Inside Taylor Swift's 'Eras' tour wardrobe—from designer sketches to outfit details

The first London leg of Taylor Swift's 'Eras' tour kicked off this weekend (complete with an on-stage cameo appearance from her American footballer boyfriend, Travis Kelce), bringing the impressive three-hour spectacle to the UK capital.

The show, which previously travelled across America before heading off internationally, is split into different sections to represent each of Swift's albums, and naturally features a string of high-octane looks, with bespoke outfits for each era.

"The tour represents a very important moment in Taylor's career, because she conceived and built it as a journey through the different moments or, as the title suggests, the musical eras defining her career," explained Alberta Ferretti, one of the designers behind one of Swift's many on-stage ensembles. "I'm honoured that she asked me to design dresses for this special occasion. I have always been fascinated by women who constantly question and challenge themselves and Taylor, with her work, has demonstrated to be a multifaceted artist, able to constantly transform and evolve."

Each look was carefully considered and designed to reflect the feel of each album: a floaty lilac Alberta Ferretti gown and a ruffled orange Etro design for Folklore, for example, or a one-legged snake-motif Roberto Cavalli jumpsuit for Reputation. As the tour has progressed, Swift has debuted the occasional new piece at each destination, switching up the wardrobe slightly from venue to venue.

In the brief tour hiatus before the European leg, Swift released a new album—The Tortured Poets Department—which means that fans were treated to an expanded set list from those who saw earlier versions of the show, with new costumes to match. Having initially kicked off in Arizona in March 2023, the tour will finally conclude in Vancouver in December 2024.

Here, we chart some highlights from her impressive tour wardrobe, from designer sketches to up-close details:
 

Tiffany & Co

For the London leg of her tour, Swift added an elegant piece of jewellery in the form of a Tiffany T Diamond Wire ring in 18k gold by Tiffany & Co, which she wore on the index finger of her right hand.

Vivienne Westwood

Swift took to the stage in Paris wearing this custom silver twill tailcoat with black crystal-embellished lapel by Vivienne Westwood, paired with a custom silver twill bustier and matching high-waisted briefs. She completed the look with a three-row orb choker in black agate.

Vivienne Westwood

The previous night, she wore the same Vivienne Westwood look but in gunmetal and black.

Roberto Cavalli

The singer also debuted this colourful two-piece set created by Roberto Cavalli creative director Fausto Puglisi, which she wore with mismatching boots.
 

Roberto Cavalli
 

The mini skirt and bustier were meticulously adorned with stones, sequins, and bejewelled crystals in varying colours, with ombré shading to add depth.
 

Roberto Cavalli
 

She also wore a yellow and orange version of the look.
 

Roberto Cavalli

Another bright Roberto Cavalli look came in the form of this floaty gown with a tiered skirt, which has been created in multiple colourways.
 

Roberto Cavalli

The chiffon dress features an ombré design in varying sunset colours, and a hemline that's shorter at the front and extends longer in the back.
 

Versace

Taylor Swift kicked off the European leg of her tour in a sparkling double-breasted Versace blazer, embellished with iridescent fuchsia crystals and accented with gold Medusa buttons. She paired the custom jacket with ombré Christian Louboutin boots—a bespoke version of the Eleonora Botta style—covered with thousands of glittering strass crystals.

Versace

Underneath the blazer she wore a crystal-embroidered Versace bodysuit with bustier boning structure, covered in paillettes in tones of orange with iridescent elements.
 

Vivienne Westwood

For the new Tortured Poets Department section, Swift debuted this custom corseted Vivienne Westwood dress. The design, created from recycled white taffeta, featured lyrics from her latest single, Fortnight: "I love you, it's ruining my life."

Vivienne Westwood

She styled the dress with a matching white military jacket with tasselled epaulettes, and lace-up Christian Louboutin ankle boots.

Zuhair Murad

The singer also added a new Zuhair Murad couture bodysuit to her wardrobe rotation in Paris. The cut-out piece featured fringing and embroidery in varying shades of midnight blue.

Alberta Ferretti

The singer has worn numerous Alberta Ferretti designs throughout the tour so far, including this flowing yellow dress seen in Paris.

Alberta Ferretti

The custom tiered gown featured voluminous sleeves and delicate crystal and micro-beading embroidery.

Nicole + Felicia

In Singapore, Taylor Swift performed onstage in a voluminous lilac Nicole + Felicia ballgown, featuring a tiered tulle skirt that captured the light, thanks to its crystal-embellished finish.

Nicole + Felicia shared a glimpse into how the breathtaking dress was made in the brand's atelier, from the original sketch to the final product.

Jessica Jones

For some of her more acoustic songs, Swift chose a ruffled red dress by the designer Jessica Jones. She wore the gown with glittering Christian Louboutin boots; a staple accessory in her Eras tour wardrobe.

Roberto Cavalli

Swift treated fans to the ultimate party look—an orange shimmering two-piece by Roberto Cavalli. Its design gave the illusion of crystal water droplets, which moved effortlessly as she performed onstage. She wore the outfit with her go-to sequin Christian Louboutin ankle boots.

Alberta Ferretti

For the Florida leg of the tour, Taylor Swift wore a green chiffon gown designed by Alberta Ferretti.

Alberta Ferretti

The ethereal dress featured a deep neckline, flowing sleeves and embroidered leaf detailing.

Elie Saab

Swift performed on-stage in a beautiful Elie Saab couture gown that was covered in floral appliqué and shimmering beading.

Versace

The singer switched it up in a sequinned pinstripe blazer by Versace, featuring gold stripes and matching buttons.

Ashish

Swift wore a sequinned Ashish t-shirt embroidered with her lyrics, paired with a Gladys Tamez Millinery hat. The text on her slogan tees has been changing at each stop of the tour.

Alberta Ferretti

The singer twirled across the Las Vegas stage in this delicate chiffon Alberta Ferretti gown. The lace detail and crystal embroideries caught the light beautifully as she moved.

Alberta Ferretti

The blush-pink design featured theatrical flowing sleeves and lace trim.

Zuhair Murad

Swift has made embellished bodysuits central to her 'Eras' wardrobe. This purple beaded look by Zuhair Murad, complete with co-ordinating knee-high boots by Christian Louboutin (of course), took more than 350 hours to create from 20,000 glittering crystals and pearls – and she even wore a matching beaded garter. 

Ashish

In Las Vegas, the singer took to the stage in a glittering red coat by Ashish, which was layered over a matching bodysuit and colour co-ordinated with her guitar.

Zuhair Murad Couture

Taylor Swift kicked off her tour in Arizona wearing a custom-made Zuhair Murad Couture tulle ballgown—featuring beading, sequins, pearls, and crystal embellishments all over the voluminous skirt and bodice. The impressive dress required 50 metres of tulle, while the elaborate design took more than 350 hours of handwork to create in the brand's atelier.

Oscar de la Renta

On opening night, Swift closed the show in a beautiful deep midnight-blue leotard (fittingly, to perform tracks from her album Midnights) designed by Oscar de la Renta, paired with matching glittery boots.

Oscar de la Renta

The custom bodysuit featured beaded fringing and thousands of crystals

Roberto Cavalli

Swift wore a gold-fringed Roberto Cavalli couture mini-dress, designed by creative director Fausto Puglisi, which she teamed with a pair of silver cowboy boots. 

Roberto Cavalli

The dress shimmered with embroidered metallic fringing that formed a zig-zag pattern, with a sweetheart neckline.

Roberto Cavalli

One of her most dramatic looks from the tour has been this Roberto Cavalli one-legged jumpsuit. The design features a black sheer sleeve, glittering material and a three-dimensional embroidered snake motif winding from the bottom of her leg to the top of her neck.

Roberto Cavalli

The ruby red snake contrasts with the black bezels of the design. She finished the look with simple black ankle boots.

Roberto Cavalli

Swift also opted for a co-ordinating crop top and skirt as part of her ever-expanding tour wardrobe, in what was her third Roberto Cavalli look of the show.

Roberto Cavalli

The embroidered top and mini-skirt was created in a fun fuchsia shade, with beaded detail that moved when she danced.

Versace

Swift teamed an embellished iridescent bodysuit by Versace with silver knee-high boots by Christian Louboutin.

Versace

The singer layered a silver sparkling Versace blazer over her bodysuit to perform her hit "The Man".

Nicole + Felicia

In addition to the shimmering Zuhair Murad gown, the performer wore a bespoke crystal-embellished ballgown designed by Nicole + Felicia.

Nicole + Felicia

The dress was one of several pieces handmade for Swift, especially for her tour.

The brand gave a look at the craftsmanship and attention to detail that went into the fairy-tale design.

Alberta Ferretti

The singer also performed in a more delicate look in the form of this floaty, layered lilac dress by Alberta Ferretti.

Alberta Ferretti

"Thinking about these stage dresses for her pushed me to reflect on my own career milestones," explained Ferretti. "I think what we have created reflects this journey where the key elements of my style stand out: lightness, femininity, romance, attention to detail and a delicate, gentle seduction."

Roberto Cavalli

This fringed Roberto Cavalli dress (her fourth piece by the Italian brand) featured two-tone gold and silver crystals.

Oscar de la Renta

Swift's second Oscar de la Renta look consisted of a sequinned 'aurora borealis' T-shirt dress with a co-ordinating lavender faux fur coat, which also featured delicate crystal droplets.

Etro

Swift added this custom-made orange Etro gown to her repertoire, which featured a tiered, patterned skirt and laced bodice.
 

Feature Image: Getty Images

This article originally appeared in harpersbazaar.com/uk in June 2024

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