Eras Tour: Taylor Swift's Biggest On-Stage Outfit Mishaps
Less a concert series and more a pop-culture phenomenon, Taylor Swift's 152-date Eras Tour has easily been one of the most influential forces of the 2020s. Kicking off trends, aesthetics, and conversations across the music, beauty, and fashion spaces, the Eras Tour has also raked in more than $1 billion at the time of writing, making it the highest-grossing concert tour in history.
While it's safe to say that the tour has been a huge success by pretty much any measure, from profit and multi-generational impact to launching sentimental accessory trends like nostalgic friendship bracelets, that doesn't mean it's been completely without error. Any artist knows that mishaps come with the territory of touring, and wardrobe malfunctions unfortunately make for a huge part of on-stage problems. The show's wardrobe itself is phenomenal, perfectly paying homage to Swift's stunning style transformation with costumes that range from sprawling ball gowns to edgy bodysuits. But even 'fits designed by the best in the business can suffer from a torn garter here and a hooked sequin there. The Eras Tour may have had its share of fashion mishaps, but Swift has handled each malfunction like a pro.
The dress Taylor Swift literally pulled off on stage
Among the most famous of Taylor Swift's Eras Tour outfit malfunctions is the wrap-dress incident. It occurred on the third night of her Stockholm, Sweden, dates, on May 19, 2024. After noticing something was wrong, Swift calmly told the audience to "talk amongst yourselves" and then hurried over to the piano to address the situation. She undid her two-tone wrap dress, revealing a gilded bra that fans will know from the "Tortured Poets Department" part of the show. She fiddled with her stomach area for a bit before a crew member arrived to help her. He was able to fix the problem swiftly before the megastar wrapped up her dress again and got on with singing "How Did It End."
@eroluc And then she sang How Did It End #stockholmn3 #taylorswift #erastour
The incident made international headlines, possibly because Tay-Tay handled it superbly but most likely because anything she does is considered newsworthy. Fans have since worked out that this was actually due to an issue with her microphone pack rather than with the wrap dress or what she was wearing beneath it. In a YouTube video of the incident that's since been deleted, Swift told the audience, "My in-ears ... just give me a sec," before taking off her dress (via Parade). Though it started out as a tech issue, the on-stage disrobing definitely qualifies as a memorable outfit mishap.
The Lavender Haze snapped garter
While her Eras Tour makeup never budges, Taylor Swift's accessories sometimes don't hold up as well. On the first night of her dates in Tampa, Florida (April 13, 2023), Swift ran into an irritating issue with the garter on her left leg during the "Midnights" segment of the show. TikTok video footage shows that the garter seemed to rip while Swift was singing her hit "Lavender Haze," but she didn't do anything about it until her next number, "Anti-Hero." Once the first song was finished, she determinedly marched over to her backup singers (to the beat, may we add), and asked, "Can you help me?" between lines. Two backup singers ended up fixing the undone garter while Swift continued singing.
@gaygarbage7 tampa night 1, her garder broke and she handled it so well! #taylorswift #erastour #tstheerastour #erastourtampa #tstheerastourtampa #theerastourtampa #clothingmalfunction #garder #fyp
In what seems like divine timing, Swift happened to sing the lines, "I should not be left to my own devices. They come with prices and vices. I end up in crisis." She held up her free hand and quickly nodded her head after singing the lines as if to say, "I have ended up in a crisis!"
When Taylor Swift doubled for Marie Antoinette
Those who prefer the more whimsical and romantic pieces in the Eras Tour wardrobe will, of course, be familiar with the Nicole + Felicia ball gown. The layered, lilac masterpiece of glittery tulle is one of the most popular costumes of the show, reserved for Swift's more magical songs in the "Speak Now" segment. While the dress is naturally flouncy and dramatic, one TikTok video showed it taking on an overly exaggerated shape during one of the tour dates in Inglewood, California, in August 2023.
@povtaylorswift Taylor Swift performing professionally despite of the chaos 👑✨ #swifttok #swiftie #fyp #viral #music #entertainment #trending
Naturally, the change to the dress sent Swifties into a spin, wondering what exactly caused the gown to seemingly inflate, and if the "Enchanted" singer was actually trying to drop another hint with her outfit. "Can't wait for Taylor to reveal she's been a centaur this whole time," one fan quipped on a TikTok video discussing the enhanced dress. "Maybe since she has to change so fast for her concerts, maybe her other dresses are under there," posed another TikTok user. There's been no confirmation as to what exactly happened here, but some fans have speculated that the dress was purposely poofed up since they were filming the Eras Tour movie, "Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour Concert Film," but the trick worked a little too well and ended up sticking out like a sore thumb. All we can confirm is that this Rococo silhouette is hard to pull off, yet Taylor Swift did so in true Marie Antoinette fashion.
The case of the missing sleeve
Sometimes, wardrobe malfunctions come down to the outfits themselves breaking or tearing. Other times, the costumes are in perfect shape, but the artist just can't work it out. As much as we love Taylor Swift, she does seem to make mistakes with the sleeves on certain Eras Tour dresses. This was particularly obvious on the second night of her Nashville stint on May 6, 2023, when she spoke to the audience prior to playing "Out of the Woods" — one of the surprise songs of her acoustic set. The flowing fern-green gown featured a beautifully styled cold-shoulder look, which Swift admitted to struggling with when dressing herself. "... I put this on wrong," she confessed into the microphone, trying to fix the sleeve that was tucked under her arm. Unfortunately, she wasn't able to slip her arm into the sleeve, so instead she told her fans, "Just pretend you didn't see that."
@itsthepickleforme Her reaction to the wardrobe malfunction was so cute #nashville #taylorswift #taylorswiftnashville #nashvillenight2 #nashvilleerastour #outofthewoods #erasnashvillenighttwo @Taylor Swift @Taylor Nation
This seems to be a recurring incident, with the star putting it down to the quick-change pressure. "The quick change is in the dark," she can be heard saying in another TikTok video, after telling fans not to look at her arm hanging out of the sleeve of a similar cold-shoulder maroon dress. "I get it right like 70% of the time."
Taylor Swift discovered that fur and beading don't mix
The combination of textured outfits and dancing in the dark can be lethal when it comes to pieces getting caught. That's exactly what happened to Taylor Swift during a performance in East Rutherford, New Jersey, in May 2023. While singing "Lavender Haze" (and appropriately clad in the same lavender sequin dress she wore during the broken-garter incident), the sleeve of her shaggy fur coat became stuck to her dress. It didn't take Swift long to realize what had happened, as the malfunction stopped her from moving freely, and she worked it out in seconds by yanking her sleeve and then unclipping the hooked beading. The TikTok video depicting the incident was rightly captioned, "Queen didn't miss a beat."
@bigangenergy Taylor unbothered by wardrobe malfunction 💅🏻💜 #taylorswift #likeaboss #taylorswiftedit #taylorswifterastour #erastour #lavenderhaze #fyp #metlifestadium
Swift was so flawless in keeping up with her singing that some users in the comment section of the TikTok video accused her of lip synching. "Yeah because its prerecorded," one wrote. However, Swifties were quick to come to her defense, explaining that Swift normally "does a lot of note changes" in the song. Ultimately, fur everything may be the go-to glam look in 2024, but when wearing it with beading, you need to take extra care to avoid getting caught!