Taylor Swift kicked off her much-anticipated The Eras Tour on Friday night in Glendale, Arizona (renamed “Swift City” on Friday and Saturday for the occasion). You’ll recall that the singer broke records with the tour, selling 2.4 million tickets in a single day, so it’s safe to say that Swifties were eager to see what the singer had in store. Over the course of her three-hour-long set list—which included 44 songs—the star certainly didn’t disappoint with outfits. She sported custom designs from labels such as Versace, Roberto Cavalli, and Oscar de la Renta. Her performance attire paid homage to all of her past eras—from rocking ‘Bejeweled’-worthy bodysuits, to edgy snake looks that nodded to her Reputation days.
Diehard fans of Swift could easily catch how her new costumes nod to her past. Styled by Joseph Cassell Falconer, they served as modern updates to signature Swift looks. Her gold, fringed mini dress by Roberto Cavalli, for instance, referenced a similar Cavalli dress that Swift wore during her Fearless tour back in 2011. “We chose a beautiful champagne color, which is very Taylor,” Roberto Cavalli designer Fausto Puglisi tells Vogue. The designer also created the embroidered Rhombus top and mini skirt for her 1989 set, as well as the embroidered snake catsuit Swift wears to perform songs from her album Reputation. “It’s more of a badass, rock and roll look,” says Puglisi.
Swift famously adopted the slithery imagery during her Reputation era, when her haters flooded her social media with snake emojis. She reclaimed the term and symbol as a power move. “I wanted to send a message to you guys that if someone uses name-calling to bully you on social media, and even if a lot of people jump on board with it, that doesn’t have to beat you,” Swift said on stage during her opening night. (Fans have even been creating their own snake looks to wear to the show.)
Each outfit was aligned with the message and vibe of the era Swift referenced, showcasing the different audio and visual aesthetics she’s embraced over her nearly two-decade-long career. Swift opened with her songs from the Lover album, and channeled the album’s visual pastel vibes with a glitzy Versace bodysuit. (All of the looks were also complete with shimmery Christian Louboutin boots.) While performing Midnight’s ‘Lavender Haze’, she chose a faux fur lavender coat by Oscar de la Renta, complete with a beaded bodysuit. During her more ethereal Folklore section, Swift leaned on gauzy prairie gowns by Alberta Ferretti and Etro.
The most dramatic, of course, was the full-on princess gowns by Nicole + Felicia that Swift wears to perform ‘Enchanted’ in—an enchanted design indeed. With each look more dazzling the next, there was an intentional choice from Swift to use her stage fashion to speak to the music she performs. The same sentiment came from the designers themselves, most of whom did custom creations. “I always want to create couture for the music,” says Puglisi. “We took an artisanal approach to craftsmanship—when you create for a concert in a stadium with so many people, everything must be eye-catching.” In other words, best believe she’s still bejeweled.
Below, all of Swift’s best fashion moments from her Eras Tour so far.
1 / 11
In Versace
2 / 11
In Roberto Cavalli
3 / 11
In Nicole + Felicia Couture
4 / 11
In Roberto Cavalli
5 / 11
In Zuhair Murad
6 / 11
In Oscar de la Renta
7 / 11
In Versace
8 / 11
In Etro
9 / 11
In Oscar de la Renta
10 / 11
