The Eras Tour | Fearless | v4
Fearless Section, version 4
Worn On: 5/11/24 // Paris, France
the commentary
I’ve always felt the power of fashion is its ability to demarcate time.
In Taylor’s world, she’s used it as a visual tool to anchor that version of herself at a specific moment in her life. So when I first saw grainy images of this fringey dress, that sparkly guitar, plus black boots I felt immediately transported to 2009 and the Fearless Tour. Then, Taylor wore a strikingly similar fringed dress by Mandalay and accessorized it with a pair of knee high black boots by Everybody. Those boots were a new-to-her signature that was the successor for the cowboy boots she used to wear for Debut-era performances.
To me one of the key functions of the Eras Tour, especially in the form of its costuming, has been toeing the line between referencing eras of the past while also giving them a slightly refreshed, modern facelift. The first three Fearless dress iterations on the Eras Tour all felt recognizably ‘Taylor’, just newer. I loved the lighter metallic, but still Western-shaped, boot that was a modernized nod to the sundress and cowboy boots of her youth.
But this! Hand to heart, full swoon eyes in effect feels more copy + paste than reference + refresh. The only difference is the absence of ringlets and perhaps a few more heartbreaks on her sleeves.
To me, it’s really giving that we were both young when I first saw you. The transportive magic of fashion (and the Eras Tour).
the clothes
Feature Photo by Kevin Mazur/TAS24 via Getty Images