“Patient Zero” Music Video
Worn On: 9/27/26
the commentary
At the VMAs, Taylor debuted the music video for “Patient Zero” - the lead off The Life of a Showgirl deluxe re-release titled The Encore and another one of her self-directed projects where a ghostly Taylor - dressed in the luxe and neutral-filled silks, satins, and flowing garments we saw her fashion lean into in the spring - haunts every scene. When the announcement of the single and reissue rolled out, both were supported by visuals that were noticeably distinct from one another.
The Encore album cover is a snap from the original Showgirl album photoshoot, captured by Mert Alas and Marcus Piggott. The fashion and stylization were natural continuations of Showgirl’s era aesthetic. The “Zero” stills, by contrast, were exceedingly sterile. Desaturated. Lacking the verve and sparkle I’d associate with Showgirl. A “faded and atrophied” world removed from Showgirl’s vivid kaleidoscope. Prior to the video’s release, I wrote on the newsletter, “Might [these] be stills from … a music video pegged to the single?” We have our answer: Yes!
It made me consider how the selection of “Zero” as a lead lends itself to filtering the entirety of Encore; a quartet of songs written in the immediate record breaking success of Showgirl. By presenting the lead packaging of Encore as so removed from the original Showgirl is part of defining its perspective. I feel we’re meant to take in these four songs through this lens, this video, this mindset. I can imagine how celebrating the greatest career achievement in your career with someone unabashedly by your side (“Cleveland!”) might throw into relief a not-so-distant past where having both of those things at once was inconceivable (“Patient Zero”) and also force you to re-evaluate the ways you may have treated people yourself (“Pink Clouding”). And how, ultimately, the reminder that the most important thing we can do in this life is live in and for the present moment - because it may not always have been an option (“Babylon”).
the clothes
Feature Photo by YouTube