Time and time again, spring rolls around, and concert season starts. Festivals garner thousands in attendance, and everyone’s favorite artists begin touring for their new albums. This time of the year is one of my favorites, especially for the fashion. Typically, in years past, Coachella was where celebrities and influencers alike would show off their crocheted tops and sparkly make-up, but now the desire to dress up in clothing other than a classic band tee is trickling into concerts as well.
This new take on concert fashion has been seen especially with Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour. The Eras Tour is in full swing, with many Swifties dressing in creative outfits aligning with each of Taylor’s albums. The other night, after a day shopping for my own Eras Tour outfit, I was talking to my dad on the phone, trying to explain the phenomenon to him. The best way I could put it was that everyone was dressing for the concert like it was the Met Gala. That got me thinking, are concerts going to be the new Met Gala for all of us non-celebrities?
The Met Gala has been around since 1948, showcasing brilliant designers ’ best looks on the it-crowd of the time. The fundraiser can collect millions of dollars in donations each year for the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute. If you’re like me, you can probably find yourself on the first Monday of May sitting on your couch, glued to the TV (and probably judging what everyone is wearing while you’re in your pajama pants). But, while I admire the outfits through the screen of the television, there’s a feeling that getting to dress up this glamorously is slightly unobtainable. Allegedly in 2022, the tickets for attending the gala were around $30,000 per person if you weren’t personally invited. Because of this, it can feel like the red carpet and the glitz and glam of fashion are millions of miles away. For myself and many others, finding an opportunity to dress up extravagantly in sequins, feathers and satin is something reserved only for the people we see on TV.
Something that I wait for around this time of year is when the Met Gala announces their theme. Every year, the Met Gala has a different theme, allowing guests to dress themselves or have designers curate outfits to express that theme. One of my favorite Met Gala themes was Heavenly Bodies in 2018. Celebrities adorned themselves in jewels, velvet and even crowns to express their interpretations of what Heavenly Bodies meant. From my perspective, this theme was one of the most memorable and stands out in my eyes when I think of the Met Gala.
Here’s where Taylor’s tour comes in. Like the Met Gala, the Eras Tour has its own theme. The Eras Tour showcases Taylor’s entire discography, which implores fans to dress as their favorite Era. The Swifties have proven themselves incredibly creative by matching outfits with various song lyrics, album aesthetics and even Taylor’s own memorable outfits. I know for my concert date, I’ve been finding inspiration from so many creative and fashionable people online who have been sharing their own interpretations of the Eras’ theme.
The argument can definitely be made that Gen Z is creating its own Met Gala by treating live music as a way to express themselves through fashion. Taylor Swift’s Eras tour and the creative, glamorous and exciting outfits everyone wears are evidence of this phenomenon. Fans of Taylor Swift have taken the idea of having a theme and run with it, allowing their imaginations to create memorable outfits that make the experience of going to the concert so special. Other artists might follow suit in Taylor’s direction by theming their own tours around an idea that audience members can participate in.
Hopefully, this trend of dressing and expressing oneself for live music will continue into everyday life. Fashion is about expression, and I believe that it is time everyone got to feel as fabulous as the people they see on TV and in magazines. In my eyes, we should treat the world like our own Met Gala.
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