Tour life is far from glamorous.
Long days and gruelling performances aside, there’s also the endless logistics of it all. Taylor Swift’s team reportedly takes two to three weeks to set up her elaborate stages, and don’t get me started on what could happen if she needs to pee mid-performance.
Clothes are no less a part of that planning.
From the complex layers of tights that create her famously shiny legs to the 16 (yep, 16) outfit changes she performs in each show, the star and her team plan every single detail down to the last second.
But how can she transform so quickly? After all, most of her outfit changes take less than two minutes.
She hasn’t officially explained what’s really going on between looks, but fans have caught glimpses of quick changes from the sidelines of the stage.
A fan shared a TikTok of the star falling off the stage while singing Midnight Rain, she landed in the arms of her stage crew and quickly switched ’fits behind a cluster of umbrellas.
@cheriemask 44 songs in 3 hours and Taylor stops for just a few seconds to breathe. Amazing! #taylorswift#taylorswifterastour#taylorswiftoutfitchange#erastour
♬ original sound - Cherie
Meanwhile, another stage-side Swiftie caught the star adjusting her dress while the stage lights were dimmed, using cleverly placed zips and buttons to transform the garment, RuPaul’s Drag Race-reveal-style.
@cheriemask 44 songs in 3 hours and Taylor stops for just a few seconds to breathe. Amazing! #taylorswift#taylorswifterastour#taylorswiftoutfitchange#erastour
♬ original sound - Cherie
The changes are also sometimes done on-stage as a part of the show, as London fans who got to see Travis Kelce’s cameo will know.
Insider acting site Backstage says that quick changes can be achieved through a mixture of tricks, including Velcro, snap clasps and magnets for tear-off or reversible clothes, layers, “connected costumes,” which look like multiple items of clothing but are really just one and props like umbrellas or smoke.
Then, there’s good ol’ fashioned stage hand help and practice. The Tortured Poet’s Department singer may use a combination of many of these methods.
Let’s hope she’s careful with them during those speedy switch-ups, though.
Speaking to NewsWire, costume designer Nigel Shaw, who works on lots of travelling musicals, said: “If each dress was, say, $15,000, then they’re not going to make four versions of it.”
“They would just repair them as they go, or she would stay in a [different] costume if something went wrong,” he added.
