A Guide to Dressing for Your Upcoming Taylor Swift Concert

By: Kayla Conroy

Concert preparation is truly a lengthy process, but one of the most equally exciting and exhausting components of it is sartorial. There’s lots to take into consideration when composing one’s concert ensemble. It often begs to be on theme, in reference to lyrics, outfits, or aesthetics pertaining to the artist, as well as comfortable enough to spend hours standing in lines and dancing all night in. Taylor Swift’s upcoming tour is centered around her different eras, so naturally, this guide will break down, era by era, how you can dress accordingly.

Taylor Swift’s debut album: Taylor Swift (2006)

This album features country Taylor at her finest. To fashionably channel this album, think of a country spring– butterflies, pastels, florals, and flowy fabrics– in reference to the album imagery and cover. Some of my favorite looks from this era come from her “Our Song” music video, and you can easily pull some inspiration from it into your concert outfit with blue or green shimmer eyeshadow, teal nail polish, or even better—blue tulle. Of course, the outfit would only be half baked without a pair of cowboy boots and bouncy curls.

Fearless (2008) or Fearless (Taylor’s Version) (2021)

If this album were a color it would undeniably be gold, so whatever you wear, incorporating golden hues would be an excellent nod to this shimmering era. If you aren’t opposed to wearing pajamas to a concert and want to go for something more costumey (not to mention comfortable), you can recreate Taylor’s iconic pajama outfit from her “You Belong With Me” music video.

Speak Now (2010)

Taylor’s albums tend to have color cues, so dressing according to Speak Now largely comes down to color as well. To mirror Taylor’s looks from Speak Now, purple is the color to reach for, especially in theatrical, romantic silhouettes. When it comes to dressing for a Taylor Swift concert, you can always add a little sparkle, and when dressing in tune with Speak Now, it could be a clever reference to the song “Sparks Fly.”

Red (2012) or Red (Taylor’s Version) (2021)

If your favorite Taylor Swift album is the one that reflects on the chaotically beautiful feelings of experiencing heartbreak, then, as the album title implies, you may be inclined to wear any form of red to this concert. That may seem obvious, but you can also add in some red heart-shaped sunglasses, similar to those that Taylor wore in her “22” music video, and signature red lipstick to more specifically allude to this album.

1989 (2014)

Taylor Swift’s album 1989 is one of my personal favorites, and a major reason for this is because of the fashion and visuals that accompanied it. In terms of the color scheme, it leans towards silver, white, champagne, and blue. More importantly, with 1989 being the glitzy album it is, sparkle is an absolute essential to a 1989 ensemble. Because of the setting for 1989, any clothing or accessories featuring New York City will work as well. I would bet that this is going to be one of the most represented albums fashion-wise from fans at this tour, for its the epitome of glam and the source of some of Taylor’s most famous outfits.

reputation (2017)

If you are in your reputation era, wearing a sleek black outfit, preferably in sequin or leather, will convey just that. Newspaper print on clothes has been a bit of a trend recently, but it can also work for a reputation-inspired outfit that alludes to the newspaper design on the album cover. Your outfit should be as mysterious and edgy as this era, even though reputation is secretly also an album for sweethearts.

Lover (2019)

For the more hopelessly romantic “Swifties” out there, dressing in a dreamy Lover inspired outfit is certainly an easy choice. The color assigned to Lover would definitely be pink, but any color you would find in a summer sunset will fit the Lover look. Try to find some way to incorporate hearts into the outfit as well to fully give your ensemble the Lover effect.

folklore (2020) and evermore (2020)

These two sister albums share a fairly similar cozy fashion– perfect for introspection and storytelling. As a nod to the song of the same name, wearing a cardigan would be obviously appropriate for dressing to this era. However, if you want to adhere to the glittery, fun atmosphere of a typical Taylor concert, you could tie in some accessories inspired by song names, such as folklore’s “mirrorball” or evermore’s “champagne problems.”

Midnights (2022)

Taylor’s most recent album and respective era have given us some of her best fashion moments yet. A great way of dressing on par with Midnights would be to wear something with 70s influence like some of the outfits Taylor has worn throughout her Midnights work. Another way you could go would be to reference the night sky that sets the scene for Midnights, with deep blues and stars as elements of your outfit.

Taylor Swift has long been known for intertwining her fashion with her music to characterize her eras. If you want to get an even better idea of the visuals, fashion, aesthetics, and colors associated with each era, I would recommend re-watching some of Taylor Swift’s music videos, revisiting some of her outfits, and looking through the albums’ photos and covers. The best fashion inspiration for a Taylor Swift concert is Taylor Swift herself. Whether you are a beacon of sweetness and nostalgia, a heartbroken disarray, a glamorous vision of fun and passion, someone grappling with romance and revenge, a lover, a reflector, a night owl– there is a way for you to express it through fashion at her highly anticipated tour.