The Culture of Concert Couture
About three weeks ago, I attended a Lorde concert in Montréal, and it quickly became clear it would be one of those rare fundamental experiences that changes you for the better. And it wasn’t entirely due to the sheer magnitude of the event, but rather, due to the people that occupied the space in that arena. Some 21,000 fans decked out in shades of blue, glitters, duct tape (we’ll get to that) and chrome. This synthesis wasn’t born of coincidence, but rather of cohesion.
Thematically dressing for concerts and live shows is no new concept. According to a 2023 Fashion Magazine article, “by the ’70s, it was common to see tons of Mick Jagger outfit inspo at a Stones show with concert-goers replicating his outlandish style in crop tops and clashing patterns.” Concert dressing actually predates the ‘70s, notably emerging as a trend in the ‘60s among Woodstock attendees and Beatlemania-era fans. As an ‘02 baby, I can only comment as far as my conscious memory allows (developed somewhere around the late 2000’s).
Virgin, the album that Lorde is touring in promotion of, has been aesthetically characterized by blue hued xray scans, metal, and the melding of both the masculine and feminine parts of ourselves. The Ultrasound World Tour has had fans showing out and showing up in an array of ways to honor the themes of her recent work. About the duct tape – Lorde (Ella Yelich-O’Connor) described in an interview with Rolling Stone that she once used it as a makeshift binder, helping her further understand her gender expression as being somewhere along the lines of non-binary. Furthermore, in a Tiktok posted to her account, she dons a strip of silver duct tape across the toe of a combat boot as a teaser for her lead single, “What Was That.”
The most famous example of concert couture in recent years may be for the fan bases of Taylor Swift and Tyler the Creator. Swift’s Era’s Tour spanned nearly two years and was attended by an estimated 10.1 million people. As per its name, the tour encapsulated the music and aesthetics of ten (eleven once The Tortured Poets Society was released) studio albums. Fans used stadium aisles as catwalks and stunned in anything as basic as cowboy boots (debut album) to theatrical white gowns with black gloves (TTPS). Similarly, Tyler the Creator’s fanbase became inspired by the motifs not only in his most recently toured album, Chromokopia, but spanned referentially back to his 2017 release Flower Boy. Tyler the Creator (Tyler Okonma), additionally, has his own clothing brands entitled Golf Wang and Golf le Fleur which fans purchased pieces from and spun into their own customized concert looks.
Concert fashion of the 21st century has superseded the idea that only the performing artist dresses up thematically and in turn has extended a hand to the fans to be a part of that curated performance. These trends also tend to be home grown from the pinterest boards and social media accounts of fans online rather than promoted as a concept by the touring act(s). Therefore, the mood and aesthetic of a given show is not only manufactured by the artist at the forefront, but becomes altered and unique by the participants (people like you and me) in said show. However, Refinery 29 makes a good point in their article “Concert Fashion Is A Key Part Of Fandom & Everyone’s Invited.” In said article – music journalist, Jenessa Williams, states, “I do worry that it can become a competitive pressure, a way of alienating time – or money-poor fans.”
There will always be an attention seeking aspect to concert culture and the fashion that comes in tow. Some fans are of the opinion that dressing a certain way or splurging on accessories will garner the attention of the artist on stage. This isn’t the case for all fans or even most of them, but so long as there are people who have parasocial relationships with musicians, the claw to the spotlight will always exist. I digress. At its core, concert couture is rooted in community and a shared love that can be shared amongst total strangers. As you exit the venue in your concert garb you become more aware of this. Post concert the glitters, the blues and the duct tape paint themselves starkly against plain clothed pedestrians in the street. It feels like Halloween in the middle of September, in a foreign city, where regularly every face would be unfamiliar. But because of the distinguishable threads on your back, the boots on your feet and the makeup smeared on your face you find yourself not so unaccustomed. Bonds founded in live music, fortified by belt buckles.
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