Taylor Swift's Biggest Wardrobe Malfunctions Yet
Wardrobe malfunctions can happen to anyone, but if a regular ol' person loses a shirt button while they are out running errands, it probably won't make headlines. But when a wardrobe malfunction befalls a mega famous celebrity like Taylor Swift, on the other hand, it is bound to generate some attention. No matter how meticulous she may be, the "Shake It Off" superstar simply cannot shake off outfit-related drama.
Over the years, Swift has grappled with wardrobe malfunctions at award shows and concerts alike. The Eras Tour alone has seen its fair share of costume mishaps, but that shouldn't come as too big of a surprise. Given the sheer number of costumes and tour dates, the odds are stacked against her. Each night, she changes her outfit about 16 times; there's a lot of room for error, wear, and tear.
But if there's one thing Swift is going to do, it's roll with the punches and not let the imperfect moments drag her down. As she told New York University grads at the 2022 commencement ceremony, "I know the pressure of living your life through the lens of perfectionism. ... As long as we are fortunate enough to be breathing, we will breathe through, breathe deep and breathe out." Taylor Swift's wardrobe malfunctions serve to remind us that the larger-than-life pop star is indeed a living, breathing human being. To err is human, after all.
Taylor Swift's mic pack conundrum in Stockholm
Every time Taylor Swift changes into a new Eras Tour outfit, her mic pack has to be adjusted accordingly. Usually, this goes off without a hitch. However, during one of her Stockholm shows, her mic pack created a little wardrobe drama.
Before she began playing "How Did It End?" at the May 19, 2024, show, Swift realized that a cord on her mic pack had come undone. Evidently, it got snagged on her guitar strap. She told the audience to "Talk amongst yourselves" as she sat at the piano to try to correct the issue. When she realized she could not reach the mic pack under the blue wrap dress she was wearing, she unfastened the dress to try to better access the hardware, allowing fans a glimpse of the sparkly gold top and black shorts she had on underneath. The tech team came to Swift's aid, and the malfunction was amended quickly, allowing her to continue with the show.
Fans were none too troubled by the very brief delay. Swift further charmed the lucky attendees of that performance with extra songs from her album "Tortured Poets Department," which was released exactly a month prior.
The Louboutin heel couldn't break Taylor Swift in Brazil
The Eras Tour, which officially kicked off in March 2023 and is set to end in December 2024, became the highest-grossing tour of all time after only a few months. Needless to say, Taylor Swift can afford a pair or two of Louboutins. And if she happens to break a heel of a Louboutin in the middle of a show? She won't sweat it.
According to Vogue World, Louboutin crafted over 250 pairs of shoes for the North American, European, and South American legs of The Eras Tour. And The Eras Tour heels aren't just any pair of Louboutins you can go out and buy. As noted on the Louboutin website, "the Maison produced a range of both custom and existing silhouettes in a variety of shapes and heel heights, featuring one by one hand-applied intricate crystal embroideries and colorways."
While performing in Rio de Janeiro on November 20, 2023, a pair of those stunning, hand-decorated boots met its end on stage. At one point during the "Lover" section of the setlist, Swift crouched down to unceremoniously rip the heel and iconic red sole off of her knee-high, crystal-encrusted boot. Then, just as quickly as she had removed it, she tossed the heel and sole to a lucky fan in the crowd. She continued to perform in the broken boot, never losing her balance; many fans noted on social media that her perfectly arched foot reminded them of a Barbie doll's foot.
She needed help with a snapped garter in Tampa
When Taylor Swift needs a hand in the middle of a concert, she can count on her backup singers to help out. While performing "Lavender Haze" in Tampa on April 13, 2024, Swift noticed her custom bedazzled garter snap. The accessory was made to match her intricately beaded body suit designed by Zuhair Murad, and it could be seen beneath the lavender sequin Oscar de la Renta T-shirt dress she was wearing for "Lavender Haze." She powered through the rest of the song with the broken garter, but when it was time to do "Anti-Hero," she needed a hero.
As Swift sang the first verse of the first single off of "Midnights," she strutted on over to where the background singers were stationed and showed them her leg. She kept on singing as she motioned to them for help with the broken garter, which had gotten snagged on her tights. As two of the background singers assisted her with removing the garter, Swift crooned, "I should not be left to my own devices / They come with prices and vice / I end up in crisis (tale as old as time)." Talk about a perfect lyric for a perfect moment.
Once the garter was officially dislodged, Swift continued to perform without missing a step. Tale as old as time.
The 2021 Grammys underarm rip
The intense physical rigor and regular outfit changes that go into Taylor Swift's concert performances increase the likelihood of wardrobe issues and garment failures on stage. However, not even Swift's more gently used outfits, which are not intended for performing, are completely safe from the occasional tear.
At the 2021 Grammys, Swift made history by winning album of the year for "Folklore." She also sported a whimsical Oscar de la Renta dress. According to Vogue World, the dress made its first appearance in Oscar de la Renta's Fall 2021 lookbook, and the designers at the fashion house, Laura Kim and Fernando Garcia, crafted a custom matching face mask so that Swift could comply with COVID-19 guidelines in perfect style. The dress consisted of hundreds of hand-stitched floral appliques artfully arranged on a delegate base of beige gossamer, a thin and primarily sheer fabric that allowed the focus to remain on the brightly colored garden. The drawbacks of such delicate fabric are its fragility and lack of stretch, which Swift learned a bit too well that evening during the event.
Alas, at one point in the evening, Swift tore the seam at the gusset under her arm, most likely from over-extending the thin fabric. The tear extended from her underarm about four inches down to her ribcage but was hardly noticeable throughout the evening due to the admirable grace with which she handled the situation. Viewers likely didn't notice the tear even when she went on stage to accept her award.
The mega-slit at the 2018 Billboard Music Awards
Years before she tore an Oscar de la Renta gown at the Grammys, Taylor Swift endured another sartorial mishap at a different award show. The singer certainly turned heads when she hit the red carpet at the 2018 Billboard Music Awards. Not only was it her big award show return, but she showed up in a beyond stunning Versace gown with an exceptionally high thigh slit. The floor-length, muted pink gown was complete with masterfully crafted beaded embellishments and pink feathers along the left side of the bodice, right sleeve, and along the top of the thigh slit on the right side up to the bust. The elegant silhouette framed Swift's willowy frame effortlessly, and the well-selected outfit landed her on The List's own roundup of best dressed stars at the 2018 Billboard Music Awards.
However, despite the high praise she received, the dress didn't come without its complications. While walking up the steps to the small stage to take press photos with her awards, the extreme thigh split of the dress proved a bit problematic. Being that there was hardly any slack in the dress' fabric around the split when she stepped up the small set of stairs to get to the photo area, the gap created by the shift in the split revealed more than anyone had intended. Thankfully, the malfunction only lasted a second, and Swift wore appropriate garments to ensure that nothing too obscene was exposed.
Taylor Swift and the wind machine in St. Louis
In 2011, Taylor Swift had some fan drama in the middle of a concert — and no, we are not talking about Swifties. While performing "You Belong With Me" in St. Louis during The Speak Now World Tour, Swift happened to walk in front of a wind machine that was on stage. Her fit and flare dress, which featured a mid-thigh length circle skirt, was no match for the power of the stage fan. When updraft created by the machine caused the entire skirt to fly up, she quickly backed away from the fan and straightened her dress out. The moment, which lasted all of a few seconds, resembled the iconic photo of Marilyn Monroe holding down the skirt of her white dress from "The Seven Year Itch." Of course, Swift's version of the event was considerably less intentional than her predecessor's.
While this moment wasn't intentional, Swift wasn't totally unprepared for such a mishap. Like many other pop stars, she wears undergarments such as tights, bloomers, slips, and other inner layers in colors similar to her skin tone to prevent excessive exposure while on stage without distracting from the costumes. These practical and protective garments can also help performers feel more comfortable and covered in situations when they might be required to make quick-changes in semi-public spaces. Thanks to Swift's layers of stage-appropriate undergarments, nothing too scandalous was revealed, and she brushed off the incident without issue.
Her skirt got snagged in Santa Clara
Taylor Swift and her long skirts have a complicated history with stairs on stage. While performing "The Last Great American Dynasty" during one of the Santa Clara dates of The Eras Tour, her gorgeous, floor-length gown got snagged firmly on one of the steps during her descent. Luckily, the snag didn't pose too much of an issue as she remained stationary about five steps below where the dress had caught; there was plenty of extra fabric in the skirt, and she didn't trip or fall on the stairs. In fact, in one of the TikToks posted by a fan, it appeared as though Swift didn't even realize that her skirt was caught for about 30 seconds after it happened. As with other malfunctions, Swift handled the situation without too much fanfare: It only took one firm tug on the fabric for it to come loose.
The ethereal, neutral-toned gown was one of three similar garments designed by Alberta Ferretti for Swift's "Folklore" set. It features yards of billowy fabric, floor-length sleeves, a Grecian silhouette, and delicate lace detailing interspersed with subtle sequins along the center front and hem of the dress for added character. This particular version of the gown made its inaugural appearance in Las Vegas for her concert on March 24, 2023.
She failed to put on both sleeves in Nashville
During her Eras Tour performance in Nashville, Taylor Swift took to the stage for her acoustic set wearing a pleated green v-neck dress with straps off the shoulder sleeves. However, as she began to perform, it became clear one of those sleeves wasn't hanging quite right.
Eventually, Swift noticed that she had forgotten to put her arm through one of her sleeves when she was quickly changing into the dress. She began fiddling with the flouncy sleeve that didn't make it over her left arm. She offered the crowd a resigned yet good-humored sigh and said, "Just ... Just pretend you didn't see that, and it's fine." The fans laughed and cheered at the harmless gaffe. Swift looked out at the audience with a smile and added, "Um, so we're changing clothes in the dark, you know. You're not going to get it right every time." Since the fabric didn't have enough stretch to feed her arm through the sleeve hole without taking the garment off entirely, she continued to perform with it in its underarm position.
As previously noted, Swift undergoes multiple style transformations throughout The Eras Tour, and clearly, those quick-changes aren't always going to go according to plan. But it's all water under the bridge (or arm under the sleeve?) as far as the "Out Of The Woods" singer is concerned. Leave it to Swift to take a mildly messy moment and make it shimmer.
The Folklore/Evermore cloak that wouldn't quit
To capture the mystical, earthy, and classically fairytale-like qualities of "Folklore" and "Evermore," Taylor Swift and her backup performers wore luxurious, long, velvet cloaks that are swished around as part of the choreography of the "Folklore" section of The Eras Tour. Though she wore a few variations of the cloak for different performances, one of the most notable designs was a deep chocolate brown version with gold embroidery down the front, which was designed by Alberta Ferretti and made its first appearance in June of 2023 when Swift was performing in Scotland.
Despite the simple elegance of the garment, Swift dealt with a few wardrobe gaffes while whipping and twirling the cloaks around during different performances. At one point during her first of two concerts in Lisbon on May 24, 2024, the clasp at her neck of the garment designed by Ferretti came undone while she sang and performed sudden and jerky dance moves. During a break in the lyrics, Swift took a moment to turn from the crowd and fasten the cloak again so it wouldn't fall off during later choreography.
Another cloak incident that was captured in a TikTok posted by a fan occurred during a performance in Philadelphia earlier in May of 2024. Swift and her fellow performers were forest green versions of the garment, sweeping and swooshing them around so much that Swift actually got her head caught in hers for a moment.
The Love Story dress that wouldn't budge in Fresno
In 2010, four years into what would ultimately grow into a legendary career featuring hundreds of iconic outfits, Taylor Swift had one of her earliest major wardrobe malfunctions. While performing her hit single "Love Story" in Fresno, California, the pop star's striking red 1700s-style ball gown — complete with frilly, three-quarter sleeves and a gold and cream patterned stomacher — caused a little grief. The dress itself was as romantic and whimsical as the song, but whimsy and voluminous skirts (along with their accompanying petticoats) come with some risks.
Swift began the song on a raised portion of the stage, cleverly decorated as the top of a tower, and as the song progressed, she made her way down from the raised portion of the stage to a lower section via a small set of stairs. It was during this descent that an intense battle between Swift, her gown, and the stage broke out. As she continued to sing, the netted petticoat that had served to give volume to the immense skirt of the gown had gotten tightly snagged on part of the stage. Her voice faltered a bit, presumably from what appeared to be stress due to her predicament. It took a few fierce tugs to break away. Her efforts resulted in a largely torn petticoat, which trailed behind her for the remainder of the song. It's a flub story, baby, just say "dress."