When Taylor Swift first announced The Eras Tour on Good Morning America in late 2022, no one could have predicted the cultural imprint it would leave behind after its final bow two years later. The Eras Tour has since become the subject of countless thought pieces — from its staggering boost to local economies and congressional discussions around ticketing monopolies, to the strength of the fan community, which it continues to foster.
But when I think back on the tour, the lasting image in my mind is Eras Tour fashion. Across stadiums worldwide, fans arrived in carefully curated looks, each outfit a personal love letter to their favorite era, album, song, or lyric. In a sea of fringe, sequins, cowboy hats, and boots, fashion became the language of connection.
Each show was a glittering display of self-expression, community spirit, and creativity on an unprecedented scale. From DIY Eras Tour outfits to ready-made recreations and friendship bracelets, the fashion transcended the stage, spilling into social media feeds, group chats, thrift stores, and onto crafting tables.
A Wardrobe of Eras: Sequins, Snakes & Sundresses
When looking for Eras Tour outfit inspiration, concert goers were able to draw from a visual archive already etched into the collective memory of Taylor Swift’s fans. Each album release marked the beginning of a new “era”. Not just musically, but aesthetically as well. From the golden curls and sparkly fringe dresses of the Fearless days, to the moody glam of Reputation, or the cottagecore vibes of folklore.
A Taylor for each “Era” (Taylor Swift/Debut, Fearless, Speak Now, Red, 1989, Reputation, Lover, folklore, evermore, Midnights, The Tortured Poets Department).
Taylor Swift’s talent in worldbuilding offered a rich wardrobe of references for fans looking for Eras Tour fashion ideas. Whether someone’s building an outfit from scratch or simply browsing for pieces that echo their favorite era, there’s an entire style lexicon to pull from.
From Lyric to Look
At its core, fashion is a form of communication — a way we tell the world who we are, how we feel, or who we’d like to be. Eras Tour fashion is no different. Swiftie outfits worn at stadiums became a personal declaration of identity, nostalgia, love, heartbreak, and hope. Whether referencing a favorite album, channeling the mood of a song, or drawing inspiration from specific lyrics, fans used fashion to narrate their own relationship to Taylor’s music.
I found that the most popular look to pull off, was to capture the vibe of an era, particularly that of her first three albums — Taylor Swift, Fearless, and Speak Now — creating a sea of fringe, sparkle, and cowboy boots at stadiums all over the world.
Swifties in Toronto, Canada, showing off their classic Taylor outfits. Source: @eratourswifties, Instagram.
Others went all out to faithfully recreate iconic looks from music videos, red carpets, or Taylor’s on-stage wardrobe. Thus, not only expressing their love for a specific era or look, but showcasing their amazing craftsmanship. I can only imagine how much time and effort went into these stunning recreations.
Some amazing recreations of Taylor’s on-stage outfits at The Eras Tour in Toronto, Canada and Miami, USA. Source: @eratourswifties, Instagram.
Miss Americana and the Heartbreak Prince
Just like we’re using clothes to express our personal identity, we also use them as a tool to express group identity. Just think of all the different sub-cultures that are always tied to a particular aesthetic and style: punk, emo, goth, etc. Fashion at the Eras Tour was no exception to that. There is, of course, the overarching theme of belonging to the group of Swifties by dressing up for the concert. Within that group though, we saw friends arrive in coordinating outfits.
Swifties dressing up in co-ordinating outfits at The Eras Tour in New Orleans, USA and Toronto, Canada. Source: @eratourswifties, Instagram.
Expressing belonging with your fellow concert-goers was displayed in a myriad of creative ways: wearing the same outfit, but in different colours and evoking the “Girl Squad” era of 1989, lyrical connections embroidered on the backs of jackets, or more lyrical deep-dives into Taylor’s discography by dressing as “sunshine and midnight rain”.
While The Eras Tour was undeniably mostly for the girls, we were still lucky to witness some couples playing out Swiftian love stories in costume as Miss Americana & The Heartbreak Prince.
Swiftie couples dressing at The Eras Tour in Warsaw, Poland and New Orleans, USA. Source: @eratourswifties, Instagram.
Masterminding Taylor Swift concert fashion
While many fans paid homage through direct recreations, others took a more interpretive approach, creating Swiftie outfits that were ripe with lyrical displays, metaphors, Easter eggs, and a wonderful dose of humour, such as a literal “crumpled piece of paper lying here” or a champagne bottle.
Swifties putting a humorous spin on Taylor’s lyrics. Source: @eratourswifties, Instagram and @morgdoes, TikTok.
This kind of creativity solidified Eras Tour fashion in the realm of performance — where, essentially, all fashion lives. It’s a performance of who we are, who we belong with, and/or who we’d like to be. At The Eras Tour, Swiftie fashion was a shared language, spoken in infinite dialects through the different approaches taken for Eras Tour outfit inspiration.
Spinning like a girl in a brand new dress
The level of personal meaning woven into Taylor Swift concert fashion made outfit planning a major part of the experience. My own process of looking for Eras Tour fashion ideas began a year before my actual concert date. And judging by my social media algorithm at the time, I wasn’t the only one. Short clips to help with Eras Tour outfit inspiration, places to shop, and DIY Eras Tour outfit manuals were flooding my feed.
Ideation was followed up by hunting down pieces that captured the exact idea you had in mind, or if you were going for a more hands-on process, now was the time to hand-sew sequins, paint denim jackets with lyrics, and transform thrifted items using fabric glue. The Eras Tour outfit planning and making added to the joy and anticipation. In a culture that often reduces fanhood to merchandise and sales, DIY Eras Tour outfits were acts of love and admiration for Taylor’s art, crafted with care and worn with pride.
Fashion has always been about visibility: about seeing and being seen the way you want to be seen. At The Eras Tour, this became a collective experience at stadium scale, inviting recognition, sparking conversation, and creating instant connections as you walked past someone in a Willow-inspired cloak or a hand-painted folklore corset and know, without speaking, that they understood something you did too.
The Whole Place Was dressed to the Nines: Fostering a Sense of Community
The moment the ticket confirmation email landed, the group chat lit up, not just with screaming emojis and capital letters, but with the next Big Question: “Okay, but what are we wearing?”
Even with over a year to go until the actual concert, outfit planning quickly became a central part of the experience. And it wasn’t just about aesthetics. The look you chose could reveal your favorite album, a specific song, or even your fandom tier (deep-cut references were social currency). It could say something about your creativity, your dedication, your sense of humor. Whether you showed up in a meticulously crafted Enchanted ball gown or a homemade T-shirt that read “Not a Lot Going On at the Moment,” the outfit was a statement, and it often sparked instant connection among strangers.
More than just a look, it was a love letter. And behind many of them were months of planning, Pinterest boards, thrift shop hunts, DIY craft nights, and above all: shared excitement. The communal aspect of Eras Tour outfit planning was largely due to the fact that it happened out in the open. Entire digital ecosystems emerged where Swifties could swap ideas, show off their looks, or gather inspiration from others. One standout hub for me was @eratourswifties, an Instagram account dedicated entirely to showcasing fan outfits from each show. The page became a living archive of Eras Tour fashion that you can still peruse today as you reminisce.
@TaylorNation, the official fan engagement arm of Taylor Swift’s team, also leaned into this culture of celebration by reposting outfits on their socials each night of the tour.
Outfit planning was no longer just a private affair; it was part of a larger conversation that resulted in a beautiful circularity: an idea shared with the wider fan community on those accounts might inspire someone else to recreate the outfit or make it their own by adding a new twist to it.
So make the friendship bracelets…
Few symbols of The Eras Tour captured its spirit of community quite like the friendship bracelets. Inspired by the lyric in one of Taylor’s songs “so make the friendship bracelets, take the moment and taste it” from You’re On Your Own, Kid, they became a monumental part of the shows and how fans spent the time leading up to their concert date. They were exchanged before/during shows, during bathroom lines, and across stadium rows — sporting a wrist full of beaded tokens meant you belonged.
The bracelet making itself became a ritual of its own. Some fans made dozens alone in their rooms while rewatching concert clips; others hosted pre-tour bracelet-making parties or attended public bracelet crafting events that popped up in libraries, bookstores, or cafés. Each bracelet could hold a lyric, a song title, an inside joke, or a clue from the Taylor Swift Cinematic Universe.
A connection that far outlasted the night of your Eras Tour show
When lights went down and the confetti was swept off the stadium floor, the sense of community didn’t end. In the days following each tour stop, you could spot Swifties moving through public spaces still dressed in the remnants of the night(s) before, layered in merch bought at the stadium and wearing the bracelets they’d exchanged with other fans. On the Tube, in hotel lobbies, at brunch tables, or museums in major cities, those little visual cues signalled “I was there too”.
Swiftie fashion was turned into conversation starters and a portable badge of belonging, sparking nods of recognition and sometimes even new friendships.
All that Glitter Comes at a Cost: The Influence of Consumerism and Fast Fashion
With the rise of Eras Tour fashion came an inevitable surge in demand, and fast fashion giants were quick to respond. All of a sudden, fringe dresses, cowboy boots, and snake jewellery flooded online shops and my Instagram feed, trying to entice me to make a purchase. Many pieces were clearly inspired by Taylor’s onstage looks — those Lover bodysuits were everywhere. Platforms like Shein seized the moment, offering Eras Tour outfit inspiration at the click of a button.
But behind the sequins lies a less glamorous reality: cheaply, mass-produced clothing and accessories, and plastic-heavy friendship bracelet kits all made for one-night-only wear. While many fans opted for creative and DIY Eras Tour outfits and second-hand pieces, the sheer scale of overproduction tied to the tour’s fashion trend can’t be ignored.
It’s a reminder that while Eras Tour outfit planning was a celebration of self-expression, it also became a moment where the fashion industry — once again — cashed in at the environment’s expense.
There’s Glitter on the Floor After the Party: The Legacy of Eras Tour Fashion
Fashion at The Eras Tour became a central language of connection, stitching together thousands of personal stories into a single, shimmering tapestry and capturing what fashion can symbolise: allowing individuals to express who they are, fostering belonging within a larger community, and weaving moments of cultural history into what we wear.
Rather than just providing a glittering backdrop to the concerts, Eras Tour outfits were an essential part of the story, written across, sequins, fringe, and beads.
AStudyInStyle at The Eras Tour Cardiff, Wales (UK).
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