Are you a Swiftie? No? OK, just close your browser and move along, friend. Think about your life choices. Come back and see me when you’ve realized the error of your ways.
Are you a Swiftie now? I thought so. And I say this as a longtime anti-Swiftie who thought she was way too cool for Taylor, until I discovered Everlore. Oh, mama, mama, mama, I love those albums (That’s Folklore + Evermore, in case you’re, like, normal), and they turned me into a raging Swiftie. So here we are, throwing a fabulously over-the-top themed listening party for Taylor’s latest, Life of a Showgirl!
Here’s the deal. You need a few things to throw a proper The Life of a Showgirl party:
Themed food. You can go vibes, you can go puns. But you have to have some theme-y food.
Decor
Outlandish outfits
Food
I debated a few different approaches here, but I eventually decided to go with a pun-driven themed food for each song title, all snugly fit into a single “Wood” board. One song down, right? Here’s the song list; let’s dive in:
”The Fate of Ophelia”: This one was extra fun and creative, and it felt organic (Unlike a couple others… keep reading.). I “drowned” some goat cheese, Ophelia-style, in “Honey.” I served this nerdy dish with plenty of crackers, of course.
”Elizabeth Taylor”: But make it Elizabeth Taters. I decided to pile on the luxury and offer a spread of caviar, crème fraîche, and potato chips, which unfortunately also happens to be one of my favorite foods (Why couldn’t I just love, like, instant ramen?). I didn’t break the bank on the caviar here at all, but it was a super fun touch.
”Opalite”: I struggled hard with this one. I was going for an opalite-esque iridescence, but all I could really think of there was oysters and lychee. Unable to find either near me, I just ended up with Fruit Riot sour grapes, which totally worked. A little sparkly, purple, fun… It worked. But what other ideas am I missing??
”Father Figure”: Father fig-ure. Fresh figs—simple. You could also go with fig spread, which is perfect with your Ophelia-drowned cheese.
”Eldest Daughter”: Elder-berry daughter. Simple! I served elderberry jam alongside the cheese, crackers, and figs.
”Ruin the Friendship”: Ruin the French dips. UGH. OK, but these were so good. I made French dip sliders with au jus-spiked mayo spread, removing the need for a sidecar for dipping. Recipe at the bottom of this post! I’m obsessed with them.
Side note: My plan B here was to slather red jam on a round of brie and stab a knife in the center. That’s one really gory way to ruin a friendship.
”Actually Romantic”: I sort of phoned it in here but it worked. Heart-shaped chocolates—simple!
”Wish List”: Another really challenging one, because, wish list?! My brain just could not compute a pun for this one. I ended up serving a smoked salmon dip, for “fish wish list.” I served the dip with star-shaped lahvosh crackers, which felt very “wish upon a star.” It was easy, and it filled out the board well, so I was happy.
”Wood”: A wooden board—check, done!
”Cancelled!”: Can-celled. Fancy tinned seafood fit the bill here and added a sort of cool-girl Euro vibe to the board, too. I got chili-spiked smoked oysters, which are divine.
”Honey”: My poor goat cheese Ophelia drowned in honey for this one, which was a super easy twofer that felt clever and also… delicious.
”The Life of a Showgirl”: The Slice of a Showgirl, though. I pivoted from the board here and made an orange-scented cake (By literally sprinkling some orange zest into a boxed cake mix), with orange-spiked cream cheese frosting, and lots of teal, white, and orange sprinkles. I just combined alllllll the sprinkles I had from alllllll the parties I’ve thrown, and it worked. I cut down a couple straws, stuck them in the middle, and shoved orange-dyed ostrich feathers in them for a showgirl headdress-inspired look, and she was stunning!
Bonus: Orange possets. These have nothing to do with the track list, but they were too cute to resist making. And turns out, they’re quite possibly the most delicious thing I’ve ever eaten? 10/10 did not expect. Surprisingly easy to make but super, super stunning, they felt very right for this orange-inspired party.
Drinks
There felt like only one right option here, for Taylor’s orange era: Aperol spritz. They’re stunning, delicious, and fun, so make these. I finished them with thin slices of orange and teal-striped paper straws for extra theming.
Decor
I kept it really, really chill here, because I didn’t want to end up with like, 45 pounds of orange sequined linens. I love to keep a variety of fabrics, tablecloths, and table runners on hand, since it makes throwing last-minute parties much, much easier, and this was no exception. I focused on teal table linens and runners as the foundation for the decor, and I leaned on orange ostrich feathers as the focal point of the remaining decor. It worked really well together but took like, zero effort.
We also had an orange sequin backdrop for our photo booth backdrop, and we reused a neighbor’s balloon arch to give it a little extra zhuzh.
My marquee-style letter board was perfect for this one! Its bulb border felt organically Showgirl-y, framing “Bites of a Showgirl” to designate the food space.
The Outfits
I asked my friends to wear their favorite orange or their showgirl best! Considering we’re like, too old to not prioritize comfort anymore… we had a lot of orange.
I decided that now was the perfect time to bust back out my Willow-inspired outfit that I wore to the Eras tour last year, but I replaced my green velvet hooded cloak with a ridiculous teal one instead. It was a deep cut but tremendously fun for this Swiftie.
OK, what are we doing for the album? Are you hosting? What song do you think will be the BEST?
Ruin the French Dips Sliders
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted
2 tsp. au jus packet mix
1 (12-ounce) package Hawaiian sweet rolls, such as King’s
6 slices Swiss or Provolone cheese (about 7 ounces), divided
About 7 oz. thin-sliced deli roast beef
⅓ cup mayonnaise
Arrange a rack in the middle of the oven and heat the oven to 350°F.
Stir together mayonnaise and 1 tsp. au jus mix.
Without separating the rolls, cut 1 package Hawaiian sweet dinner rolls in half horizontally with a serrated knife. Place the bottom half of the rolls in a 9x13-inch or 7x11-inch baking dish.
Spread au jus mayonnaise over bottom layer of rolls
Fold and arrange roast beef over the cheese, arranging a slice on each roll. Layer the sliced cheese over the roast beef.
Stir together melted butter and 1 tsp. au jus mix. Brush the butter onto the top of the rolls. Cover the baking dish tightly with aluminum foil.
Bake until the sandwich is heated through and the cheese melts, about 20 minutes. Uncover and bake until the rolls are lightly browned, 7 to 8 minutes. Transfer the slab to a cutting board, then cut into individual sliders with a serrated knife before serving.