A Swiftie’s Fashion Guide & What To Wear To The Eras Tour

When Taylor Swift played her last 2023 US tour date at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles on August 9, I could feel everyone around me breathe a collective sigh of relief. That's because all my fellow Swifties and I have done since the tour kicked off earlier this year is talk about it nonstop. Sorry not sorry, but when Taylor Swift tours, it's more than a big deal. It's my birthday, Halloween, and New Year's all rolled into one. So when Taylor took her final stateside bow and prepared to embark on her international tour dates (much, much further from my own time zone), I felt an acute loss. Anyone who has live-streamed the concert each night from some fellow fan's shaky iPhone, if only to catch what the night's secret songs will be, understands my plight. There's been something magical about this tour. Perhaps it's Swift's sheer stamina at performing the over-three-hour show, which ranges 44 songs from 10 albums (sometimes even in the pouring rain!), or maybe it's the inside jokes formed not only among fans but with Taylor herself.

In fact, it seems "community" is the key element of the Eras Tour's electricity, and Swift seems to understand that. If you thought we were saying goodbye to the Eras era, think again. Our shortlived mourning comes to a close on Friday, October 13, when Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour premieres in movie theaters nationwide. Opening night tickets have been in just as hot demand as tour dates, selling out across the country and already breaking records, so you know fans are going to turn it out. Also encouraged by an Instagram post on the star's account, we are preparing to arrive at the theater fully decked in our Eras best.

Inspired by every single album and era in Taylor Swift’s arsenal, ahead are 127 pieces recommended by our most intense Swifties on staff for what to wear for The Eras Tour movie — from Debut-ready cowboy boots to reputation snakes, and all the sequins, sparkles, and fringing that we've come to expect from a TS tour. There are fan-favorite outfit DIYs for some the more budget-conscious fans, some lyric- and Easter egg-inspired looks, as well as the basic color themes that define each era. Keep reading to travel with us through each of the eras (in tour order) to see what might inspire your look. 1, 2, 3: LGB!

In 2019, Lover was an explosion of candy-coated pastel rainbows and bubblegum pop. This was when Taylor "found herself" again after symbolically killing off her past self during "Look What You Made Me Do." Lover is also the first album owned by Taylor following her departure from Big Machine Records.

Like the literal transition in the "Me!" music video, when the reputation snake bursts into pastel butterflies, this album was all about everything that makes Taylor, Taylor. It's also an era cut short by the pandemic (RIP LoverFest), so it's meaningful to fans that Taylor kicks off the Eras tour with lyrics from "Miss Americana & The Heartbreak Prince": "I counted days, I counted miles [...] It's been a long time coming."

The colors most closely associated with Lover are pastel rainbow, and more specifically, pink, baby blue, and lilac. In this segment of the show, Taylor wears a custom, bedazzled Versace bodysuit, a sequinned Versace blazer (for "The Man"), and sparkly Louboutin boots.

If you’re a Lover stan, this is also your time to shine in popstar-ready sequins, blazer dresses, and butterfly, heart, and flower motifs. For an easy nod to the era, draw a heart around your eye à la Taylor in the album photoshoot or dip your hair tips into some pink or blue dye. It's also Swift's most unapologetically LGBT-positive album, as represented in the "You Need To Calm Down" music video, which features incredulity with someone who's "mad when you could be GLAAD?" and directed viewers to support the advocacy group. If you're having trouble making up your mind, wearing any form of pastel rainbow or heart-focused attire is your best bet.

Feeling crafty? I love how this fan replicated Taylor’s rainbow fringed jacket moment using just paint. If you really want to make a statement, DIY your own 2019 AMAs shirtdress.

To replicate an actual Lover era look, the "Me!" and "You Need To Calm Down" music videos provide a wealth of inspiration, from Taylor’s pastel suit and '60s babydoll look to her hot pink fur coat and cat eye sunglasses.

The Fearless era was when Taylor went from being the underground face of country pop to worldwide recognition and mainstream chart success. It’s the album that gave us career-defining songs like "Love Story" and "You Belong With Me," so it was perhaps unsurprising that Taylor chose Fearless as her first Taylor’s Version rerecord.

On the Eras tour, Fearless is second on the set list, with Taylor opting for glittering gold, fringed mini dresses, just like her 20-year-old self on the 2009 Fearless tour (gold is the official color of this era). This time around, she swapped out her black, knee-high riding boots for a custom pair of cowboy-style Louboutins.

The easiest way to honor the era is with a similarly sparkling gold dress, rhinestone cowboy boots, Taylor’s signature curls, and '13' drawn on the back of your hand. If you want to go all out, you could DIY a sparkly '13' guitar like Taylor’s.

Fun nods to the Fearless discography come from the era’s music videos. The hand-drawn band Junior Jewels tee is an easy arts and crafts project (wear with plaid pajama pants). If you’re going with your best friend, a great duo idea is band geek Taylor and cheerleader Taylor. Alternatively, channel Princess Taylor from "Love Story" with a white and gold corset top and flowing skirt.

At the first show of the Eras tour, Taylor dispelled a popular fan joke that evermore, the second surprise album she dropped during the lockdown in 2020, is her least favorite. Not that she needed to — the five evermore songs on the set list and full-on theatrical productions for "willow" and "tolerate it" did the trick.

This era is a continuation into the "folklorian woods," But while folklore espouses summer love, evermore is a full-on winter explosion. evermore is somehow both a Halloween and Christmas album, while retaining its cottagecore roots. Think of the witchy vibes of "willow" (a green velvet cloak, vintage-style slip dress, and flower crown are a must), the lead and only single from the album. The key colors of this album riff off the album cover, on which Taylor wears a cozy-looking plaid coat: rust orange, copper, beige, and earthy browns.

With less obvious music video prompts, you can have some fun here. Maybe you could dress as the golden thread? The willow tree itself? An ivy-covered house from "ivy"? A glass of champagne from "champagne problems"? A Wild West-style bandit from "cowboy like me"? You could even take inspiration from the album cover. Get creative.

There is nothing like the drama of reputation. Taylor introduced this era by metaphorically "killing herself" and deleting the entire contents of her social media and replacing it with a picture of a snake. Though the album itself leans toward the dark, rep stans know the album is about the softness underneath and the dichotomy of private versus public. 

If you’re dressing for a "big reputation," then your safest bet is a lot of black and green, sparkles, and snake motifs. Head to Netflix and watch the reputation stadium tour for inspiration — you’ll spot Taylor wearing hoods, bodysuits, knee-high boots, sharp-shoulder jackets, cut-out features, blood-red lips, and a black manicure to match the mood.

If you want something a little more subtle, then a newspaper print, inspired by the album cover, is a strong choice. Or try a cheeky nod to a lyric: old-timey "Getaway Car" Bonnie and Clyde, the maps where you buried the hatchet ("End Game"), or a magician and illusionist from "So It Goes…". Anyone brave enough to from any of the incredible "Look What You Made Me Do" video looks (jailbird Taylor locked in a golden cage? red-robed Taylor sitting on a throne of snakes? cat-masked Taylor robbing a bank with a baseball bat? the options are A++) gets my vote though.

Though Speak Now started with just one song on the Eras tour set list, it now has a whopping two. This is arguably Taylor’s most romantic and magical era — "Enchanting," you could say. If you’ve seen the OG Speak Now tour footage, you’ll know that it’s one of her most theatrical shows to date, with elaborate sets for each song including an entire wedding setup for the titular track, a spooky forest for "Haunted" and Taylor’s first floating stages.

To capture the nostalgia of the Speak Now era, sequinned babydoll dresses and princess ballgowns like those originally worn by Taylor are your best bet (preferably in purple, the color of the album). Also a must for this era: a red lip, ponytail, and a carefully chosen arm lyric — something Taylor used to do as a kind of 'mood ring' for how she felt each night of the tour.

For a music video look, you have either the old-school flapper vibes of "Mean" or the preppy school-girl vibes of 'The Story Of Us" (DIY your own storybook poster to carry with you just in case locals don't get it).

Any good Swiftie knows that RED is finally getting her due. The critically acclaimed album failed to win AOTY at the 2013 GRAMMYS, and fans have been holding a torch for it ever since (and with good reason). It was her first real shift into pop, spawning mega-hits like "22," "I Knew You Were Trouble," and "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together," and her second rerecord in 2021, giving us the fan-favorite masterpiece that is the 10-minute version of "All Too Well" and accompanying short film, directed by Taylor.

The RED era has a very distinct aesthetic, and not just because of the color. During the OG RED era, Taylor’s personal style was perhaps best described as twee or "hipster." She was well known for tea dresses with cardigans, high-waisted shorts, brogues and Mary Janes, Breton stripes, bowler hats, and cat eye sunglasses. The RED tour also saw one of her most iconic performance outfits: a top hat-wearing circus ringleader. She pays homage to the look on the Eras tour with a sparkling red jacket (a custom design by Ashish).

The easiest way to channel RED energy is with a red dress, a twee-inspired shorts-and-brogue moment, or a look from the "WANEGBT" or "22" videos: squirrel pajamas/glasses Taylor and "not a lot going on at the moment" T-shirt Taylor spring to mind. You could also go for a deeper cut, recreating the RED-era photo shoot in Rolling Stone with a bomber varsity jacket from Superdry and a string of pearls.

Folklore is Taylor's first pandemic-era album — a total surprise drop that was announced less than 24 hours before its release, and the first project that she released not on her usual two-year schedule (freed from the restrictions of writing for single-release and stadium shows). It's also her first true alternative album, co-produced partly with The National’s Aaron Dessner and Jack Antonoff, who each collaborated remotely. In fact, the very first time they got to perform the songs together was in the Disney+ concert film folklore: the long pond studio sessions. Together, they created a lush, folky, rustic world where Taylor could tell other people's stories, make up characters, and dip into history and local myth.

Folklore’s key aesthetic can be described as "cottagecore grandma picnics in the woods," so think floral prairie dresses and cozy knitwear (referencing "cardigan," of course). A plaid shirtdress is a great nod to the folklore: the long pond studio sessions.

For the folklore segment of the Eras tour, Taylor turns it up a notch with a rotation of ethereal, floaty dresses that give Stevie Nicks and Florence & The Machine a run for their money. One of the easiest ways to capture some folklore energy is with a woodland-nymph look in a palette of whites, creams, greys, and silver, and with light floral patterns.

If you would rather take on a look inspired by your favorite song, you’re not alone. We’ve seen silver, sparkling "mirrorball"-inspired outfits and moon/Saturn duos (for "seven") become fan favorites. Whatever you do, don't forget braids aplenty.

For Taylor’s pop magnum opus, you have a full range of iconic music video looks to choose from: "Shake It Off" (ballet or cheerleader Taylor), "Blank Space" (Taylor stabbing the cake in black lingerie and lace sleep mask), "Bad Blood" (one of The Squad), and "Wildest Dreams" (old Hollywood Taylor in the yellow dress). Alternatively, Taylor favored matching two-piece sets, Wayfarers, sequinned jackets, and skater skirts for the OG 1989 tour, which she continues to reference today. If you want a monochromatic look, the color here is the light baby blue used on the album cover.

It’s also easy to reference the 1989 tracklist with your outfit. This album and era are most closely associated with New York City (she opened the original tour with "Welcome To New York"), so NYC-inspired prints are a winner. Likewise, I can’t wait to see "Style" fans nod to Old Hollywood with James Dean and "red lip classic" inspired looks. We are also huge fans of any of the genre-specific looks from the "Shake It Off" music video.

For an inside joke look, you can’t beat Taylor’s 2014 "no, it’s Becky" T-shirt, which has a special place in Swiftie history.

Let's hear it for the self-titled fans! Perhaps Taylor Swift’s most under-appreciated album among the fandom, we're ready for teenage Taylor’s country twang to have its well-deserved moment when Taylor’s Version drops. Right now, there are no Taylor Swift songs on the set list — apart from the occasional acoustic surprise — but rumor has it her acoustic performance of "Our Song" which was filmed in Los Angeles will appear in the movie.

The staples of any good self-titled look are simple: boho summer dresses (preferably white, like the album cover art), cowboy boots (shoutout to baby Taylor’s personalized pair), blue jeans, hoop earrings, and an armful of bracelets. For a color-first look, it's all about lush summer green, baby blue, and white. We think it's time to pull out all the 2007 handkerchief hem pieces hanging in the back of your sister's closet.

There are some great music video looks to recreate for this era too, from "Picture To Burn’s" black mini dress, gloves, and headband to "Our Song’s" baby blue prom dress.

Taylor’s most recent album is already generating a host of great costume ideas. Fan favorites include her "Bejewelled" video bodysuit (you can DIY your own), midnight blue star dress red carpet look, "Anti-Hero" orange hot pants, and "Lavender Haze" faux fur and slip moment. You could also run with the nighttime concept of the album, from astrological prints to star chain belts. I love this "he was sunshine, I was midnight rain" BFF idea and this simple nod to the koi swimming through space in "Lavender Haze."

Inspired by the album cover shoot, Midnights is also the perfect opportunity to pull out your best Daisy Jones '70s looks. Here’s hoping that someone recreates Taylor’s Miss Bejewelled/Marie Antoinette look, too.

If you don’t want to buy anything new, I understand! Being budget-conscious is a totally valid choice for a movie screening. Thankfully, the colors and vibes of each era are really strong, so all you need to do is pull a monochromatic outfit in the album color of your choice, draw a lucky "13" on your hand, cover your face/hair/body in glitter, and you’re ready. For a quick guide, here are the colors most commonly associated with each era/album:

Taylor Swift: light green, but also white and light blue
Fearless: gold
Speak Now: purple
RED: red
1989: light blue
reputation: black and dark green
Lover: pastel rainbow
folklore: white and grey 
evermore: amber, beige, and brown
Midnights: midnight blue

I changed my mind about which era I wanted to dress for about 13 times while writing this article. When in doubt, a sequin dress plus cowboy boots is always a winning option, and both are pieces you’re likely to wear again and again.

If you already happen to own Taylor Swift merch, wear it with pride. There’s something very self-titled-era Taylor about a tour T-shirt worn with a denim miniskirt or your favorite blue jeans.

Inspired by a lyric from "You’re On Your Own Kid," Swifties have started making and swapping friendship bracelets at the tour. We can't say for sure but suspect moviegoers will be doing something similar. What are you waiting for? bead kits are readily available on Amazon, and quite a few crafty people over at Etsy have done the work for you if you're in a time crunch.

See you there!