From filming Cats in London to surprising fans in Los Angeles, Taylor Swift has been all over the map in 2019—except for the red carpet. Despite her own 2019 Grammy nomination and her boyfriend, Joe Alwyn, appearing in the awards season darling The Favourite, Swift was conspicuously absent from the bulk of music and film’s recent red carpet events. Instead, she showed up at the after parties and, in the case of the Golden Globes, as a surprise presenter during the awards ceremony itself.
Well, Swift’s days of avoiding the red carpet finally ended Thursday night at the iHeart Radio Music Awards in Las Vegas. Her comeback was for a meaningful reason: to accept the Tour of the Year award for her record-breaking Reputation tour in 2018.
Swift brought the upbeat vibes of her $266 million-grossing tour—the highest-selling in U.S. history—with her through the eye-catching outfit she wore to the event. She made her grand re-entrance to the red carpet in a short-sleeve romper entirely covered in orchid-pink sequins.
It may have been Swift’s first red carpet outfit in several months, but photographers on the step-and-repeat weren’t the first to see it. She gave her fans a sneak peek at her mermaid-like outfit ahead of the awards show on Instagram. “Bout to walk the @iheartradio carpet, thought I’d show you first,” she captioned a photo of her red carpet look.
Thanks to a second post from her stylist, Joseph Cassell, it didn’t take long to track down her romper’s origins. It’s a $250 hand-stitched piece by British label Rosa Bloom, which specializes in handmade and bespoke sequin garments.
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Rosa BloomAnyone who’s tracked Swift’s fashion will recognize that her multicolored romper is more than a flashy red carpet look. It likely signals an aesthetic shift. During her Reputation era over the past two years, she leaned towards dark, edgy clothing with recognizable designer labels to match her new sound. Swift’s first red carpet outfit of 2019 went in the opposite direction: it was colorful, almost optimistic, with sequins reflecting light in pink, purple, and teal tones. Her accessories also incorporated bright colors and imagery. She paired her reflective romper with butterfly-accented heels by Sophia Webster, and an assortment of gemstone jewelry by State Property and Stefere Jewelry.
The “Delicate” singer even brightened up her beauty look for the event. Swift’s blond hair is something of a trademark, but she switched up her usual color with a neon pink streak in her ponytail. You can catch a glimpse of it as she walks the red carpet, below.
She also delivered an emotional speech entirely dedicated to her fans. “You guys are the reason why this tour—and the only reason why this tour—wasn’t a massive failure and why it ended up being the highest selling tour in U.S. history,” she said. “I love seeing all the things you’re posting online, and I just wanted to let you know when there’s new music, you will be the first to know. I love you so much.”
Swift has said that she enjoys experimenting with fashion, and that her wardrobe choices are often related to her music. Fans already guessed that new music was on the way—so now that she’s officially unveiled a sparkly new look, they can assume it’s coming soon.
