Get sparkle-ready for Taylor Swift: How to dress like your best inner Swiftie

Taylor Swift started the European leg of her record-breaking Eras tour in May, and is due to hit the Aviva in Dublin for three dates at the end of June. If you were fortunate enough to get snag tickets, you are probably counting down the days until you see the woman herself. Now, the exciting question is: what should you wear?

The Eras tour has ushered in a new epoch of concert fashion, transforming the audience from mere spectators to active participants, encouraged to lean in and dress up. Emma Lane, a renowned celebrity stylist, observes, “The rise of Eras fashion and edits can be found across all of our feeds at the moment as Taylor Swift tours Europe. It’s a great opportunity to get dressed up and go all out – what better place to wear sequins and sparkles?”

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Swifties are already bringing their A-style game and showing off, with more than 111.4 million posts for Taylor Swift Eras tour outfits already on TikTok. The mega-gig is a visual spectacle on stage and in the crowd, spanning three hours, more than 40 songs and numerous costume changes. As for Taylor herself, she has pulled out a dazzling display of custom looks for her tour-drobe, with a predominance of sequin-encrusted styles including designs from Roberto Cavalli, Ashish, Versace and Alberta Ferretti.

True to their name, Swifties have transformed into a shimmering sea of sparkle, decked out in glitter, cowboy boots, a nod to the singer’s country and western roots, and, of course, a wrist full of friendship bracelets. Sequins are a must and have become the unofficial dress code; much like Beyoncé’s silver-filled Renaissance tour, which sparked a silver fashion trend, Swift is igniting a sequin frenzy.

While you might not have haute couture houses on speed dial, à la Swift, or be on for whipping up a home-made tour costume replica, there are still plenty of ways to capture the essence of the Eras tour on a budget. The concert spans ten of Swift’s albums and encapsulates each era with specific costumes, so there are plenty of Taylor eras to lean into and get inspiration from.

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Consider which era you want to embody or honour, your personal Taylor style preference to recreate, or the one to which you feel most connected. It could be debut Taylor in a sweet floral dress and cowboy boots, Lover Taylor with cotton candy-inspired pastels or whimsical cottegecore Folklore era, gold sequins for Fearless, or the Reputation era, which you can recreate with darker sequins and snake motifs.

When it comes to friendship bracelets, a staple at Taylor Swift’s concerts, the best approach is DIY, inspired by a lyric from the Midnights album, You’re On Your Own Kid. So, get creative with the bracelet making, as most other Swifties will come armed with freshly crafted bracelets ready to swap. Thanks to the Eras tour, online searches for ‘friendship bracelet kit’ have skyrocketed this year. There was even a temporary bead shortage in Australia in February due to a Swift-related surge in bracelet-making.

Dress with waistcoat, €39.99, Stradivarius

Accessories are also a great and an inexpensive way of giving your outfits a more Eras makeover. Lane agrees, saying, “Fun sunglasses (heart or star-shaped) are also a fun way to be playful with your look if you don’t want to spend too much money purchasing something new.”

Butterfly clips, €17.50 for two, Oliver Bonas

Of course, there is also the practical side of dressing for a semi-outdoor concert in June in Ireland. Consider a layer that will keep you warmer (and dry) if needed. It can still be incorporated into your Taylor-inspired look – think about a sequin bomber or blazer; it comes Taylor-approved, as she has worn a sequin Versace blazer dress for The Man performance on the Eras tour.

Fringing is also a Taylor signature, and boho is one of the biggest summer trends for 2024, so do double duty in a fringed jacket. Cowboy boots have been the go-to shoe of choice for Swifties, and they come with a hefty dose of practicality and comfort, so they are a considered and stylish choice. Trainers will also afford this option if you want to stand, dance, and scream to your heart’s content comfortably.

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