Fan’s bold act ahead of Eras Tour
From bejewelled body suits to handcrafted tinsel jackets and matching skirts, diehard Taylor Swift fans aren’t cutting any corners when it comes to crafting the perfect concert night outfit.
As Swifties countdown for the arrival of the international superstar ahead of the Australian leg of her infamous Eras Tour, many fans are adding the final touches to their elaborate costumes.
Thousands of fans are expected to descend on Melbourne’s MCG and Sydney’s Accor Stadium in what will be a sea of sequins and colour when Swift’s tour begins on February 16.
Melbourne woman Livvi Campbell, 32, has spent more than a year painstakingly hand sewing thousands of strands of iridescent tinsel onto up cycled T-shirts to create the perfect Eras Tour look for herself and her best-friend ahead of the show.
From the jewel tones featured in the infamous hit single “Bejewelled” to the iconic shades of blue portrayed in the “Our Song” music video, the dedicated Swift fan has crafted six different outfits, all reflecting a different era of Tay Tay’s music.
The longtime Swiftie initially missed out on tickets to the show and decided to fly to Tamworth to watch the Taylor Swift Concert Film, where she wore the first of her handcrafted jackets alongside her best friend.
Ms Campbell said the design of the costume itself was like fate when the pair realised Swift’s back-up dancers were wearing near identical jackets at previous international shows.
“We actually were wearing them in the cinema and dancing away … and her whole backup dancers right at the end were wearing jackets almost identical and it was just incredible synchronicity,” she said.
From that moment on, Ms Campbell has continued to meticulously hand sew her jackets as she embraces the excitement and fanfare that comes along with the artist she has adored since she was 17 years old.
“I potter away with them in the evening while I’m watching crappy TV, doing them bit by bit but to make all of them it would have taken well over a year,” she said.
“I’ve definitely leaned into the momentum of how over the top it’s sort of become. It is fun to get swept up in it.”
Sydney local and fellow Swiftie, Peyton Wilson, has spent the weeks leading up to the Eras Tour “making people’s dream costumes come to life”, crafting up to 15 elaborate looks for concertgoers and diehard fans.
“Some of them I make from scratch, so I draft my own patterns,” she said.
“Others, I thrift outfits. I get them from Depop or local op shops and turn them into something else”.
Ms Wilson said some of her outfits are instantly recognisable, from the dazzling gold dress Taylor wears onstage to the whimsical green gown portrayed in the Folklore album or the elaborately beaded and bejewelled Midnight body suit.
Ms Wilson said the trend is about so much more than just wearing an outfit.
“We’re basically just like a massive community and it’s all about making friends and meeting people and representing who you are … and which area you kind of bond with … or what you grew up with,” she said.
Swift will perform three nights of concerts in Melbourne from February 16, before she heads to Sydney from February 23-26.
