Taylor Swift's Eras Tour Outfits By Alberta Ferretti Are Fan-Favorites—and Loaded With Meaning

More than 100 dates into the marathon event, Swifties have live-streamed, live-tweeted, and breathlessly dissected every second of Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour since its kickoff last March. That doesn’t mean they’ll know what they’ll hear—or even which outfits they’ll see the pop star wearing—and the same goes when Swift takes the stage in London tonight for another sold-out show.

Swift sets aside at least two surprise songs for each show and chooses between several remixes of Eras Tour costumes by Alberta Ferretti, Roberto Cavalli, and Versace, among others, to perform the night's setlist.

So far, there have been seven versions of the ethereal, Stevie Nicks-esque Alberta Ferretti dresses for the “Folkmore” set (a combination of the Folklore and Evermore albums), and at this point in the tour, guessing which one she’ll wear at any given show is a fandom-betting event generating as much passion online as a major-league sport. Just check the live alerts for accounts like @tswifterastour on X for proof.

All the options involve qualities like light chiffon that flows with every movement Swift makes, all similar silhouettes—"wide sleeves, ruffles, tiered skirts, and significant, always flowing, and romantic volumes"—and colors plucked from nature, in a parallel to the albums’ folk-pop, woodland fairy sound, Alberta Ferretti, the designer, tells me in an email from her Milan headquarters. Several were inspired by archival Ferretti designs; four dresses, in ivory, pink, blue, and mauve, are dusted in tiny crystals color-coordinating with their fabric. Still, fans have picked their favorites.

As accounts online feverishly document which dress arrives in which show, replies go wild for a mossy green dress with cut-outs and a lace motif Ferretti says she made especially for Swift. Ditto for a deep red recreation, she debuted for the European leg of the tour alongside several new pairs of custom Louboutins. When dresses take a few shows off, fans mourn them like they’re long-lost friends: “Where is yellow? I miss her,” someone wrote about a canary-colored, tiered Ferretti gown that hasn’t been seen for several shows.

Feretti says she loves all her creations equally. (A not-unexpected answer for a designer who’s worked closely with Swift and her stylist, Joseph Cassell Falconer, on and off since the 2014 Grammys.) Designing all seven Eras Tour outfits in the time since Swift’s team contacted her at the end of 2022 has been both an "honor" and a four-way balancing act, “between my personal style, Taylor's aesthetic vision, the lightness of the materials to accompany the performance, and the musical era of Folklore."

This four-pronged approach lets Swift “move and express herself at best,” explicitly and implicitly. In London and on every other stop, Swift will spend part of her set performing the folk-pop song “Willow” with a chocolate brown cape thrown over whichever dress she chooses. It’s not just an opportunity for some impressive skirtography or a nod to the cloak she wears in the music video. It's stitched with special meaning.

Ferretti analyzes the connection between her creations and the setlist like a studied fan. “The lyrics of ‘Willow’ are a metaphor for unconditional love and the commitment to follow a loved one, abandoning oneself completely and overcoming any fear,” she explains. “The cape, crafted from chocolate-colored velvet with lace details on satin, serves as an almost protective element, enhanced by the hood. However, as the song progresses, it unveils a stunning dress and a woman ready to shine.”

The Taylor Swift fashion universe’s attention to meaning and symbolism—especially in a setting like the Eras Tour—were as appealing to Ferretti as Swift’s musical achievements and her capacity for "renewing herself over the years." At her concerts in every era, “there is always great attention to the costumes which, especially in this specific case, are an integral part of the storytelling.”

These considerations are a special break from the complex world of runway collections for Ferretti, where the designer is as equally concerned with her brand’s industrial and commercial needs as her creative side. “When working with celebrities for special projects, such as in this case, you have the freedom to ‘create’ in response to the scenic requirements,” she explains.

The cascading ruffles and cape-like sheer fabric flowing from each dress’s shoulders are all signs of Ferretti’s delicately sensual, semi-bohemian brand DNA. For Swift to perform in them on a tour spanning five continents for nearly two years, there needed to be options. “This was a truly monumental production," Ferretti says.

The fashion fan police need not worry. The versions missed and reported MIA by them haven't been permanently benched from a twirl-induced rip or a stain in a torrential downpour and could surface again. “We provided Taylor's team with extra fabrics and everything needed to address any damage caused by the wear and tear of the outfits,” Ferretti says. “It is a monumental production, and they are very well organized and capable of handling any eventuality.”

Fans monitoring this weekend’s shows like a State of the Swiftie Union will just have to be ready for whatever she wears. Like every other element of the tour and her day-to-day street style, Swift always has her reasons for wearing what she wears and when.