A Swiftie’s Guide to Dressing Your Best for ‘Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour’ (Movie Version)
The day is finally here, Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour movie has arrived and made one of the most successful tours of all time accessible to anyone who can get themselves to a movie theater. As someone who was lucky enough to score nosebleed tickets—at cost—during the first North American leg of the tour, one of the best parts about being there was dressing up and seeing everyone else’s outfits. Since the movie is going to be many fans’ only chance at attending the Eras Tour, they’re treating this like a live concert and dressing up, too. I love it. My Swiftie group chat has been blowing up about what to wear ever since the movie was announced on August 31. So if you’re wondering the same, you’ve come to the right place.
I’m going to break it down by general category, including what my squad decided.
Dress as your favorite Taylor Swift Era
So, this was the route my friend and I took to go to the actual concert this summer. As the title of the movie implies, Swift breaks down each album she’s put out into “eras.” Each Era has a distinct look, which I’ll briefly summarize for you here, so you can go shopping in your closet or the store of your choice:
Debut: This album came out in 2006 when Swift was 16. This was the most country of all her albums, so you’d be absolutely fine going in a fancy going-out top (remember those? We loved those in 2006), a button-up cowgirl shirt, jeans, and some cowboy boots. A flowy spaghetti-strap dress would also work. To match the look, copy Swift’s hair back then, which was big with tight curls. The color associated with Debut is green.
Fearless: This means a smokey eye and lots of gold clothing. If you can draw a cat’s eye and have a gold dress, you’re good to go here. If you have a marker and a plain white t-shirt you can make your own iconic Junior Jewels t-shirt from the “You Belong With Me” music video, a look I saw many people rock at the concert. The color associated with Fearless is gold.
Speak Now: Purple, purple, purple. Get a cute dress that kicks out at the waist, and if it’s purple, even better. Curly hair in softer waves than before if you really want to commit to the era. You won’t be surprised to find out that the color associated with Speak Now is purple.
Red: This is my personal favorite Era, and the style I wore to the concert. It’s pretty easy to pull this off; you need a white top, shorts, a black wide-brimmed hat, and red lipstick (obviously). This is the look Swift sports for the Era in the concert, too. The color associated with Red is red. She really does make it easy, here, doesn’t she?
1989: Once TayTay hit 1989, she was fully pop and hasn’t looked back. 1989 is all about a sporty jacket and a crop top, paired with a skirt or shorts. If you have a bob haircut, even better. Don’t forget the red lips. The color associated with 1989 is light blue.
reputation: Honestly, there is something for everyone in a Taylor Swift Era. This one is all about snakes, black, green, and some red. So if that sounds like your closet, go wild. The color associated with reputation is black.
Lover: Lover is all about color and rainbows. Pinks, blues, and bright rainbow prints are what you can rock here, and if you have pink heart-tinted sunglasses, don’t be afraid to throw those on, too. The color associated with Lover is pink.
folklore/evermore: I’m combining these two because the pandemic robbed us of specific aesthetics played out over the course of months or years like the other eras. The pandemic was also probably the reason we have these albums in the first place, so … mixed bag, really. If you want to rock either look, long flowy dresses are the way to go, with flowy hair to match. evermore‘s album cover is just the back of Swift’s head, with her hair tied in a braid if you want specific guidance. Think of forests and rolling hills as your inspiration. The color associated with folklore is gray and the color associated with evermore is tan.
Midnights: This is where you wear your sparkles and metallics, friends. Midnights is all about shimmering in bright, bold jewel tones. You cannot go wrong with a sparkly, spangly top. The color associated with Midnights is a midnight blue.
Dress in merch
So my friends and I have decided we already dressed cute for Taylor Swift by adopting an album Era look, and now we want to dress comfortably for her. So we’re going in our Eras tour merch. (We fully recognize how Taylor Swift, Capitalist Queen, has us by the throat, but we’ll worry about that another day.) We’re going in our sweatshirts, and yes, one of us is going in the coveted blue crew that could only be bought at the Eras concert. Expect to see a lot of them if you go over opening weekend. They are a source of bragging rights for Swifties. If you have any Taylor Swift merch, wear it proudly. The more obscure the reference, the more the fellow Swifties will love you for it.
What if I don’t want to do any of that but still want to be themed?
My friend, I got you. The easiest way to be on theme and spend practically no money is to draw the number 13 on your hand. I’m not kidding. It’s a thing Taylor Swift does and has done for a long time now. It’s that easy.
You can also rock a bold red lip and draw your eyeliner in a cat-eye and you basically have created a Taylor Swift look that probably mimics at least one of her styles. Hell, if you like football and happen to have a random NFL jersey lying around, put that on. Our girl is everywhere right now which means you’re bound to have something in your closet that will help you dress in a theme for the movie.
Should you bring friendship bracelets?
Trading friendship bracelets is a big part of the Eras experience, so I say do it. I personally won’t because I have the arts-and-crafts skills of someone without any, and I found wearing a bunch of bracelets uncomfortable by about hour two of the concert. Do not let my experience sway you; many Swifties cherish the experience.
Worried about what to put on yours? Song titles, Swift’s cat names (Meredith, Benjamin, and Olivia), and of course, her lucky number 13 were some of the bracelets I traded for and with. There’s really no wrong answer.
Should I wear comfortable shoes?
You’re probably not wondering this, but I want to put the bug in your ear. Wear comfortable shoes. You will thank me later. This is an almost three-hour movie, and based on the videos of fan experiences I’ve already seen, you’re probably going to be dancing at the front of the screen.
The most important thing here is to wear what will make you happy. The Eras Tour is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Enjoy it!
(featured image: John Shearer, TAS23 / Getty Images for TAS Rights Management)
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