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2024 was a year of many trends. From TikTok dances to cucumber salads and hear-me-out cakes, to Stanley cups, the world saw its fair share of Internet fascinations. However, one more notable trend was that of the “concert outfit”: A curated outfit chosen specifically for the concert, often focused on a specific theme related to the concert. This trend seemed to begin with Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour in 2023. Millions of concertgoers joined in the trend of making and trading friendship bracelets, in the spirit of lyrics from Swift’s song You’re on Your Own Kid. This tour was also Swift’s way of having a tour for her Lover, Folklore, Evermore, and Midnights albums, which didn’t have individual tours due to the pandemic. Swift chose to have one large tour featuring songs from all of her albums. Many concertgoers chose to create outfits either inspired by their favorite albums, with some even spending months creating detailed replicas of outfits Swift wore on the tour. “Swifties” bonded over 
an appreciation of others’ outfits and costumes.
This trend soon expanded into other tours. Beyonce concert attendees showed up decked out in silver, inspired by the theme of her most recent album. Olivia Rodrigo fans donned purple clothing and custom homemade tops, emulating one of Rodrigo’s tour outfits. Sabrina Carpenter attendees similarly donned pastels with kiss appliques to attend her Short ‘n Sweet tour. Billie Eilish even decided to choose themes inspired by her brand for each of her tour dates, including “something blue”, “l’amour de ma vie”, jerseys, stars, and more.
Like many trends this year, the “concert outfit” made its way to Avonworth. Senior Grace Bechtold attended the Eras Tour. She chose to recreate the dress Swift wore after releasing her Midnights album. She stated that it “only took a few hours” but that “the bow took much longer.” Sophomore Ella Ging stuck very closely to the theme of her Billie Eilish concert date. The theme was “something blue” so she chose to wear a blue shirt and blue jeans with a black jacket and silver sunglasses. She also sported star hair clips and star-themed jewelry, which matched the star-theme set for some of the other tour stops. Similarly, sophomore Izzy Pecosh chose to coordinate her Meghan Trainor concert outfit in accordance with the album colors of the artists’s newest album.
Some students focused less on a specific theme or outfit and more on matching the “vibe” of the concert. Senior Ava Monkelis also attended the Eras Tour, along with Hozier’s concert and Billie Eilish. While Ava chose an outfit for each concert, she says that she chose them “based on the vibe of the artist” instead of a costume or outfit replication. Senior Harmony Karwoski also based her Laufey concert outfit on the “vibe” of Laufey’s music, saying that she aimed for her outfit to be “Laufey-core” with a purple sundress and a hairbow.
The “concert outfit” trend has also expanded into genres beyond pop. Emma Noss chose a specific outfit for the Noah Kahan concert. Kahan’s music falls into the category of country/folk/indie music, so Noss chose a flannel shirt borrowed from a friend and put braids in her hair for a “country-esque” aesthetic. Similarly, sophomores Kylee Lindell and Lexie Savatt chose to wear cowboy boots to their Luke Bryan and Zach Bryan country music concerts.
However, this trend has not made it into all genres of concerts. Senior Sophie Gibson attended many concerts in 2024, including Slipknot, Sleep Token, Knocked Loose, and Palaye Royale, which all fall around the genre of alt-rock or metal. Gibson “did not pick an outfit based on the concert”, and she often chose to wear merch purchased at the concert, or reuse outfit pieces from previous concerts, adjusting to the conditions of the venue. 
Whether attendees chose a merch t-shirt and jeans, or a fully bedazzled outfit recreation, concerts, and concert attire were a huge part of 2024. With the Eras Tour ending on December 8th, 2024, we are left to wonder whether this trend will persist through other artists’ concerts or if it will become a thing of the past.
