Katy Perry leaned into nostalgia this week, reviving one of her most recognizable stage costumes nearly two decades after she first wore it.
The 41-year-old Grammy nominee performed Tuesday night at Cardiff Castle in Cardiff, Wales, where she played to a sold-out crowd as part of her summer Out of Office concert tour.
For the show, Perry dipped back into her late-2000s wardrobe and brought out a playful look that longtime fans may instantly remember.
She took the stage in a red-and-white polka-dot two-piece, the same eye-catching outfit she wore in July 2009 during her performance at Capital Summertime Ball in London.
Back then, the flirty ensemble was paired with sparkly tights, black ballet flats and Perry’s signature pinup-inspired hairstyle from that era.
For its 2026 return, she gave the costume a fresh twist, swapping the original tights and flats for white thigh-high stockings and black leather Mary Jane shoes by Vivienne Westwood.
Katy Perry revisited an iconic stage look she first wore 17 years ago during her sold-out performance at Cardiff Castle on Tuesday
Perry also updated the beauty styling, replacing her curly pageboy look with long, dark curls and a dramatic bow crafted from hair and secured at the back of her head.
She showed off her outfit on Instagram in a fun video clip of herself dancing in her dressing room just moments before taking the stage on Tuesday.
‘WATCH IT BURN CARDIFF,’ captioned Perry, referring to her recently released comeback single, Watch It Burn.
Perry’s polkadot throwback look is just the latest in a string of nostalgic costumes from her early career that the singer has reworn on her European tour.
She is auctioning off the costumes as part of a fundraiser for her Firework Foundation, which she founded in 2018 and provides children in ‘underserved communities’ with access to arts programs.
The Daily Mail has reached out to Perry’s representatives for comment but has yet to hear back.
Despite performing for a sold-out crowd just days ago, Perry’s latest single has completely flamed-out on the charts.
Watch It Burn, which was released last Friday, was expected to deliver a much-needed comeback for the former hitmaker.
But Watch It Burn failed to enter the top 200 of Spotify’s streaming chart both globally and in the US following its release.
According to news.com.au, the song’s highest peak so far has been No. 127 in Brazil.
For her performance, Perry paraded around in a sexy red and white polkadot outfit that she previously wore back in July 2009 while performing at Capital Summertime Ball in London
Perry showed off her outfit on Instagram in a fun video clip of herself dancing in her dressing room just moments before taking the stage on Tuesday
This is despite Perry promoting Watch It Burn with a big budget music video and festival concerts at Rock in Rio Lisboa on June 20 and O Son do Camiño in Spain on June 18, where she performed the song for the first time ever.
Fans have been stunned by Perry’s career slide, with one commenting, ‘People really have moved on from her? She was, NOT THAT LONG AGO, one of the biggest pop stars on earth.’
Another wrote, ‘It’s over’, while a third added, ‘Unfortunate, because this is the best song she’s released in quite some time honestly.’
So far, Watch It Burn has performed even worse than Perry’s last single, Bandaids, which debuted at No. 101 on the global Spotify chart before dropping off.
During a recent appearance on the Unfamous podcast, Perry explained that she was ‘wrestling with my darkness’ on the angsty Watch It Burn following a ‘tough year’.
‘I have not given myself permission to be angry my whole life over things I should be f***ing angry about,’ she said.
‘What I’ve done is I pushed it down, but I should be f***ing angry. I’m allowed to be angry for a f***ing moment.’
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Perry, who at one point had a string of back-to-back hits, has struggled to get her new music to connect with audiences like it once did.
Despite performing for a sold-out crowd just days ago, Perry’s latest single has completely flamed-out on the charts
Despite a big budget music video and several live performances, Perry’s angsty new song Watch It Burn has failed to chart anywhere
Her last two studio albums, 2020’s Smile and 2024’s 143, both tanked on the charts.
On top of that, her last few singles, including Bandaids and Lifetimes, all failed to crack the Billboard Hot 100.
The star’s last charting single was 2024’s Woman’s World, which peaked briefly at No. 63 on the Hot 100 but was savaged by both fans and music critics alike.
However, Perry has seen many of her old songs surge in streams thanks to viral success on social media apps like TikTok.
Her 2011 single The One That Got Away has become an unexpected mega-hit, racking up over 1.6billion streams on Spotify alone.
Another one of her Teenage Dream hits, the chart-topping ‘Last Friday Night’, is also surging back up the Spotify charts.
The Daily Mail contacted Universal Music for comment but did not hear back.
It comes as Perry was forced to cancel her show at the Belgian music festival Werchter Boutique on Saturday just hours before taking to the stage.
Perry’s last single, Bandaids, briefly peaked at No. 101 on the Spotify global 200 before quickly vanishing, marking yet another flop for the former hitmaker
Perry’s last album, the dance-driven 143, was a critical and commercial disaster on the charts
The songstress shared a post to Instagram as she explained to fans that she had ‘no choice’ but to pull the plug on the show.
Perry had been slated to close out the festival on Saturday following Pitbull’s set, but dangerous weather conditions prevented her from doing so.
‘Sadly my set @WerchterBoutique tonight can’t happen due to a government mandated cancellation because of the incoming inclement weather and crowd safety concerns,’ she penned in the caption.
The Roar hitmaker said that she had been backstage getting ready for her show ‘when this news was delivered and they gave me no choice.’
‘I am just as unhappy as you are,’ she continued, before adding that the situation ‘is beyond my control’ and the safety of attendees is the main priority.
‘I am sorry I can’t change the weather, and even sorrier that all of us can’t be together tonight.’
Perry concluded her message to fans by expressing her disappointment that she cannot celebrate her return to the festival stage after her last appearance back in 2009.
Despite some setbacks, the star performed live at Cardiff Castle in Wales on Tuesday
‘I was even gonna wear the same outfit from that 2009 show again. I love you all, and please get home safe,’ the singer wrote along with a sad face emoji.
The last-minute cancellation of Perry’s show was due to ‘severe thunderstorms’ that were predicted to hit the area.
The decision was to ‘ensure that the exit of visitors proceeds in a safe and orderly manner, allowing everyone to return home calmly.
‘The safety and health of everyone present is always our top priority.’
