Favourite Outfits of 2024
... And how reader favourites stacked up against mine
I’ve done some form of this list every single year that I have run Taylor Swift Style, dating back to 2012 when I was a full year into documenting Taylor’s fashion. When I was younger, keener, and perhaps more determined to be festive I would have my Favourite Outfits of the Year series scheduled to go live throughout the day on 12/31 - without fail.
But the years passed (and it started to show) so I asked the professor … if it was okay to grant myself some grace to celebrate the holidays as offline as I could permit myself to manage and post my favourite outfits in the new year. And ever in their wiseness, here we are a week into the new year with a first glance looking backwards so that we can move forward.
Hope you enjoy it!
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What a huge year for Taylor and for Swifties.
The Eras Tour embarked on its three remaining legs across Australia, Asia, and Europe before a final run in North America in the U.S. and Canada, visiting 27 cities over 83 dates. The record-breaking tour, the highest-grossing of all time, spawned its own official commemorative book documenting the looks and behind-the-scenes insight into the tour.
In April, Taylor released her eleventh studio album The Tortured Poets Department. The album was a direct result of the candids we received throughout the summer of 2023 as she entered and exited Electric Lady Studios in New York City. Poets was serviced by two music videos for lead single “Fortnight” and “I Can Do It With A Broken Heart.” The latter of which comprised a compilation of clips taken from Taylor rehearsing for the Eras Tour - appropriately meta given this was a song written about performing through heartbreak on this very tour.
Where last year my singular word to describe Taylor’s fashion was ‘familiarity’, if I were to choose one this year it would be ‘excess’. The concept of more being more. In 2023, we saw a reawakening and a reclamation of Taylor’s most recognizable fashions. This was a natural result of Taylor putting out work that emphasized her past. Namely the Eras Tour costuming and the release of two re-recorded albums from her back catalogue: Speak Now and 1989. Even her first season of exploring game day fashion during the NFL 2023-24 season felt like carefully navigating a new fashionable genre while still retaining an innate ‘Taylor’-ness. This year seemed like one where Taylor was emboldened to be glamorous. Gla-*more*-ous, you might say. There was a higher shine and a greater degree of confidence in Taylor in 2024. Perhaps it was the emotional slipstream of releasing some of her most vulnerable and raw work to date that allowed her to emerge, bravely and fully transformed, from the wreckage. Perhaps it was being able to bask in the glow of a loving relationship finding its footing and deepening its foundation. Whatever the reason, Taylor’s style and confidence grew thanks, in large part, to more visible high-end labels and shimmering stacks of jewelry layers. If 2023 was ‘coming home’ to recognizable elements of Taylor’s aesthetics, 2024 was ‘coming alive’ to something bigger, greater, bolder.
From matching his and hers hardware in February denoting the highest achievements in their respective fields (Album of the Year, hers; Super Bowl, his) to the final bow of the Eras Tour and its earth-shattering, record-breaking success. There has been so much to celebrate in 2024.
The following is a breakdown of my favourite looks over the last 12 months (not all of which could even be crammed into this intro graphic) as well as my top level thoughts on Taylor’s fashion themes this year.
Taylor only attended three award shows this year — the Golden Globes in January, the Grammys in February, and the MTV VMAs in September. But even if she’d attended one award show a week - for a total of 52 - this favourites list was always going to come down to just one outfit to claim them all. One that we all saw coming when Taylor stepped out - just seven days into 2024 - wearing a peridot green column gown by Gucci at the 2024 Golden Globes.
All those months ago I proclaimed in my caption: “I want it on record that no one should be surprised when they see this lewk on the TSS Favourite Outfits of 2024 list.” And no one is, right? Right?
This, to me, was an easy hit for 2024. But I’d go so far as to say this is a landslide entry into all timer status for me from Taylor’s entire career of appearances.
The Eras Tour is the biggest tour of Taylor’s entire career. In running time, in number of dates, in revenue. But also in costumes.
In 2024, Taylor relaunched the Eras Tour to work around the release of her eleventh studio album The Tortured Poets Department. In doing so, she also expanded on the already extensive costuming she had set when the tour had kicked off in 2023.
Sing along as you would the 12 Days of Christmas:
5 Lover bodysuits (+1 2023)
5 "The Man" blazers (+1 2023)
6 Fearless dresses (+3 2023)
2 evermore retired dresses
6 "22" sequin shirts (+3 2023)
1 RED bodysuit
1 RED duster coat
9 Speak Now gowns (+3 2023)
2 reputation bodysuits (+1 2023)
7 folklore dresses (+2 2023)
10 1989 co-ords (+6 2023)
2 Tortured Poets dresses
7 “I Can Do It With A Broken Heart” sets and jackets
11 Acoustic dresses (+7 2023)
2 "Lavender Haze" faux fur jackets (+1 2023)
8 "Anti-Hero" sequin shirts (+2 2023)
5 Midnights bodysuits (+2 2023)
4 "Karma" jackets
... and a tight end in a pear tree
To put this into context, Taylor’s previous stadium tour - in service of the album reputation - had 10 official costumes. All of them were designed by one costumer (Jessica Jones) and the maximum number of variants for one outfit was five (the fringe dress worn when she transferred from the main stage to the b stage as she performed “Delicate” and then “Shake It Off” into the acoustic portion of the show).
That brings us to approximately 17 costume variants across the entire show. Although, this doesn’t include the half dozen jackets she threw on for one-time special guest appearances like Selena Gomez, Sugarland, and Hayley Kiyoko. Being generous, let’s say that Taylor had two dozen costume variants for the entire reputation tour for the entire run of its tour.
Some Eras Tour Facts, to compare:
Taylor had 94 costume variants across all sections for the entire Eras Tour - a 5.5x increase in costuming over her previous tour.
Of those 94 costumes, 40 were introduced in 2024 - about 43%
Taylor’s team chose to work with multiple, high end fashion designers to custom create many of these looks vs working directly with one single costumer for the reputation Tour, increasing the logistical load of coordinating with many fashion house teams to design, fit, produce, and complete the looks.
I don’t think I can emphasize enough the hugeness, the vastness of this tour in every single aspect in every regard. And more than that? How unbelievably grateful we should be for her and her team’s efforts to go far above and beyond to surprise and delight millions on stages worldwide while on this tour.
Of the new costumes introduced just in 2024, these were my favourites:
Fearless Version 4: The nostalgia overload of this Naeem Khan dress was so well played by Taylor. Much like Version 8 of the Speak Now gown, this one spoke directly to stage costumes of tours past. Worn with a black version of her ‘Cate’ boots by Christian Louboutin, this is almost an exact duplication of one of her tour outfits from the original Fearless Tour. And very well executed. I’m so glad it was the one chosen to be captured in *vague arm gestures* whatever Nights 1-3 of Vancouver were.
Speak Now Version 8: The dress known as “Swirls” debuted in Paris when the Eras Tour kicked back in for its European leg in May 2024. In keeping with the Eras Tour costuming M.O. of referencing and refreshing past Eras’ outfits, this gown, by Reem Acra, felt like a voluminous take on the Reem Acra gown Taylor wore on the original Speak Now tour in 2011. More star power = more skirt circumference. Were I to rank all of the Speak Now gowns, I think this one would take the top spot. Followed by the Nicole + Felicia Version 1 gown (known to some by its moniker “Champagne”).
reputation Version 2: Did I need perfection to be improved upon? No. But I can acknowledge when something is still done incredibly well. The second, highly demanded, version of the reputation bodysuit by Roberto Cavalli made its debut at last in Miami, FL when Eras kicked back in for its final leg of the tour across North America. Its predecessor was not worn again for the remainder of the tour. The gold embellished snakes are a great reference to some of the golden lyrical themes explored on reputation. But the funniest thing of all? That there was no explanation (or Taylor’s Version) there was just a second reputation bodysuit.
Acoustic Dress Version 9: The acoustic section of the show underwent a few makeovers in form and function in 2024. During Taylor’s shows in Melbourne, Australia back in February Taylor began upping her unplugged game by elevating her surprise song choices. She wasn’t content with just deep pulls from across her discography - a song each for the guitar and piano. Here, Taylor introduced a new concept: mashups. Beginning Night 2 in Melbourne when Taylor combined “Getaway Car”, “august”, and “The Other Side of the Door” together during the guitar portion of the set. By the following weekend of dates in Sydney, Australia Taylor had spilled the mashup tactic over to the piano with the pairing of “White Horse” and “coney island.” But it took until the North American leg of the tour for the mashup concept to bleed into her fashion as well. Four new Roberto Cavalli dresses, this time also with added crystals scattered throughout, seemed to take the idea of blending literally through their ombre design. In my opinion, the best of them all was Version 9 - an enchanting midnight purple that twinkled like a starry sky under the stage lights.
Midnights Version 5: Easily the most intricate and stunning of the Midnights bodysuits was the latest one by Zuhair Murad which debuted during London Night 5. While I never got to be reunited with my beloved Version 1 (the navy one by Oscar de la Renta) of the Midnights bodysuit, having this piece put into the costuming rotation is a fair consolation prize. It’s the bodysuit that best references the celestial themes of Midnights.
Given the structure of the football season (much like television), 2024 saw both the end of Taylor’s sporting spectatorship (Season 1) in February at the Super Bowl as well as the kick off to Season 2 in September.
🏈 Season Two Recap: Below is a game-by-game breakdown of all of Taylor’s looks from the 2024-25 NFL season.
Looking at Taylor’s style trajectory through an annual calendar lens we can see how her fashion ramped up towards the Super Bowl and she never really let off the gas since.
Super Bowl LVIII: I couldn’t fully let go of my soft spot for the Super Bowl, mostly because I admire it from a styling perspective. Within the outfit itself there were so many thoughtful details that referenced Taylor’s style journey through her first season of sporting spectatorship. Dark denim for her first game. Area denim specifically for her second game. An Erin Andrews jacket her third game. And so on. Plus a smattering of sentimental accessories were infused throughout her outfit (the number ‘87’ was spotted on a Stephanie Gottlieb necklace, a Judith Leiber crystal football clutch, and her heeled Louboutins). She had developed a style formula that was distinctly different, yet entirely familiar to her style but elevated enough to work within the expected parameters of “WAG” dressing. Ending the season in this manner, with callbacks to both her style and relationship journey, had an intrinsically Taylor feel to it.
Chiefs vs Broncos: But my favourite of the actual latest season was easily this Cher Horowitz-goes-to-a-game outfit. It was so well styled and also had one of my favourite high/lows of the year: Versace meets Victoria’s Secret.
What a year for Taylor’s street style. More than any other, there was a sense of freedom in Taylor’s fashion this year. It felt like she had the confidence and the joy to experiment, to stretch, and to lean into the fun of all that fashion can bring while still retaining all the hallmarks of her signature style. That’s always felt key to everything Taylor does: Evolving without losing a sense of herself. If anything, she felt more Taylor than she’s ever felt. You could say she was: Tay-more.
The year started off with some low-key final visits to Electric Lady Studios, presumably for the finishing touches on The Tortured Poets Department that would be announced in February and released in April. Taylor also kicked off 2024 with what is perhaps her first fashionable red herring. A bottle green velvet dress and a sharp turn on her Giuseppe Zanotti snake boots was enough of an indicator that, perhaps, she’s leveled up her style as not just a tool to tease, but to deceive.
Corsetry continued to reign as the era’s iconic item. Most were by Vivienne Westwood, but other designer favourites like Versace and Stella McCartney, and even an accessible option from Victoria’s Secret, made themselves known. Fall proved to be the optimal time for watching sports (football, baseball, and tennis oh my), necessitating a WAGdrobe replete with designer wares and an influx of luxury monogramming.
In 2024, Taylor’s style reflected an increasing, luxuriating confidence. Truly living that bejeweled life. Best believe it!
Picking my favourites was hard - as it is every year. While this year has as many neutrals as I’m sure you’d expect from me (natch), I think what these looks all have in common is tension and texture.
January 18: A sleeper hit. I feel that we all collectively passed over this outfit far too quickly. I even noted back in January that there was much about this outing that I “shockingly liked.” It’s stuck with me because we’re at the end of the year and I’m still pleasantly surprised at its striking simplicity. Maybe I’m just a sucker for neutrals and a sandwich style, but the balanced combination of black and taupe as well as varying material textures is seriously underrated. Shop The Look: Coat / Sweater Dress / Bag / Boots.
September 6: I loved this outfit so much I did my own take of it on the final date of the Taylor Swift Style book tour in Charlotte, NC. It’s all black (something I’ll always approve of), but it’s far from boring. The key, I think, is textures. The mesh of the bodysuit, the contrast materials on her blazer lapels, and quilting coordination on her bag and boots keep things interesting and varied. Shop The Look: Bodysuit / Bag / Belt / Boots.
October 11: Whenever I look at this candid I’ll always remember documenting it from my Kansas City, MO hotel room the night before speaking to the largest sold out crowd on the Taylor Swift Style book tour. I’d received the notification minutes before heading out for dinner which I quickly converted into a take out moment from my room. Goods secured, laptop out, taking over the long walnut desk in my hotel room. The air was heady with the smell of KC BBQ (the highly recommended Joe’s) and freshly seasoned fries. I remember excitedly recognizing that Dior bag (the iconic saddle!), Gucci bustier (the iconic diamante!), and those LV booties. Sometimes, a favourite thing is never even necessarily what suits your taste the best. It’s what evokes the strongest memory. Shop The Look: Coat / Bustier / Necklace / Bag / Skirt / Boots.
November 19: To borrow from my 2023 Favourite Outfits Of the Year list when Taylor wore a near carbon copy of this outfit: “Absolute chefs kiss winter matching set.” Shop The Look: Coat / Bag / Skirt / Heels.
December 28: Saving the best for last and ending the year on a smashing high note. While I can acquiesce to those who say that a closed toe pump (even a Louboutin ‘So Kate’ to keep it in the red sole family) would have worked better given the timing of this outing in the dead of winter, this outfit was a great display of the gla-more-ous styling we saw from Taylor in 2024. Bolstered by the knowledge that there’s a $30K Cartier watch underneath that coat. Shop The Look: Coat / Dress / Bag / Heels.
Subscribers Only - Street Style, Continued
January 6: An LBD? A saucy pair of knee-high boots? Yes, I have been summoned.
May 17: A cute LBD, a timeless trench, and accessories from one of the most famous Italian fashion houses to head out one of the most picturesque and dreamy tourist spots in Italy. Would copy + paste.
October 15: A blink-and-you-miss-it sporting moment. While TSSers favoured the US Open appearance as their Top 5 sport-watching candid, I have a soft spot for this blazer-ful appearance at the Yankees game. It felt appropriately sporty but inconspicuous for taking in a game. Shop The Look: Trench / Bag / Flats.
December 4: I loved everything about this ladylike ‘fit from the elegant bun, high shine accessories (including that highlighter - what is her secret?), and the *swoon* ankle strap patent pumps. And sue me if I, a millennial, don’t have nostalgia over a bubble skirt. Shop The Look: Dress / Bag / Heels.
December 27: A blazer and tights with boots being loved by me? Please say no one is surprised. Shop The Look: Blazer / Bag / Tights / Boots.
This year, I sent out a poll to TSSers on Instagram asking about your favourite outfits of the year. I thought it would make for a fun compare and contrast: Editor’s Picks vs Reader’s Picks.
I’ve always believed that one of the most fun parts of art (fashion being an art form) is its subjectivity. We agreed on some things! We disagreed on others!
Award / Event: There really was only one choice here, wasn’t there? We both went with Taylor’s Golden Globes appearance in Gucci. This didn’t surprise me at all. But what did was readers’ second and third choices: the MTV VMAs came in second with 16% of the vote and the low-key appearance at the Mahomies Charity Gala came third with 11%! Which means, YES, you guys completely shut out the Grammys appearance in your top picks of the year. (Photo by Monica Schipper/GA via Getty Images)
Eras Tour: We also had the same favourite new addition to the tour costuming roster with the starry celestial Version 5 of the bodysuit in the Midnights set - designed by Zuhair Murad. This one was a distant winner over your second and third choices: the much anticipated reputation Version 2 bodysuit by Roberto Cavalli which had 10% of the vote and the orange sunset Version 5 of the Versace bodysuit worn during the Lover set which took third place with 9% of your vote. (Photo by John Shearer/TAS24 via Getty Images)
Game Day: Easily the most contested category was Taylor’s game day appearances. We’ll chalk that up to a generally strong showing week over week which caused some serious vote splitting! Ultimately, your winner was Taylor’s Season Two premiere appearance at the Chiefs opening game against the Ravens in a Versace denim bustier. It only narrowly beat out my top pick, the check plaid Versace blazer/skirt set at the Chiefs vs Broncos game which 17% of you also loved. Taylor’s Super Bowl appearance rounded out your top three with 14% of you marking it your favourite of the year. (Photo by David Eulitt via Getty Images)
Street Style: Much to my surprise, this one was not close - at all. Maybe it’s recency bias, maybe it’s because Taylor really did finish the year strong but almost a quarter of you voted Taylor’s final street style appearance of 2024 as your all time favourite of the whole year. That Simkhai coat really is just so good, isn’t it? Off as a very, very, very distant second place? Taylor’s appearance at the U.S. Open in that very charming gingham dress by Reformation. (Photo by TheStewartofNY via Getty Images)
What were your favourite outfits of 2024?
The LBD, black flats and trench because I, too, would also immediately copy + paste. 🖤
Justice for the VMA’s outfit - my favorite of her looks, ever! The millennial nod to Clueless, the makeup, the hair, the body highlighting, her just absolute fierceness. I would put money on that being Taylor’s favorite outfit of the year based on the emoting she did while slaying that red carpet!