SO, YOU DID it: You’re the lucky one who won the great war, and it won’t be such a cruel summer after all — because you scored tickets to the Australian leg of Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour (I’ll refrain from any further song-related puns now, I swear).
With the Eras Tour having kicked off in March 2023, we’ve had months and months of inspiration when it comes to concert dressing — not just from Swift herself, who sports a number of cleverly designed looks nodding to each of her ‘eras’ throughout the concert, but also from the concert attendees who have analysed and interpreted her discography through fashion in a myriad innovative ways.
But with all that inspiration there also comes plenty of pressure, because the Eras tour, of all tours, is not one you can just rock up to in your everyday attire. But worry not — below, we’ve summarised the gist of every single one of Swift’s 11 eras to date, from her 2006 debut all the way to the impending Tortured Poets Department, to inspire your Eras tour dressing.
Related: How to watch Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour concert film from home
What to wear to the Eras Tour in Australia
The Australian leg of the Eras tour is taking place on February 16, 17 and 18 in Melbourne at the MCG, and February 23, 24, 25 and 26 at Sydney’s Accor Stadium. That means it’s taking place right at the end of our summer, which can be a very unpredictable time weather-wise — but fortunately, Swift’s various eras offer plenty of styling inspiration for just about any month, from the summery vibes of 1989 and Lover to the autumnal and wintery vibes of Folklore and Evermore.
Each of Swift’s 11 albums offer specific aesthetics, and a wide range of styles to emulate — so no matter your own personal style, you’re sure to be able to find something in Swift’s lookbook that isn’t too far off from your own vibe. Above all, you want to be confident in what you wear, so experiment and have fun with your Eras outfit if you like, but don’t feel pressured to go over the top if it’s not feasible for your budget or your comfort level. After all, you can always pop on jeans and a tee and say you’re evoking street style or 1989 Taylor.
There’s truly an era for everyone — trust us — so read on for the colour palettes, themes and clothing styles to evoke each of Taylor Swift’s albums in your Eras tour outfit.
Related: All the chants and rituals to know for Taylor Swift’s Eras tour in Melbourne and Sydney
Outfit inspiration from each of Taylor Swift’s eras
Taylor Swift / debut era outfit ideas
Taylor Swift colour palette: Turquoise, aqua, green, blue, and white.
Unlike her other eras, Taylor Swift’s 2006 self-titled debut album might not have a permanent spot on the Eras tour setlist, but that doesn’t mean you can’t draw inspiration from Swift in all her sweet 17-year-old glory. When it comes to dressing up à la debut, it’s all about embracing that youthful innocence with a big country focus. Think cowboy boots, ruffled asymmetrical dresses, plenty of denim, and big curly hair.
Fearless era outfit ideas
Fearless colour palette: Gold, silver, brown, and white.
For Swift’s 2008 album Fearless, it’s all about sparkle — a more bedazzled take on country style, perhaps. Cowboy boots and fringed dresses are the vibe, or you could take inspiration from the iconic music videos for “You Belong With Me” and “Love Story” — dressing up as nerdy Taylor, queen bee Taylor, or princess Taylor.
Speak Now era outfit ideas
Speak Now colour palette: Purple, white, and gold.
Long before Midnights had us thinking about lavender, 2010’s Speak Now laid claim to every shade of purple imaginable. It’s a super feminine era, leaning into a little more glamour but retaining a youthful innocence with those lilac, lavender, and violet hues. To evoke Speak Now, floaty purple dresses and skirts are a must, and butterfly motifs are an added bonus. You can offset the look with a touch of white or gold, too.
Red era outfit ideas
Red colour palette: Red, black, gold, and brown.
Choosing an outfit to channel Swift’s Red era isn’t too difficult — just pick out anything with a touch of red in it from your wardrobe. The singer’s signature red lip is non-negotiable for this era — here, find our favourite red lipsticks to do the job, including the ones Swift herself uses. Hats are also a big part of the Red era — from the burnt orange newsboy cap Swift wears on the cover of Red (Taylor’s Version), to the black fedora hat she sports (and gives to a lucky audience member) while she sings “22”. Clothing-wise, think peak 2012 Tumblr hipster aesthetic: Oversized slogan tees, high-waisted denim shorts (preferably vintage) and hot pants, boho-inspired hats, black-framed glasses, chambray, lace, and leather jackets. Though it might not be weather-appropriate, you could of course also nod to the iconic “All Too Well” scarf with your look.
Related: What surprise songs will Taylor Swift play in Australia?
1989 era outfit ideas
1989 colour palette: Baby blue, white and pink.
Marking Swift’s biggest sonic pivot of her career to date, in 2014, with 1989, she entered her popstar era — and her aesthetic pivoted to match that change. While she still demonstrated an overt love for all things bedazzled, her look was pretty modern and mainstream for the time: Think crop top and skater skirt sets, cat-eye eyeliner, and baby blue denim. There’s also plenty to emulate in Swift’s music videos from this era: The cheerleader or ballerina looks from “Shake It Off,” the smeared mascara and leopard print coat from “Blank Space,” the yellow gown from “Wildest Dreams,” the many choose-your-fighter looks from “Bad Blood”… the list goes on and on.
Reputation era outfit ideas
Reputation colour palette: Black, red, white, and green.
Unlike the cosy autumnal vibes that the black-and-red colour palette of Red offered, 2017’s Reputation is all about high contrast drama. Vampy red lips and cat eye “sharp enough to kill a man” are the vibe beauty-wise, while for your clothes, you want black sequins, red or green accents, leather, snake motifs, choker necklaces, cut-out details or exposed legs, thigh-high boots, hoods, bodysuits — anything that screams dark, sexy and intimidating.
Lover era outfit ideas
Lover colour palette: Pastel rainbow shades of pink, blue, purple, yellow, and green; with metallic gold and silver accents.
Lover is Swift’s bubblegum, fantasy, sparkly, rose-tinted-glasses era, which makes it one of the most fun and colourful options to dress for. If you want to go all out — like more than a few fans have been demonstrating on TikTok and Instagram — you could bedazzle your own bodysuit, inspired by the sequinned one Swift wears onstage for the Lover portion of the concert. You could also take inspiration from what she wears to sing “The Man,” and opt for an oversized sparkly silver or pinstriped blazer with knee-high boots; or even recreate the 2019 album cover with a sparkly pink heart drawn around your eye and dip-dyed blue ends to your hair. Aside from bodysuits, blazers and boots, you can accessorise your look with faux-fur and feather boas, too.
Folklore era outfit ideas
Folklore colour palette: Monochromatic tones of white, cream, grey, silver and muted floral accents.
Folklore is an abrupt departure from the rainbows and sparkles of Lover, instead turning to a moodier, cottagecore vibe, à la 2020 lockdown depression. The more folksy, sad-girl sounds of Folklore translated into her aesthetic during this era, too: Think flowy, ’70s-slash-Stevie Nicks-slash-Florence-Welch inspired gowns, cosy sweaters and no-makeup makeup. Given that the Australian leg of the Eras tour concert is in summer, the cosy-autumn-sweater vibes may not be feasible (although, Melbourne weather is famously unpredictable) — instead, opt for anything that falls into the cottagecore and coastal grandma aesthetics. That means ruffled dresses and billowy shirts, gingham and plaid prints in monochromatic tones of black and white. A touch of florals — in subdued tones, of course — also works for Folklore.
Related: Everywhere Taylor Swift and Sabrina Carpenter have been spotted in Australia
Evermore era outfit ideas
Evermore colour palette: Autumnal burnt orange, warm green, black, and cream.
As the sister album to Folklore, Evermore (also released in 2020) has pretty similar vibes — but maybe skewing a little warmer. If Folklore is wintery blacks and whites, Evermore is a cosier autumnal palette of orange, green, brown and beige. Those cottagecore vibes remain — floaty dresses or lace-trimmed slips (like the dress Swift wears in the “Willow” music video, which is famously from Australian label Zimmermann) are a perfect fit. Again, if the weather just so happens to be less summery than expected, you can opt for cosier autumnal outfits, inspired by the plaid jacket Swift wears on the album cover (be sure to wear a French braid to complete the look). You can go a little more floral with Evermore, too — a flower crown certainly wouldn’t be amiss.
Midnights era outfit ideas
Midnights colour palette: Midnight blue, black, silver, and maroon.
Swift’s 10th original studio album, 2022’s Midnights, is all about inky black and blue shades — with a touch of “Bejewelled” sparkle. During this era, Swift donned many a navy blue ensemble with sparkly silver and black embellishments — onstage during the tour, she wears yet another bedazzled bodysuit that you could evoke with your own look. You could take specific song inspiration from “Bejewelled” by bedazzling your whole look, or take colour inspiration from “Maroon,” too. And while midnight blue is definitely the defining shade of this era, you can also be inspired by the album cover and accompanying promo images with their ’70s-inspired looks and beige, brown, orange and baby blue accents. Clothing-wise, minidresses and matching sets were the vibe for Swift during this era.
The Tortured Poets Department era outfit ideas
The Tortured Poets Department colour palette: Black, white, cream, beige and brown.
The Tortured Poets Department may not be due for release until April 19, 2024, but Swift has definitely offered just enough insight as to what this newest era may bring — so you could absolutely draw inspiration from it to inspire your Eras outfit. The album cover pictures Swift in a sheer black camisole and high-rise boy short briefs from The Row, which would actually be pretty easy and comfortable to recreate during the summer heat Australian fans will have to withstand for the concerts. With the album title and the related art released to date — as well as the street style looks we’ve seen Swift sporting in recent months — it seems the Tortured Poets Department aesthetic may skew towards the light academia and hot girl librarian trends TikTok has popularised. That means gingham mini skirts, turtleneck tops, knee-high boots in brown or black leather or suede, and vests — and accessorise with a watch choker necklace if you’d like to nod to the Grammys look Swift sported when she announced the album.
Related: Everything we know so far about Taylor Swift’s Tortured Poets Department
