It's been almost two weeks since Sabrina Carpenter kicked off her Short n' Sweet national tour in Columbus Ohio, and from the costumes to the media elements featured in the show, one thing is abundantly clear; retro style is back and it's sexier than ever.
Carpenter’s Short n' Sweet Tour is the fifth tour she’s headlined, and her first arena tour, centered on her album of the same name that was released earlier this year. The album earned Carpenter her first platinum record and album, featuring songs ‘Espresso’ and ‘Please Please Please’, the latter holding a number one spot on the Billboard charts.
After a Ticketmaster bloodbath (in which I painfully lost my chance at tickets), Carpenter set out on her tour across America, which will wrap up this November in Los Angeles before going international.
Alongside her addictive pop melodies, Carpenter has become known for her unique style that pulls from 1950-60s styles and silhouettes, spicing them up to suit her risqué lyrics.
Carpenter’s hair stylist shared with ET that the pair pulled inspiration from Brigitte Bardot for her curly blonde locks, with Bardot also serving as an influence for Carpenter's overall style aesthetic.
Photo provided by Creative Commons
Vintage-esque lingerie makes up most of her tour looks, wearing the same designs each show, but switching out the color of her costumes in every new city. She also emphasizes this aesthetic through prerecorded tour content that plays during her outfit changes.
At the beginning of the show, an intro plays featuring vintage-style animations, video clips, and upbeat music as a narrator voices over. Jumping out of a bubble bath, Carpenter innocently rushes from the screen onto the stage, the tour beginning.
In her opening number, ‘Taste’, Carpenter arrives in a bath towel, which she opens up to reveal a jeweled corset with matching garters, similar to the popular pin-up style of the period she’s pulling inspiration from.
Photo provided by @sabrinacarpenter on Instagram
A few numbers into the show, she covers up with a pajama night cape, in which she performs ‘Bed Chem’ while rolling around and dancing on a fluffy bed fit for a princess.
The sexy “girl next door” aesthetic she wears for the beginning of her set starkly contrasts the lyrics of the song she’s performing. She wears soft colors and fabrics giving off a feeling of traditional feminine innocence, while the crowd screams “Come right on me”, and she sings it demurely. As the show goes on, she continues to play with our ideas of her innocence visually.
Photo provided by @sabrinacarpenter on Instagram
Her next look is a lace catsuit with matching gloves. She welcomes the audience into the world of Short n’ Sweet at the top of the show, sparkling and upbeat, and then brings the audience down to a place of anger as she switches into all-black attire suitable for songs mourning her previous relationships.
Wearing it, she performs some of her most heart-wrenching numbers, like ‘Because I Liked A Boy’, emphasizing the choice for her to wear her darkest costume during this point in the show. Yet by sticking to the 50s silhouette and wearing little Mary Jane heels, she still makes you feel like you’re watching a heartbroken girl who stumbled up on stage from her bedroom, not a “home-wrecker or slut” perform.
Photo provided by @sabrinacarpenter on Instagram
During one of her outfit changes, another video plays, this time turning lyrics and song titles from her album into old-fashioned television commercials. “The Sharpest Tool”, and “Oasis Ceiling Fan” ads, keep audience members immersed in her stylish 50s wonderland while she’s off stage.
When she comes back on, she’s in a classy floor-length gown, to sing ‘Dumb and Poetic’ a slow ballad off Short n' Sweet.
But Carpenter immediately brings the tempo back up, revealing her gown is a two-piece, taking off her longer skirt to reveal a mini skirt with matching sparkly gogo boots, one of her staple style pieces.
As she runs around the stage, dancing and belting her heart out, we see her backup dancers in similar style of dresses, heels, and hair-do's.
Photo provided by @sabrinacarpenter on Instagram
As the show ends, a prerecorded video plays where Carpenter thanks the audience for coming to her show, with several outtakes in a dramatized voice, including humorous jokes about the merch table and how much she “loves singing”.
The lasting impression for fans in arenas across the country, and at home watching her tour through TikTok clips is a clear one. If there’s one thing about Sabrina Carpenter, it's that she knows her brand and she’s gonna give it her all.
… and she might just be making retro fashion cool again while she’s at it.
Banner photo provided by @sabrinacarpenter on Instagram
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