The Harry Styles-ification of The Eras Tour
Think back to the last concert you attended. What did you wear? Did you throw on your favorite going-out outfit, or did you spend several hours and hundreds of dollars emulating your favorite looks the artist has worn?
I’ve been a live music fanatic since my first concert when I was eight years old (shoutout to the Jonas Brothers). I’ve seen plenty of fans recreate outfits from music videos or award shows, but that particular concept wasn’t very common.. It wasn’t until Harry Styles’ “Love on Tour” that it became the norm to create a copycat look of the artists to go watch them perform.
Image Courtesy: Insider
I understand why fans latched onto the Harry Styles aesthetic so tightly; who doesn’t love an excuse to wear a feather boa? It’s quite a feat to pull off as many colors and patterns as Styles does in a single outfit, but the ‘Watermelon Sugar’ singer always manages to pull it off.
I thought that the Harry Styles concert aesthetic was reserved specifically for a Harry Styles concert, but I was proven wrong at the Eras Tour. It seems as if everyone forgot that a concert outfit used to just be a cute outfit; instead, I got to see an elaborate recreation of almost every outfit Taylor Swift has ever worn, like ever. I was convinced Swift herself was in front of me in the bathroom line or sitting next to me watching the openers.
Never in my life did I feel so out of place, yet impressed at the same time. I was wearing a miniskirt and a going-out top in a sea of bedazzled cowboy boots, heart-shaped sunglasses and every snake-themed article of clothing you can possibly think of.
Some quick thinkers were even wearing replicas of outfits Taylor Swift wore that very night. As I said, dressing like the artists you are going to see isn’t a new concept, but Swifties are taking it to a whole new level.
Even though I’m calling it the Harry Styles-ification of concert fashion, The Eras Tour had something I’ve never seen before and will probably never see again-- the rampant mixing and clashing of aesthetics.
Taylor Swift has had more eras than Madonna, each so distinguishable from the last that she could’ve passed herself off as a new artist. Swift’s country to rock to pop to indie and then back to pop arc was prevalent in her sound, but even more so in her outfits.
Image Courtesy: Pinterest
Girls dressed in classic debut-era Taylor outfits with cowboy boots and frilly white dresses sat next to girls in fishnets and thigh-high platform boots with a signature Reputation burgundy lip. To top it all off, sparkly bodysuits and dresses in every shade of pink came in by the boatload. Never before had I seen such a variety of aesthetics come together, all united over their love for Taylor Swift.
It makes sense for something like The Eras Tour to make people want to represent their favorite version of their favorite artist, but I wonder if that style will stand the test of time. Will attendees of Swift’s next tour still be holding onto their red lipstick for dear life? Furthermore, if Harry Styles switched to a more toned-down aesthetic, will his fans follow suit or stick with the feathers and sparkles simply because it’s fun?
I don’t know what the future of the “concert outfit” looks like, but I look forward to seeing it, even though I’ll be sticking to my Taylor Swift-esque little black dress.
Strike Out,
Orlando
Writer: Morgan Ryan
Morgan Ryan is a content writer for Strike Magazine Orlando. Like her idol, Kat Stratford in 10 Things I Hate About You, she too enjoys Thai food, feminist prose and music of the indie-rock persuasion. You can reach her at m.s.ryan1332@gmail.com or @morgryyan on Instagram.
