Ask Me Anything (Eras Tour Version)
Ask Me Anything (Eras Tour Version)
Is the reputation bodysuit shedding? What's under those Speak Now gowns? What about her backup dancers? + Feel free to submit more q's!
I do a weekly series on the TSS Instagram that’s a bit of a misnomer. It’s called ‘Frequently Asked Friday’, so dubbed because it’s time I take out of the week (Fridays) to answer questions (that are Frequently Asked). In actuality, sometimes I miss a Friday because circumstances outside my digital life take up my attention. And oftentimes I’ll intentionally avoid common or repeat questions in favour of something topical for that week or I haven’t addressed extensively before.
But today’s FAQ really is that - a frequently asked questions post. One that I hope can function as an ongoing place to reference those common queries about the Eras Tour.
Q: Do you know anything about her backup dancers costumes?
It may be a surprise but the costuming for Taylor’s dancers is typically outsourced to someone on Joseph Cassell’s (Taylor’s stylist) team. Usually a lead and a few assistants are entirely dedicated to the sourcing and overview of these costumes so that Joseph can focus entirely on Taylor’s wardrobe.
I do happen to have a few confirmations, via the designers, of some of the dancers’ costumes on the Eras Tour stage. Generally speaking, her dancers’ costumes are a mix from fashion designers, stage costumers, and off-the-rack items.
For “my tears ricochet” her dancers wear Teuta Matoshi. The designer Alberta Ferretti extended their offerings during the folkmore set to craft both Taylor and her dancer’s “willow” capes. Taylor’s previous go-to tour costume designer Jessica Jones also provided the costumes during the brand new TTPD set.
Fun Fact: Taylor notably wears shoes by Christian Louboutin throughout the majority of her show but her dancers typically do not. For the Eras Tour Movie, Taylor specifically had her dancers upgrade their footwear to align with hers in order to look picture perfect for the film. If you look closely while watching the film, you’ll see red bottom soles on her dancers during “Vigilante Shit” - but not on any other dates of the tour.
Q: Is the reputation bodysuit shedding?
For background, many fans have speculated - based primarily on an image from Taylor’s Eras Tour stop in Lisbon, Portugal that went viral on social media - that the snake embellishments on Taylor’s Roberto Cavalli bodysuit are ‘shedding’ their skin. If you look closely on the right side of the costume’s torso, under Taylor’s right arm, there appears to be a contrasting detail on the snakes there that stand out from the rest of the design.
The theory goes that this detail is a style reference to how real life snakes will shed their skin as they grow. In nature, snakes will shed their worn or too-tight trappings in order to reveal their fresh, new selves underneath. Fans theorize that once the snakes fully slough off their casing, Taylor will announce reputation (Taylor’s Version) - and a new bodysuit to match.
This is a fun theory - but only in theory.
In reality, this ‘contrast’ detail actually has a functional purpose and has been present from the beginning of the tour (yes, since Glendale 1 back in March 2023). The textural change is to prevent sequins from catching on the underside of her mesh sleeve as she dances - thus mitigating any damage to the garment. I break things down even further on TikTok (I'm surprised as you are that I'm on that app).
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This textural difference is an example of how differently one needs to approach costume design for stage, crafting clothes to withstand extreme instances of repeat wear. Every single detail has to be carefully thought through to make sure that nothing disrupts a performance. Although, naturally, we’ve seen that happen on the Errors Tour.
These choices can come down to considering what fabric to line a jacket with to make sure it’s able to go on in one fluid motion. How to design the closing mechanism of a shoe to ensure it can be fastened securely but quickly during an onstage costume change. Everything matters when it comes to every choreographed element of a show and costuming plays an integral role in establishing the storyline from one moment to the next.
Q: Are there multiples of a costume?
In addition to all of Taylor’s costume variations, it’s standard costuming protocol to have multiples of every ensemble to spread the effects of wear across many items and not just place all the stress on one ‘copy’ of the garment. That means multiples of everything including accessories and shoes.
Q: What outfits have changed over the course of the tour?
Tailoring: A number of pieces have disappeared and reappeared over the course of the tour different than when they first debuted. This is a natural effect of a costume being drafted on paper and then functionally put to the test on stage. If there’s absolutely anything about a garment that might distract a performer when putting on a show, it has to be addressed. Alterations are a constant task for any costuming department based on the physical demands of a show and the needed fit by the wearers of the costume.
Of Taylor’s, well, tailored (sorry) costumes the most significant is the now tragically retired bronze evermore dress by Etro which Taylor first brought out during MetLife 1 on May 26. In its first run on stage, it was presented as an empire waist gown - gathered just under the bust to flow out into a wide skirt. Between MetLife 3 on May 28 and Denver 2 on July 15, the gown underwent alterations. When it finally reappeared at Seattle 1 on July 22 (yours truly was in the audience that night) it had undergone a transformation to a classic a-line dress with a more fitted bodice and flared skirt.
Other items that have undergone more subtle alterations include Version 2 of the Midnights bodysuit, by Zuhair Murad. This costume took a 17-show break between Tokyo 2 on February 8 and Paris 3 on May 10 to have a slightly cheekier silhouette cut into its leg and derriere portions. The ombre Ashish romper worn during the RED set likewise had its straps tightened to fit more securely around her chest when the Eras tour commenced its European leg.
Accessorizing: The legendary costume designer Edith Head once said, “What a costume designer does is a cross between magic and camouflage. We create the illusion of changing the actors into what they are not. We ask the public to believe that every time they see a performer on the screen he's become a different person.”
And what is the Eras Tour if not a journey through all of Taylor’s past selves?
An immersion. A dedication. A deep portal, time travel.
A love letter to every iteration of herself she’s proudly and dramatically ever embodied.
Of the many things I love about the Eras Tour costuming, it’s the attention to detail that will always get me. Not only does Taylor execute several fantastic quick changes over the course of the show, she also takes the time to swap out accessories. This may seem insignificant, but when she is on that stage - nothing is. Everything is photographed down to the finest pixel. Every moment is blown up to a screen spanning a stadium’s width. Every single frame of the show is filmed by tens of thousands of cellphones from every angle and then broadcasted live most nights to millions around the world. Nothing is too small to take note of.
I love the Versace necklaces that are coordinated to their own bodysuit and are changed out accordingly.
I love the Cathy Waterman x Taylor Swift ‘RED’ filigree ring she wears during every RED set.
I love that even if you can’t see them she wears character heels under those voluminous Speak Now ball gown skirts - a tribute to the ones she wore on the original Speak Now Tour.
I loved the soft ballet slippers she wore during folklore and how she pitter pattered pell mell across the stage in them during “august”. And I love that in the combination of the folklore and evermore sets she kept the Alberta Ferretti gowns of the former and the custom Christian Louboutin boots of the latter as a true marriage of the two era’s aesthetics.
Though I’ll say her choice of a heeled boot during the newly joined folkmore set is most likely a functional one that makes it easier to play the piano during “champagne problems” (the heel of the boot more optimally positions her foot in order to push down on the foot pedals).
Q: What will happen to the costumes after the tour?
Taylor has always taken great pains to archive her clothes. I love that she has always cared so deeply about caring for and maintaining her visual legacy. I imagine for a time that the pieces will be cleaned and carefully stored with the likelihood that they’ll be put on display in a museum or exhibit in the near future.
Any other Eras Tour questions? Feel free to drop them below!