lyrics about Travis Kelce on 'The Life of a Showgirl'" data-caption="
"You dug me out of my grave and saved my heart from the fate of Ophelia / Keep it 100 / On the land, the sea, the sky / Pledge allegiance to your hands / Your team, your vibes." — Taylor Swift, "Ophelia"
">"You dug me out of my grave and saved my heart from the fate of Ophelia / Keep it 100 / On the land, the sea, the sky / Pledge allegiance to your hands / Your team, your vibes." — Taylor Swift, "Ophelia"
" src=https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/TXd4Ff6PhiiNbTwpKai5jQ--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD0xMjQy/https://media.zenfs.com/en/usa_today_slideshows_242/dab243144ad90ce67125496da37d236a class=caas-img>“Summertime spritz, pink skies / You can call me 'honey' if you want / Because I'm the one you want. ... You could be my forever-night stand." — Taylor Swift, "Honey"
" style=padding-bottom:56%>“Summertime spritz, pink skies / You can call me 'honey' if you want / Because I'm the one you want. ... You could be my forever-night stand." — Taylor Swift, "Honey"
" data-src=https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/I.jfgLNmVlpZMMtwOYvb0A--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD0xMjQy/https://media.zenfs.com/en/usa_today_slideshows_242/55c28a1cdc2501d70c96b539442d5797 class=caas-img data-headline="Taylor Swift's most notable lyrics about Travis Kelce on 'The Life of a Showgirl'" data-caption="
“Summertime spritz, pink skies / You can call me 'honey' if you want / Because I'm the one you want. ... You could be my forever-night stand." — Taylor Swift, "Honey"
">“Summertime spritz, pink skies / You can call me 'honey' if you want / Because I'm the one you want. ... You could be my forever-night stand." — Taylor Swift, "Honey"
" src=https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/I.jfgLNmVlpZMMtwOYvb0A--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD0xMjQy/https://media.zenfs.com/en/usa_today_slideshows_242/55c28a1cdc2501d70c96b539442d5797 class=caas-img>Seems to be that you and me, we make our own luck. ... His love was thе key that opened my thighs."— Taylor Swift, "Wood"
" style=padding-bottom:56%>"The curse on me was broken by your magic wand /Seems to be that you and me, we make our own luck. ... His love was thе key that opened my thighs."— Taylor Swift, "Wood"
" data-src=https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/xtj6T9wTU82.lGrwMF_Aeg--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD0xMjQy/https://media.zenfs.com/en/usa_today_slideshows_242/e9ecaf7bc4a191b4318a96d4bf4de2bf class=caas-img data-headline="Taylor Swift's most notable lyrics about Travis Kelce on 'The Life of a Showgirl'" data-caption="
"The curse on me was broken by your magic wand /Seems to be that you and me, we make our own luck. ... His love was thе key that opened my thighs."— Taylor Swift, "Wood"
">"The curse on me was broken by your magic wand /Seems to be that you and me, we make our own luck. ... His love was thе key that opened my thighs."— Taylor Swift, "Wood"
" src=https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/xtj6T9wTU82.lGrwMF_Aeg--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD0xMjQy/https://media.zenfs.com/en/usa_today_slideshows_242/e9ecaf7bc4a191b4318a96d4bf4de2bf class=caas-img>I'm nеver gonna leave you now." — Taylor Swift, "Eldest Daughter"
" style=padding-bottom:56%>"So many traitors, smooth operators / But I'm never gonna break that vowI'm nеver gonna leave you now." — Taylor Swift, "Eldest Daughter"
" data-src=https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/FGz8F18yloBjmBusBHgiEA--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD0xMjQy/https://media.zenfs.com/en/usa_today_slideshows_242/cd737c95b9fdc65eb2215e5fabc27d77 class=caas-img data-headline="Taylor Swift's most notable lyrics about Travis Kelce on 'The Life of a Showgirl'" data-caption="
"So many traitors, smooth operators / But I'm never gonna break that vowI'm nеver gonna leave you now." — Taylor Swift, "Eldest Daughter"
">"So many traitors, smooth operators / But I'm never gonna break that vowI'm nеver gonna leave you now." — Taylor Swift, "Eldest Daughter"
" src=https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/FGz8F18yloBjmBusBHgiEA--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD0xMjQy/https://media.zenfs.com/en/usa_today_slideshows_242/cd737c95b9fdc65eb2215e5fabc27d77 class=caas-img>
1 / 7Taylor Swift's most notable lyrics about Travis Kelce on 'The Life of a Showgirl'
In "The Life of a Showgirl," Taylor Swift shows she's a woman in love and "proudly flaunts the physical and emotional attributes of her man," USA TODAY critic Melissa Ruggieri writes. Here are some of the lyrics on the album that nod to Travis Kelce.
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This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Why Taylor Swift's gold 'Reputation' bodysuit on Eras Tour mattered
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
