London – Designing Taylor Swift’s costumes for „The Eras” tour was not a one-off project, but a full, multi-layered production. Just ask Fausto Puglisi, creative director of Roberto Cavalli, who designed 20 different looks for „The Eras” tour, which kicked off last year and began its European tour in May.
The Sicilian designer created dresses that ranged from a hand-embroidered one-legged catsuit with snake motifs to a fringed gold dress and two embroidered skirts with a matching bralette in green and red Swarovski crystals.
Swift added her personal touch by emphasizing blocks of color to the pieces. „I love it because it immediately reminds me of Miami Beach,” said Puglisi, who enjoyed the challenge of dressing Swift for such a high-profile moment.
Taylor Swift performs in Edinburgh, Scotland wearing Roberto Cavalli.
Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images f
„The queen deserves a collection. She’s a queen these days — look at the way she gets people excited. I’ve always had this connection with artists. It started with Madonna, and I admire them. They [Madonna and Swift] Artists with a capital A,” Puglisi said in an interview.
„I’ve always developed a passion for musicians, it’s woven into my DNA,” he said.
Swift has already worn Puglisi’s two-piece pleated skirt and bralette with matching ankle boots in yellow, orange and pink. Two more versions of the decoration are made in turquoise and purple and purple and green colors.
Swift and Puglisi go a long way. In 2014, the singer wore one of Puglisi’s designs from the now-defunct eponymous label. In 2017 she wore another look for her „Look What You Made Me Do” music video.
Roberto Cavalli to Taylor Swift.
Courtesy of Roberto Cavalli
For the tour, Puglisi worked with Swift’s stylist Joseph Cassel Falconer to create the singer’s on-stage and off-stage looks.
The designer said the embroidered pieces worn by Swift on the „1989” leg of „The Eras” tour were her favorites and made her feel „much younger than me.”
“When we were talking about designing for that part of the tour, I knew Taylor was wearing these flattering A-line skirts that were very American, fresh, young and cool, but I wanted to create something different. I wanted to add some fashion with a capital F,” he said.
Puglisi amped up the beads, sequins, and colors for Swift’s scale tour. He didn’t hold back, or try to fit in with the current trend for quiet luxury.
Puglisi, a lover of pop culture and music, said it would be disappointing if his peers who share the same interests decide to ignore it on the runway.
Roberto Cavalli for Taylor Swift.
Courtesy of Roberto Cavalli
“They present one type of woman during the catwalk [shows], and then design celebrities with a concept that has nothing to do with the woman they show on the catwalk. I believe this is unfair, but there are [still] A few designers” are connecting their runway designs with their catwalks, he said.
Puglisi is certainly stable. He takes the same maximalist approach to Swift as he does to any of his clients.
At Roberto Cavalli, Puglisi isn’t shy about infusing color, print or embroidery into his collection. Everything he creates goes back to his love of pop culture.
He attests that the world no longer needs clothes, but rather feel-good fashion, and compares the act of shopping to streaming music on Spotify or Apple Music.
„Fashion is about choice. It doesn’t mean not wearing it. An oversized, silky white shirt is the cutest thing for me – you can share it with your boyfriend, wear it as a dress or tuck it into trousers,” she added.
Before „Eras” wraps up later this year, don’t be surprised if Swift makes a glimpse on stage in a white silk dress.