The Eras Tour officially ended last night after 21 months! We wanted to commemorate this historic tour and its fashion with this blogpost. Taylor Swift's stylist Joseph Cassell got the best luxury brands to design the costumes for the show. Her tour wardrobe has been well documented throughout 2023 and 2024, as she added more and more costumes to the show, keeping it exciting for everyone watching. But we wanted to take a run through of the histories of these brands and the designers behind them. Many of them hold esteemed positions in the annals of fashion history, while others are newer names and rising stars. We look at Taylor's history with these brands and how they ended up designing the iconic costumes for this epic tour. Read on!
Roberto Cavalli
Roberto was born in Italy in 1940. He studied textile printing before opening a fabric printing workshop where he developed innovative techniques on RTW knitwear garments. In the early 1970s, he invented a process for printing on leather which won him commissions with prestigious fashion houses like Hermés and Pierre Cardin. Cavalli presented his first collection in Paris in 1972.
He debuted printed denim patchwork jeans, intarsia feathers, brocade and animal print, which became a distinctive element of the brand. The house of Roberto Cavalli was officially founded in 1975. He was a judge of the Miss Universe pageant in 1977 where he met his second wife, Miss Austria Eva Düringer, who became his business partner.
In the 1980s, he eschewed trends and continued to develop his style. This resulted in achieving international success in the 90s.
He presented the first sand-blasted jeans in 1994 along with tiger and wildlife motifs and embroidered fur. The brand was the first to introduce lycra stretch jeans in 1995. Cavalli became a celebrity favourite characterized by a sexy, rock-inspired mood. Their flagship store opened in Venice in 1996 and the diffusion line ‘Just Cavalli” was launched in 2000. Cavalli was everywhere in the 2000s decade and there has been a recent resurgence in interest in Cavalli archival pieces from this era.
Taylor attended the Roberto Cavalli Spring 2011 fashion show in Milan in September 2010 wearing a full Cavalli outfit. She went to a party in the designers honour 2 days later in Paris. When she started her Speak Now world tour a few months later, we saw that Cavalli had designed her opening look: the iconic gold fringe dress. Taylor wore this dress again in 2023 in her "I Can See You" music video.
In 2015, she attended the Brit awards in a red and black dragon dress by the designer.
Roberto stepped down from the head of the company in 2015. Peter Dundas and Paul Surridge followed as creative directors before the company was sold in 2019.
Fausto Puglisi was appointed creative director in 2020. Fausto designed over 20 pieces for Taylor Swift's Eras Tour including:
- The one-legged Reputation bodysuit, which some of our staff have strong negative feelings about!
The 1989 2-piece sets (4 beaded sets and 4 mix and match sets with skater skirts):
The 6 Fearless dresses:
Check out this black and gold sequin fringe dress in the shop if you want a Fearless coded outfit!
And versions 5-9 of the acoustic dresses:
(Check out these ombre effect chiffon dresses in the shop here and here.)
Puglisi also designed Taylor’s "Midnights" outfit for the 2023 Grammy’s, which is one of her best ever red carpet looks!
Roberto passed away in April 2024, but we wonder what his favourite look would have been from what Fausto had designed for Taylor for the Eras Tour.
Elie Saab
Elie was born in Lebanon in 1964. After having an interest in sewing as a child, he enrolled in a fashion course in Paris but didn’t make it to graduation. He returned to Beirut and opened up a bridal atelier in 1982. He used expensive lace fabrics and included details like pearls, embroidery and crystals in his gowns. High society ladies were soon wearing his designs.
In 1997, he became the first non-Italian designer to become a member of the National Chamber of Italian Fashion and showed his collection in Rome. He started a RTW line based out of Milan in 1998.
In 1999, one of his dresses encrusted with emeralds and diamonds sold for $2.4 million.
He dressed Halle Berry for the Academy Awards in 2002 when she was the first black woman to ever win the Best Actress award. It is one of the most iconic and widely remembered Oscars dresses and she re-wore it recently to the ‘1001 Seasons of Elie Saab” star-studded event in Saudi Arabia.
He showed his first haute couture show in Paris in 2006, and was one of the designers of Beyonce’s "The Beyonce Experience" tour wardrobe in 2007.
He dressed a total of 102 celebrities for red carpet events in 2010. Kate Winslet’s Madame Tussaud’s wax figure was unveiled in 2011 wearing the Elie Saab dress she had worn to the Emmy awards. He has also dressed many royal clients throughout Europe.
His son Elie Saab Jr. became the brand’s director in 2013.
Taylor Swift has been wearing Elie Saab since at least as far back as 2011. In a Yahoo! interview in 2013, she was asked what her favourite red carpet look had been thus far. She responded that it was the black Elie Saab dress that she had recently worn to the Brit Awards.
Saab designed versions 3 and 4 of Taylor’s Enchanted performance gowns at the Eras Tour, which were from the house’s couture FW 2022 and 2020 collections respectively. Saab is the perfect brand to achieve the fairytale princess vibe Taylor evokes with Enchanted.
Zuhair Murad
Zuhair was born in Lebanon in 1971. He moved to Paris after high school and obtained a fashion degree there.
He established his brand in the mid 90s, opening up boutiques in Beirut and Paris, and made his debut at Rome Fashion Week in 1999. He began showing haute couture in Paris in 2001.
He is a favourite amongst celebrities for red carpet events including Miley Cyrus, who wore one of his gowns to the Academy Awards in 2009, and Christina Aguilera and Jennifer Lopez, who wore his designs to the Golden Globes in 2011, as well as many others since.
Murad has ready to wear as well as couture collections. He aims to design for glamorous women.
Taylor began wearing Murad back in 2011 when she stepped out to the Vanity Fair Oscars party. Check out this gold sequin dress in the shop if you're looking for something similar!
She wore his dresses to both the Grammys and ACM awards in 2012.
She continued wearing his designs to various events and photoshoots throughout 2012, 2013 and 2014. He also designed some of her 1989 tour outfits in 2015.
He designed versions 2-5 of her Eras Tour Midnights bodysuits, as well as version 2 of her Enchanted dress.
We have had a stunning blue beaded dress for sale in the shop throughout the run of the tour and cannot believe no one bought it to wear to a show! It's such a perfect Midnights vibe. The bodysuit in dress form! Check it out here.
Oscar de la Renta
We have already covered the eponymous designer on this blog, so please click the link below to read more about him.
The brand has been helmed by design duo Laura Kim and Fernando Garcia since 2016.
This is another of Taylor’s favourite brands.
She first wore Oscar way back in 2010 when she was photographed wearing a white blouse and shorts set for an Elle magazine shoot.
Her first Oscar red carpet moment happened in 2011 at the Billboard Women in Music awards, where she wore the first of many red Oscar dresses.
She wore another in 2012 to perform “Begin Again” off her album “Red” at the Country Music Awards. It mimicked the Parisian style of the music video for the song.
She wore a pink Oscar gown to the Met Gala in 2014 with the theme “Charles James-Beyond Fashion”. This dress appeared again at the end of the “Look What You Made Me Do” music video in 2017, in which there is a line-up of “old Taylor’s”.
There were at least two Oscar dresses and two blouses in the Blank Space music video in 2014.
She attended the Fall 2015 Oscar de la Renta fashion show in another red Oscar dress.
2019 is where her collaboration with the brand really got interesting and we saw a number of stunning gowns grace red carpets over the coming few years. The first was (another red) floral number worn to the Cats movie premiere.
In 2021, she wore one of her best looks of all time to the Grammy’s when she won album of the year for Folklore. Another floral that looks stunning on her- complete with matching face mask. The whimsical flower meadow style bridges the gap between the Lover and Folklore albums, after the interruption of the pandemic.
We were treated to the announcement of Midnights at the MTV awards in 2022 when Taylor won Video of the Year for All Too Well. She wore a bejewelled dress in a secret nod to the song of the same name off of her upcoming album.
For the Eras Tour, she wore custom pieces during the Midnights section of the show. The first version of the Lavender Haze dress and coat, and the first version of the iconic Midnights bodysuit were made by the de la Renta team. They described the dress and coat set on their Instagram as an "aurora borealis sequin embroidered t-shirt and lavender faux fur coat with crystal embroidery".
At the Eras Tour film premiere in 2023, she again wore a floral Oscar gown, this time in blue in a nod to the upcoming release of her 1989 album.
Jenny Packham
Packham graduated from Central Saint Martins in 1987. She presented her first collection at the London Designer Show in 1988. Her label was founded with her husband Mathew Anderson.
In 2013, the V&A exhibited a selection of her work in celebration of 25 years of her label.
She is a celebrity favourite, her work now synonymous with glamour. Princess of Wales Kate Middleton has worn her designs on many occasions. She has also made a big name in the bridal category.
Her designs have been used in film and television including in two James Bond films- Die Another Day and Casino Royale, as well as in Sex and the City (on Kim Cattrall) and Gossip Girl.
Taylor Swift wore a ton of Jenny Packham in her early career. Madame Tussaud’s unveiled a waxwork of Taylor in 2010 wearing a Jenny Packham dress that was part of Taylor’s Fearless tour wardrobe.
She wore a Jenny Packham dress in the music video for her hit Blank Space in 2015.
When the music video for “I Can See You” dropped in 2023 to coincide with the release of Speak Now (Taylor’s Version), it featured a bunch of Jenny Packham dresses as the video explored Taylor’s entire career.
Taylor’s original Oscar de la Renta outfit during the Lavender Haze/Anti-Hero portion of the Eras Tour was replaced during the final leg of the tour with two new Jenny Packham ensembles.
The first is a lavender T-shirt mini dress with Swarovski crystals and paillettes embroidery paired with a lavender faux fur coat with aurora borealis paillettes embroidery.
The second is a sky blue T-shirt dress embellished with aurora borealis crystals, and platinum and iridescent accents. It’s paired with a lavender faux fur jacket showcasing aurora borealis sequins.
Etro
Etro was originally a textiles company founded in Italy in 1968 by Gerolamo “Gimmo” Etro. The RTW industry was the market for their textiles.
Gerolamo’s wife Roberta was an antiques dealer who had amassed a large collection of antique shawls which served as ample inspiration for Gimmo’s designs. Paisley patterns became a signature design element, synonymous with the Etro brand, first introduced in 1981 after a trip Gimmo took to India. Their headquarters in Milan houses a textile art library which is an invaluable design resource.
He rendered his prints in high quality silks and cashmere’s. The designs appealed to any designer interested in the hippie counterculture aesthetic at the time.
They launched a leather goods collection in 1984 and a homewares collection in 1985.
Gimmo’s son Kean became the menswear designer in 1990.
The womenswear collection was launched in 1991.
Their first fashion show in Milan was not held until 1996.
Gimmo’s daughter Veronica became the womenswear designer in 2000. She demonstrated a gift for feminine floaty silhouettes. As the boho chic trend took off in the 2000s, Etro had a legacy that allowed them to lead.
Two other siblings run other divisions of the company.
Designer Marco De Vincenzo was appointed the creative director in 2022, the first head designer outside of the Etro family.
They currently have 140 stores in 58 countries. Their signature style is characterized by an eclectic mix of patterns, colours and textures inspired by global cultures, travel and art; revealing opulent, high quality designs.
One of the first times Taylor Swift wore Etro was for an InStyle photoshoot in 2011 when she donned a one-shouldered floral gown by the brand.
At the Golden Globes in 2020, she wore a custom green floral Etro gown. She was nominated for Best Original Song for Beautiful Ghosts, which she wrote for Cats, a film she starred in that flopped. It wasn’t her best career moment but little did she know, the pandemic that was about to happen would result in the making of 2 albums that ushered in a huge resurgence in her career.
Just over a year later (after Folklore and Evermore had been released), Taylor took to the 63rd Grammys stage virtually to perform Cardigan, August and Willow. She wore a custom ETRO fil coupé chiffon gown in blue and gold enriched with paisley motifs and lace ruffles. She won album of the year that night.
She then wore a velvet Etro suit to the premiere of her short film “All Too Well” later that year. (P.S. we have velvet trousers [1,2] and jackets [1, 2, 3] for sale in the shop right now!)
Finally, Etro was chosen as the designer to create Taylor’s dresses for the Evermore section of the Eras tour. Two bohemian goddess cottagecore looks have graced the stage- one stunner in yellow with metallic embroidery and another withchier version in burgundy. Perfection!
Nicole and Felicia
A much newer label than many of the other well established legacy brands on this list. It was founded by the eponymous Chang sisters in Taiwan in 2015. The brand creates luxury bridal and evening wear. Many celebs have favoured the label for the red carpet in the past few years.
They custom made two corresponding gowns for Taylor in 2021 for the “I Bet You Think About Me” music video. One in red and one in white, each featuring over 2,000 floral appliqués.
They also created versions 1,5 and 6 of the Enchanted gown for the Eras Tour. All 3 are extraordinary fairytale concoctions, but version 5 is especially whimsical and Speak Now coded.
The blue version 6 was rumoured to be a nod to her 1989 album, which was re-released shortly after this dress debuted.
Jessica Jones
This is the designer, not the Marvel character!
Jessica’s grandmother was the head of wardrobe at ABC Studios. She set up her own label in the 2000s and has dressed other pop stars like Selena Gomez and Camilla Cabello for their stage shows.
Taylor first started working with Jessica during the 1989 era, beginning in 2014. In fact, Jessica is responsible for much of Taylor’s stage outfits and branding during that time, in collaboration with Taylor’s stylist Joseph Cassell.
She continued this relationship for the Reputation and Lover eras from 2017-2019. Most of Jessica’s designs incorporate lots of glitz and sparkle.
She brought her back for the Eras Tour, but in a smaller capacity. Jessica created the pink version 1 dress for the Eras Tour acoustic section.
Ashish
Ashish Gupta is a London based designer originally from India. He completed his fashion studies at Central Saint Martins in 2000 and headed to Paris to find work but his portfolio was stolen. He felt he had no option but to design his first collection because he wasn’t able to get hired. It paid off and he immediately received an order from Mayfair’s "Browns Focus" boutique.
His work blends Eastern and Western influences with sportswear and glamour. The V&A held a retrospective of his work last year. Colour, sequins and slogan tees are his signatures. He has won the British Fashion Council NewGen award 3 times and has created many joyful outfits for a plethora of celebrities.
Ashish deigned the original slogan tee for the “22” music video in 2013 which read “Not a Lot Going on at the Moment”.
Taylor first stepped out on a red carpet wearing Ashish in 2015 when she attended the MTV awards in one of his two piece jogger sets.
She next wore an Ashish rainbow sequin dress and shirt for a Target commercial in 2017. A long sleeved version of this dress appeared in the “End Game” music video in 2018, as well as a plaid coat in the same video. (Check out this rainbow sequin dress in the shop).
She wore a few more of his pieces throughout the Reputation and Lover eras.
He created the outfits for the RED section of the Eras Tour, which includes 6 variants of the original slogan sequin top, a bodysuit and matching floor length sequin coat. She wears the coat while singing the 10 minute version of “All Too Well” and it has become a fan favourite moment and outfit of the tour.
Alberta Ferretti
Alberta Ferretti is an Italian fashion designer who opened her first boutique, called Jolly, in 1968 and designed her first collection in 1973. She co-founded a clothing manufacturing company, Aeffe S.p.A. in 1976. She began designing seasonal collections in 1981, showing at the Milan runways. She also launched a jean line, Ferretti Jeans Philosophy (later renamed Philosophy di Alberta Ferretti).
She was among a group of Italian designers who were invited to a reception for 200 designers and retailers held by Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher at 10 Downing Street, London, in October 1988.
She started Aeffe U.S.A. which produced and distributed European designer clothing in the States from such labels as Moschino and Emanuel Ungaro.
In-store boutiques opened at Bergdorf Goodman in 1998 and her first American free standing store opened in Soho, New York shortly after.
Her designs are well known for their ethereal quality with abundant use of twisting, tucking and draping techniques. Her style of clothing is often layered, feminine and sensual. Her whimsical chiffon dresses are of particular note.
She has been awarded many prestigious awards in her native Italy for the significant role she has played in promoting Italian fashion and business. In September 2021, on the occasion of the 78th Edition of the Venice Film Festival, Ferretti accepted the WiCa Award - Women in Cinema Award - that recognised her impact in the world of fashion.
Taylor Swift has been wearing Alberta Ferretti since at least as far back as 2014 when she wore a Pre-Fall 2013 dress while performing "All Too Well" at the Grammy Awards.
Ferretti designed a number of exquisite gowns for the Eras tour which Taylor wears during the Folklore section of her show. These dramatic dresses mix bohemian and goddess elements to produce the perfect accompaniment for Taylor’s enchanted-forest-vibe songs. The five original Ferretti dresses we saw Taylor wear on alternating nights in 2023 were lilac, green, pale pink, blue and white.
In May 2024, when the Eras tour ramped back up in Europe after the release of her new album, a new era had been added to the show, resulting in the Folklore and Evermore sets to be condensed into one. We were treated to two new Ferretti dresses: a yellow version of the white dress and a red version of the green dress, plus a brown velvet cape! Ferretti also provided the costumes for the dancers.
Ferretti said of the custom dresses: “I think what we have created reflects this journey where the key elements of my style stand out: lightness, femininity, romance, attention to detail and a delicate, gentle seduction."
Versace
Of course, we all know the Versace brand, but here’s a little summary/refresher before we get into their involvement with Taylor.
The Versace family had a tailoring shop in Reggio di Calabria, Italy, where Gianni worked. He moved to Milan in 1972 and became involved in the fashion circles there. He designed for Callaghan, Genny and Complice. His brother Santo joined him in Milan in 1976 and they decided to start a company together. The first Versace collection debuted in 1978 to immediate acclaim. The company logo is inspired by Medusa, the mythological Greek figure. Versace was extremely successful in the 80s but they reached ever grater heights in the 90s.
In 1993, Gianni’s sister Donatella launched the diffusion lines “Young Versace” and “Versus”. By 1994, she was co-designer with Gianni for the company. That year, Liz Hurley wore a black Versace safety pin dress to the Four Weddings and a Funeral premiere, gaining immediate iconic dress status.
The label designed stage costumes for Elton John and Michael Jackson, amongst others. Princess Diana also often wore Versace in the 90s.
The Classic V2 line launched in 1996 and ran until 2004. It was then replaced with Versace Collezioni.
Gianni was murdered in 1997, after which Donatella took over control of the company. The second season of American Crime Story (2018) details events surrounding the murder.
The green jungle Versace dress which Jennifer Lopez wore to the Grammys in 2000 received significant media attention, becoming another iconic dress from the label and inspiring the creation of Google Image Search!
The Michael Kors group bought the company in 2018. Donatella is currently chief creative officer. They have over 1500 boutiques worldwide.
Taylor wore a red Versace dress on the cover of Cosmopolitan magazine in December 2014, and since then, it has been one of her favourite brands in her personal and professional life, as evidenced by the number of times she has been seen wearing it. This includes the 2016 Grammys and 2018 Billboard Awards. During the Lover era in 2019, she wore Versace blazers to the VMAs and Teen Choice Awards.
Taylor wears a number of different Versace blazers over her bodysuit during her performance of "The Man/You Need To calm Down", which calls back to her Versace blazers in 2019 during the original Lover era. Check out two Versace blazers available in the shop here and here.
Reem Acra
Another Lebanese designer on this list, Reem graduated university with a business degree in 1982. She was a member of the fashion club at the university while she was studying and held a fashion show after graduation, which was attended by 2,000 people. She then moved to New York to study fashion at FIT and topped off her training with a stint at a private French fashion school.
Her fashion career started in Hong Kong and Taiwan. By age 25, she was overseeing projects of up to $30 million. She started her own company, a bridal line, in 1997. She had orders from Saks Fifth Avenue and Kleinfeld department stores. Partnering with 89 year old factory owner Max Kane, her line became a huge success and had expanded to evening gowns in 2003 and RTW in 2008. LeAnn Rimes and Marcia Cross got married in Acra gowns.
A limited edition Reem Acra Barbie doll was released in 2007.
In 2018, actress Allison Janney accepted her Academy Award wearing a red Reem Acra dress.
In 2021, she dressed Jill Biden for the inauguration of President Joe Biden.
Taylor first wore Reem Acra in 2009 when accepted the Album of the Year award for Fearless at the Country Music Awards.
Most iconically, the dress Taylor wears on the cover of Speak Now is Reem Acra, from her Spring 2007 collection. It was actually red but they photoshopped it to be purple. She wore a yellow one on the back cover. Check out this gorgeous set in the shop if you want your own Speak Now dress.
When it came to shooting the cover of the re-release of Speak Now in 2023, of course Taylor wore another Reem Acra dress (on the back cover), and this time it was actually purple (from the Spring 2022 collection).
(Check out this 50s prom dress that screams Speak Now!)
In the music video for "Mine", the lead single off Speak Now, she wore an Acra wedding dress.
She also wore a Reem Acra dress on the Speak Now world tour and this dress appeared again in the music video for “I Can See You” in 2023.
She wore Acra to two awards ceremonies in 2011 (one appeared in the “I Can See You” music video- the second Reem Acra dress in this video). She wore a few more dresses in 2013, 14 and 15 to various events and photoshoots. She even wore a Reem Acra dress when she was a bridesmaid at her friend Brittany’s wedding in 2016.
For the Eras Tour, version 7 of the Enchanted dress was designed by Reem- a more voluminous take on the original Speak Now tour dress, with seashell pleating. She also designed version 9- a teal to seafood green ombre gown with long train.
Vivienne Westwood
We have already covered Vivienne on this blog, so please click the link below to read more about her.
Taylor wore a Vivienne Westwood men's frilly 'poet' shirt in the music video for Fortnight, released in April 2024, the lead single off The Tortured Poet's Department. She wears it whlile receiving electro shock therapy.
When the Eras Tour ramped up again in Europe after the Tortured Poet's Department had been released and we had a brand new section or era in the show, we were treated to some custom Westwood looks. The theatrically and British coding in this album meant that Westwood was the perfect brand for the job.
Continuing the monochromatic aesthetic of TTPD, Taylor wears a white gown which calls back to the Schiaparelli gown she wore to the Grammy's when she announced the album and also the gown in the Fortnight music video. Westwood is also known for bridal wear and this album touches on the theme of the "bride that was not to be". It's covered in lyrics from the album in a nod to being a 'mad woman'. "You wouldn't last an hour in the asylum where they raised me" she sings in Who's Afraid of Little Old Me. It's notably absent of her signature sparkle. There are two versions of this dress with alternate lyrics.
She throws on a military style/marching band jacket over the dress while performing "The Smallest Man Who Ever lived". She has a long history with marching band costumes. It calls back to two eras in particular. She wore a marching band costume during her Fearless world tour, which referenced her "You Belong With Me" music video. Then, in 2019, she brought back the marching band imagery for her song "Me!".
Her second TTPD look comprises a two piece hot pant and bra set with tail coat. This time, we have some sparkle. It's reminiscent of her circus-inspired costuming for the Red tour. There are two versions of this- one in black/silver and one in white, in keeping with the eras colours, or lack thereof. It reflects another line from WAOLOM- "I was tame, I was gentle till the circus life made me mean".
And that's it! We hope you had a marvellous time on this tour through all of the designers involved with the Eras Tour wardrobe. As a reward for making it to the end, you can use the code TAYLOR15 on any of the products linked in the post to receive 15% off!
Comment below what your favourite look from the show is 👇
So Long, Eras!