Taylor Swift, the global pop phenomenon known for her meticulous attention to detail, has once again sent fans into a frenzy with a subtle but significant change during her Eras Tour. During her performance at Wembley Stadium in London on August 16, Swift, 34, debuted a striking new outfit during the Midnights segment of her show.
The silver and black bodysuit, paired with matching garters and knee-high sequin boots, has sparked widespread speculation among her dedicated fanbase, who believe this could be a hint at an upcoming announcement related to her Reputation album.
The outfit, with its darker, edgier tones, echoes the aesthetics of her 2017 Reputation era, leading many to suspect that Swift is preparing to announce the release of Reputation (Taylor's Version).
This theory gained traction after a fan on X (formerly Twitter) noted a pattern: "She changed her Midnights outfit (just like she did before 1989 TV), tomorrow is N6 [night six of her London shows], Reputation is her 6th album, and she played two Reputation songs yesterday."
Swift, who has built a reputation for dropping Easter eggs and cryptic clues for her fans, fueled further excitement when she brought out her longtime friend Ed Sheeran for a surprise duet during the first night of her London shows.
The duo performed a medley that included "Everything Has Changed," "End Game," and Sheeran's hit "Thinking Out Loud." Reflecting on their history, Swift told the crowd, "We toured together on the Red tour. Every time I am doing the Red part of this show, I think about the memories that we've made."
The anticipation surrounding Swift's potential announcement is heightened by her history of strategic costume changes and well-timed reveals. In August 2023, she similarly debuted a new outfit during a Midnights performance, only to announce the release of 1989 (Taylor's Version) the following day. Fans are now eagerly awaiting the final nights of her London shows, particularly August 17, when many expect Swift to confirm the release of Reputation (Taylor's Version).
Swift's Eras Tour has been marked by both triumph and challenge. Earlier this month, she was forced to cancel her three sold-out concerts in Vienna due to a foiled terrorist plot. Austrian police arrested several individuals who allegedly planned to target Swift's performances at Ernst Happel Stadium. Despite the setback, Swift has continued to draw massive crowds across Europe, with her London shows marking the end of her European leg before a planned two-month hiatus.
The re-recording of Reputation would be Swift's fifth re-release, following the successful launches of Fearless (Taylor's Version), Red (Taylor's Version), Speak Now (Taylor's Version), and 1989 (Taylor's Version). These re-recordings are part of Swift's broader effort to reclaim her music catalog after it was sold to Scooter Braun in 2019, a move she publicly opposed.
"I think that artists deserve to own their work," Swift said in a 2019 interview with Good Morning America, explaining her decision to revisit and re-record her earlier albums.
In an interview with TIME for their 2023 Person of the Year issue, Swift reflected on the significance of revisiting her Reputation era, describing it as "a goth-punk moment of female rage at being gaslit by an entire social structure." She teased that the vault tracks from the re-recorded album would be "fire" and compared the process of reclaiming her music to "collecting horcruxes" from the Harry Potter series or "collecting infinity stones" from the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
