Like thousands of Swifties around the U.S., I woke up before the sun rose on Nov. 29 to drive to my nearest Target. Not to shop for Black Friday fashion deals, but to get my hands on Taylor Swift's new book.
This piece of pop literature was worth waiting in line, in the dark, in the early hours of a shopping holiday.The Official Eras Tour book promised fans a never-before-seen glimpse into our favorite songwriter's 152 performances over the last year and a half—what Swift describes in the introduction as her "longest, most ambitious show I'd ever even attempted." Alongside photos of the 80,000-strong crowds from Swift's vantage point onstage and reflections on each album, the singer makes several notes about the dozens of Eras Tour outfits that appear throughout the set list. These revelations are more personal than learning how her custom Louboutins keep her grounded onstage or how her Alberta Ferretti gowns capture Folklore's dreamy soundscape—they're about the way the pieces make her feel, and the references she specifically had in mind while dreaming them up with her stylist, Joseph Cassell Falconer, and each costume's designers.
Swift being Swift, there are also a few winks to what comes next. But while some fans are fixating on her promise in the introduction to "see you next era"—a clear hint at new music—I'm still hung up on the revelations about the outfits bringing her past selves back to life. Ahead, I'm breaking down the biggest style takeaways from Taylor Swift's new book, including details on her custom pre-show accessory and the vision for her Reputation era. You can shop the book exclusively at Target on Nov. 30 after reading the sneak peek ahead.
Taylor Swift's 'Lover' Versace bodysuit was a serious mood-booster.
Swift writes in the first segment, dedicated to her Lover album, that she always knew her seventh studio album would open the show. And, she knew "Cruel Summer" had to be the first full track, "to blast us into the energy of this show."
The outfit to meet this high-stakes moment, fans know, is a sparkling Versace bodysuit that comes in four variations with custom ombré Christian Louboutin boots to match. The high-shine set gave crowds a glowing first impression; they also made Swift feel better every time she put it on before hitting her marks. "Something about the combination of that song and that Versace glittery bodysuit I get to wear can pull me out of any funk, fix any headache, heal sore muscles," she writes.
Taylor Swift wanted her outfits to look familiar—even if the 'Eras Tour' felt completely unlike her other tours.
Taylor Swift opens her new book by reflecting on the Eras Tour's earliest development stages. She specifically notes how, normally, she would have pursued a Midnights-themed tour, in honor of her most recently released album at the time. But Swift wanted to do something different—something that would pay homage to the four new albums she released over a six year-touring hiatus, as well as the Taylor's Version rerecords that allowed her to revisit her earlier selves.
She decided that she wanted to give each album "its own chapter and its own world." This, of course, would include outfit changes that referenced how she dressed when each one was released. "I told [my team] I want to fully commit to each era, musically, stylistically, and aesthetically," Swift says. "They should feel like time capsules."
Looking back, it's clear how Swift's fringe dresses for Fearless and two-piece sets for 1989 picked up on the biggest themes in her wardrobe during those album cycles. What fans couldn't know was how singing those songs and wearing those looks made Swift feel on the inside: "Reclaiming my past made me fall back in love with it," she writes.
Taylor Swift gets ready for each performance in a custom 'Eras' robe.
Pages 252 and 253 are eye-candy for Taylor Swift fans who also love a getting-ready montage. A section sub-titled "Dressed Like a Daydream" shows off fifteen Technicolor photos of Swift's costumes and accessories hanging on their racks and settled in their storage boxes backstage, ready for the night's quick-changes. Well, make that fourteen: The one exception is a close-up shot of the robe Swift wears before she emerges in her full look. It's a white, belted design with "ERAS" bejeweled onto the back in big, crystal letters. Nothing has ever looked more pop-star appropriate.
Taylor Swift's 'Red' outfit is the only direct copy from a music video.
Most of the outfits displayed in high-definition throughout Taylor Swift's new book are interpretations of her musical eras, not copies of the outfits she originally wore. But Swift confirmed an exception fans may have noticed.
"With help from the designer Ashish, we recreated the exact original look from one of my outfits from the '22' music video," Swift says. "I'd skip out in a black hat and oversized sequin T-shirt, shorts, and Oxford shoes. Just like when I was actually 22."
Her black hat became a symbol of a fan-favorite moment during the show. Swift chose one audience member to take home her "22" hat, signed and delivered to them at the end of the stage. Many of those fans were some of the youngest Swifties in attendance. "Those hugs and moments of such joy warmed my heart every night," she says.
Taylor Swift's vision for the 'Reputation' era started with her shoes.
When Taylor Swift was plotting the Reputation segment of the Eras Tour, she was thinking about how her outfit would sound before she and her team considered how it would look.
"The Reputation era included my favorite entrance of the night," Swift writes on page 62. "I always imagined the sound of mysterious footsteps timing up perfectly with the ominous synth beats of "...Ready for It?" Her vision materialized in the form of Roberto Cavalli combat boots with thick, lug soles. And, a strut down the center of the stage that made it impossible to miss when she debuted a new Reputation outfit at the Eras Tour's stop in Miami this October.
Taylor Swift *does* have a "favorite moment" of each performance.
Across 517 hours of performing (according to the book's tally), one song stands out to Taylor Swift as her "favorite moment of the night": Getting on her "Vigilante Shit" during the Midnights era.
"It's just the most fun I've ever had, that one," Swift writes. "The chair choreography! The catty, vengeful, mischievous personas we get to try on and play with." Unmentioned directly, but equally important to the vigilante mode, are her custom Midnights bodysuits. Swift matches her "cat eye sharp enough to kill a man" with navy blue beaded confections by Zuhair Murad, Naeem Khan, and Oscar de la Renta that she pairs with a beaded garter. While each one has slightly different details, they're the sexiest costumes in her repertoire—signs of a woman in her most confident era.
