After five long years without a tour, Taylor Swift is back in business and ready to show the world what she has in store for her long-awaited Eras Tour. After a crisis with Ticketmaster that sparked a senate committee hearing, this tour has been talked about and highly coveted, and I just know she is going to deliver. The lucky fans who got tickets may be wondering what to wear to the concert or just simply want to reminisce on the fashions of all of her Eras, and this is the place for you. Here is a rundown on all of the fashion throughout her career as well as some inspiration.
Debut
If you want to tap into some nostalgia, consider dressing up as Taylor Swift’s Debut album era from 2006. This was when Taylor was still an up-and-coming country artist from Nashville, so it definitely incorporates lots of flowy sundresses, florals, unique jewelry, and of course, cowgirl boots! Honestly, if you hit a local thrift store, you can probably find a perfect outfit for this era by embodying that early 2000s nostalgia. We chose a white sundress with a brown belt, cowboy boots, and a guitar. (CS)
Fearless
Fearless (2008, re-recorded in 2021) is the peak of Taylor’s “girl next door” vibes. There are really a few different directions you could take with this era, as she was still fairly country at this point but also got more into sparkles and glam, while also having lots of “high school” motifs and visuals in her photo shoots and music videos. This album is commonly associated with the color gold and lots of sparkles and fringe, but if you wanted more of a costume, you could go for her “Junior Jewels” look from the “You Belong With Me” music video, a gorgeous white dress from Love Story, or a cheerleading outfit. We chose a yellow, floral, long-sleeved dress with cowboy boots.(CS)
Speak Now
Speak Now, Taylor’s third studio album, is most notably known for its spectacular songwriting and vibrant outfit choices. She was usually seen wearing variants of purple dresses, her signature blonde curls, and black cowboy boots. To obtain Taylor’s classic “Speak Now” look, I would wear an A-line purple dress that is either plain or sparkled. For the hair and makeup, I would wear tight curls and do natural makeup with a simple lip color. This is reminiscent of Taylor’s outfit on her Speak Now World Tour in 2011. Don’t forget to draw a 13 on your hand! We chose a purple flowy dress with cowboy boots. (HF)
Red
Red is one of my favorite eras in terms of Taylor’s outfit choices, and makeup looks. In 2012, Taylor changed the country game with her 4th album release, Red. Red represents a time in Taylor’s life when she dealt with the repercussions of a toxic relationship. She uses the color red as a motif for falling in love with somebody she shouldn’t be with. The color red was used in a majority of her outfit choices during this era, as well as her makeup. The Red era was the birth of Taylor’s classic red lipstick look, which she is still associated with to this day. To achieve Taylor’s look, I would wear her classic “Not Alot Going On At The Moment” t-shirt and black mini shorts. Also, make sure to accessorize with a black top hat, red heart-shaped glasses, and Mac lipstick in the shade “Ruby Woo!” We chose a red, floor-length gown reminiscent of her red carpet looks during the era! (HF)
1989
1989 was definitely one of her more fun eras for fashion. She was usually seen wearing crop tops, shorts, sunglasses, and bomber jackets. I would categorize this style as “summer laidback chic,” as each outfit was relatively simple with a little flair. If you want to achieve a 1989-esque look, I recommend definitely doing a crop top with either shorts or a skirt. We chose an orange crop top and long pink skirt reminiscent of her 2016 Grammys Versace look that she wore when she won “Album of the Year” in 1989. (CC)
Reputation
Although she was not in the public eye much for this era, she did grace the stage with some fierce and fantastic looks that defined her “rep” era. The entire Reputation fashion era can be categorized by three things: black, sequins, and snake motifs. Whether it was a bodysuit or a flapper, Swift never disappointed when it came to showing out in her themed attire. To dress like you’re in your Reputation era, I recommend anything black and sparkly paired with combat boots. We chose a black bodysuit with a black sequin bomber jacket, sparkle fishnet tights, a chain belt, black boots, and a wrap-around snake arm accessory to encapsulate the vibe of Reputation fully. (CC)
Lover
If you love pink and pastels, then Lover is the fashion era for you. I am so sad that COVID cut this era short because I personally think it was her best era of fashion looks ever. She even dyed the tips of her signature blonde locks in various colors throughout the promotion of the album to further emphasize the colorfulness that she was going for. If you want to be in your Lover era, I recommend wearing a dainty, feminine dress (in any pastel color, but I would recommend pink) with cute heels and possibly some dip-dyed hair. We chose a replica of her pink and yellow gown that she wore to the Time 100 gala in 2019. (CC)
Folklore
We didn’t see too much of Swift during her “folkevermore” era due to the Covid-19 quarantine and a lack of public appearances, but this era was definitely one of her coziest; donning an old cardigan from under someone’s bed and wearing more neutral tones, you have plenty of options that may already be in your closet. The obvious choice for folklore is to wear the cardigan, but “The Eras Tour” will be taking place in the sweltering summer heat in outdoor stadiums, so the key to dressing for folklore is to keep it light while still maintaining that cozy, cottage-core vibe. Long floral print dresses are a super cute way to emulate that forest fairy vibe, great for the summer heat, and are super easy to dance in. Another super cute folklore idea would be a play on Swift’s song “mirrorball,” dressing in an all-silver sequin outfit, or even getting a costume of a disco ball. To recreate the folklore look for “The Eras Tour,” we chose a long, flowy white dress and a cardigan, reminiscent of the outfit she wore in the “cardigan” music video. Of course, the cardigan isn’t the best choice in the summer, but a long flowy sundress like the one we chose is super lightweight and easy to dance in. (AS)
Evermore
Similar to folklore’s style, evermore also has a more cooled down, cozy, cottage-core vibe. There are plenty of outfit ideas for evermore that aren’t super similar to those from folklore; you can go with an all-gold outfit to channel the “gold rush” or a simple flannel similar to the one she is wearing on the album cover. Simplicity is your best option to channel the “folkevermore” era; we didn’t get too many appearances during this time, so we can’t take too much inspiration from Swift’s outfits. We chose a flannel that has a similar color scheme to the one she is wearing on the evermore album cover paired with jeans. (AS)
Midnights
Glitz and glam is the way to go for Midnights, in my opinion; the Midnights era has been nothing short of sparkly, that’s for sure. I feel that you can get super creative with an outfit for this era, Swift has worn a mix of both 70s-inspired outfits—such as her look in the “Anti-Hero” music video, some of the “Midnight’s Mayhem With Me” TikTok videos, and the promotional photos for the album—and glittery and fun dresses—such as both of her looks at the 2023 MTV Video Music Awards and the entirety of the “Bejeweled” music video. If I were recreating a Midnights look, I would be sure to include lots of glitter and stars, possibly taking inspiration from the “Bejeweled” video and making my own gemstone embellished corset. We chose to recreate her 2023 Grammy’s look with a cropped navy blue long-sleeve top and bodycon maxi skirt. (AS)
Taylor Swift has had a massive and expansive career, and she has been able to shift from genre to genre effortlessly, all while shifting her fashion sense to match each vibe. We are truly so excited to see what she has in store for her Eras Tour and are all looking forward to the opportunity to see it in person.
STYLISTS: Cameron Crews and Ava Stewart
MAKEUP ARTIST: Halle Fisher
HAIRSTYLIST: Marissa Fahy
PHOTOGRAPHER: Cameron Crews
MODEL: Kelsey Bohn
ADDITIONAL HELP: Paige Hill, Mary Talton, and Dahlia Bagley
LOCATIONS: NC State Crafts Center Photo Studio
CLOTHES PROVIDED BY: Cameron Crews and Ava Stewart