Taylor Swift in Versace at the Billboard Music Awards: surprisingly great?

2018 Billboard Music Awards Arrivals

Here are some photos of Taylor Swift during her “surprise” appearance at last night’s Billboard Music Awards. Was this really a surprise? No. The producers already had their cutaways to Taylor planned, so whatever. Taylor had done two soldout concerts in the LA area before the BBMAs, so they knew she was close by (the BBMAs were in Vegas). Still, it’s notable because Taylor doesn’t do many awards shows these days. This was her first appearance at the Billboard Music Awards in two years, and it feels like her first red carpet in a while. For the evening, Taylor wore a Versace gown which… is quite nice, actually. I don’t hate this at all – it’s flattering, it’s a throwback to when she used to dress like cotton candy all the time, and yet the thigh-high slits make it look very “adult.” Here are a few additional things to know:

Her sold out concerts. She performed at the Rose Bowl and brought out special guests like Shawn Mendes and Selena Gomez.

She was seated next to Shawn Mendes at the BBMAs. Poor Handsome Joe, Shawn Mendes is just Taylor’s type too! She did this bit when Kelly Clarkson did a medley of hits including “Look What You Made Me Do.”

She actually won last night. Of course she did – she wouldn’t have come to the BBMAs without knowing she would win. She used her speeches to talk about how misunderstood she is and reinforce her martyred victimhood narrative.

She might have another album coming out next year. She spoke to Perez Hilton after one of her concerts and she talked about wanting to release another album before her 30th birthday, which is next December.

Remember her cover of Earth, Wind & Fire’s “September”? Yeah, it was not good, at all. Well, the cowriter of the original song spoke out this weekend. Allee Willis said: “I didn’t really think she did a horrible job. Yes, I felt it was as lethargic as a drunk turtle dozing under a sunflower after ingesting a bottle of Valium, and I thought it had all the build of a one-story motel, but, I mean, the girl didn’t kill anybody… She didn’t run over your foot. She just cut a very calm and somewhat boring take of one of the peppiest, happiest, most popular songs in history.”

2018 Billboard Music Awards

2018 Billboard Music Awards Winners

Photos courtesy of WENN.

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65 Responses to “Taylor Swift in Versace at the Billboard Music Awards: surprisingly great?”

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  1. Astrid says:

    Looks like she’s wearing a polyester nightie from the 80’s.

    • TheHufflepuffLizLemon (aka LizLemonGotMarried) says:

      I agree and I LOATHE the shoes. I mean…I don’t think there’s a stronger word for sartorial opinions than LOATHE, or I would use it. Hate doesn’t even do it. Why are metallic, platform sandals and peep-toes still a thing? Or a thing again? Those things were popular in the early 2000s when I was partying and dressing up regularly. *vom*

      I will work from the pool in my flip-flops today in protest. I mean, I was going to do it anyways, but now, I’m doing it with meaning!

      • so cool says:

        How is it that she always look on a red carpet so cheap. She wore all the dresses from designers, but she looks cheap. The same problem has JLo. Tay Tay looks here like some redneck Betty on her prom. And WTF happend to her face. Her eyes are getting smaller. Stop with fillers Tay Tay.

      • Big Bertha says:

        That looks like fungus growing on her left boob.

      • MerrymerrymonthofMay says:

        @thehufflepufflizlemon They look like stripper shoes

  2. Willa says:

    I don’t care for her dress at all.

  3. Una says:

    The only positive side of this new Swift era is the fact that she does not constantly go for twee and cute anymore. I don’t like the dress but still I am OK with her new style overall. I was tired of her young naive girl act.

  4. monette says:

    The back is nice, the front not so much. Maybe because of the colour? Or the face and the stupid try hard posing?
    She is ruinning Shawn Mendes, just when I started liking him. I’m obssesed with his song In my blood.

  5. NameChange says:

    I thought none of her shows are sold out and the extra tickets were given/taken by radio stations?

    • Jess... says:

      The first numbers were released last week, and her shows (so far) have been sold out. Pollstar reported she made almost 22 million in her first three dates, with full sold out shows. (The last tickets were sold the same day of the concert though)

    • Millenial says:

      I think people were saying her shows weren’t selling well, but they were failing to take into account the much larger venue sizes she’s playing this tour. She basically cut all the 20,000 person coliseums from this tour that she used to do on her previous tours. The Rose Bowl seats 90,000 (to be fair, a good chunk of those seats aren’t filled because they are blocked by the stage, but even what’s leftover is still a crap ton of seats). So I think a lot of the comments about her tour not selling as well as previous tours weren’t taking into consideration that at each venue she needed to sell 20,000+ more tickets than normal.

      • so cool says:

        Her team count as sold all tickets that gave for free (and it was a big number) and tickets bought by agencies, who couldn’t find people who will buy it. So in reality she didn’t sold out her tour. But Snake team are making PR.

      • Millenial says:

        Yeah, I definitely think there was some fudging going on, but I don’t think it bombed like a lot of people said. I was surprised how many people I knew who still go to see her. (We aren’t concert people, it’s way too expensive).

      • Tiffany :) says:

        She played 2 shows at the Rose Bowl and they sold out. That is a massive venue. If you are looking for proof of her demise, you are going to have to look somewhere else other than her ticket sales.

    • Kosmos says:

      I liked Taylor waayyy in the beginning when she first came on the scene, but today, I find her self-absorbed and irritating. Having her girl army is a further turnoff. She’s not what I thought she was and I think her image is a bit tarnished today. I’ve honestly never been really into her music, so there’s not much to like about her. Her seemingly manipulative personality and attitude takes her down even a few more notches. Never was sure why she dated so many men who soon dumped her, so it must be something. She’s made a fortune and she’ll go on making music, but I’m not sure she will remain as popular as she once was.

  6. V4Real says:

    She looks bland. And keep your clammy hands off my BTS, Taylor

  7. Neelyo says:

    I don’t know Allee Willis, but I think I’m in love.

    And that dress looks like a Marchesa knock off. Dated and tacky.

  8. Jess... says:

    I like her dress, but mostly I like her body. She is not as thin as she used to be before, and I really like how she looks now. She is still thin, she probably will be thin forever, but she looks healthier? Good for her

    • tweetime says:

      Same! I feel like such a weirdo for feeling her weight gain as much as I do, but she looks fantastic.
      I saw some people were being awful about it and comparing it to pictures from when she was much younger, but she’s almost 30. She looks like a really healthy almost-30-year-old and I appreciate it.

    • Elisa says:

      She looks fab body-wise, fit and healthy.
      The dress is fine, too.
      The shoes are incredibly fug. O_o

    • Eleonor says:

      Agreed.
      At the same time I finally see someone menaged to style her hair in a good way.

    • SK says:

      I actually think she was this size before then she shrunk down to a much skinnier size after she did her first VS show and started hanging out with all the supermodels. She wanted to be spoken about like she could be a model too. If you compare the photos from her first VS show and her second one she dropped quite a few kilos. She looks great now and much healthier. It must be exhausting to maintain that mega-skinny frame.

  9. Diana says:

    Dress is way too extra. Not really my style… but she does look good in bridal colors. She has filled out a bit and her body looks great! Healthy and lean. Good job on the exercise, Taylor!

  10. Amanda says:

    I liked the colour of the dress on her, but it was too busy, and the slit looked like a wardrobe malfunction waiting to happen.

    • Anatha A says:

      More than one wardrobe malfunction did happen. DM has many pics of her, where she flashed everything and you can see her underwear. At least she wore some.

  11. Josie says:

    Surprisingly corseted 😂

  12. Chaine says:

    Up close it looks nice, in the full length pic it makes her hips kind of matronly.

  13. Slowsnow says:

    Her body is really beautiful now. I hope she keeps it up. I just saw a bit of her speech in the news and it was surprisingly calm and *ahem* grown-up? Granted, it was just an excerpt but the new body plus a calmer attitude are welcome in my book. Now start making good music and you’re forgiven TayTay!

  14. JENNIFER says:

    Would have loved this dress in a jewel tone.

    • tweetime says:

      Agree, I feel like a deep, rich emerald colour would look really great on her.

  15. Jess says:

    Ugh. That is a tacky outfit.

  16. Originaltessa says:

    That’s one fugly looking dress. Joan Collins would rock it.

  17. kate says:

    She looks tacky as hell. The dress looks like something Katy Perry would wear and it’s not a compliment.

  18. Gerty says:

    Alle Willis is HILARIOUS. I met her some years ago. Google her house sometime – it’s INSANE.

  19. lucy2 says:

    Surprisingly great? No, I don’t think so. I really dislike it, it’s 80s fug. The top looks like one of the costumes I’d have when I used to do competitive dance as a kid!

  20. Tara Beth says:

    This looks a whole lot like my ballet recital costume from 1987! I was five.

  21. C says:

    Apparently it took 800 hours to make this dress, so that’s….something I guess.

    I actually checked the ticketmaster website a couple of hours before the shows and noticed there were still tickets available. I think this is a case where the venue was 90-95% sold out so they rounded up and said it was completely soldout. I did read some comments on a music forum from Swifties who claimed that there were lots of comped tickets given away for the Rose Bowl show and people had difficulty reselling tickets for 1/4 the price. Granted this could all be made up but in theory Taylor doesn’t have to sell out any of her shows to make a profit because tickets were so expensive. And whatever tickets aren’t sold can be given away and most people won’t notice. Ultimately the only thing that matters is the final tour gross. I do wonder if this ticketing scheme was totally worth it because she got a lot of bad press for it and many of her fans were priced out of getting concert tickets.

  22. Catlady says:

    The dress is gorgeous and has a very 1940s vibe to it.

  23. Frances says:

    I also came here to comment on her new figure, she’s not hiding it in the Instagrams she’s posting of her her tour! If I’m being cynical, I could say it’s for PR and she gained (and has kept on) a few lbs to be more relatable, still in the two year wake of Snake Emojigate. But to be non cynical, she’s also just happier and settled into megastar life. At one point during like 2015 she was bobble head skinny and so unnatural! Overall I give it applause!

  24. Shannon says:

    I like the dress from the side, but from the front it’s kind of fug. I can’t with the shoes. Her body does look awesome, though.

  25. Maria F. says:

    I think she is collecting friends again. This time Camila Cabello who is one of her opening acts and was seated next to her.

    Also, she was only listed as ‘special guest’ on the seat place holders at the awards. Always so extra, so that it was an AMAZING surprise she showed up. Why could she just not have announce it prior. Big deal.

    I was happy that the night was all about Ms. Jackson.

  26. Mads says:

    She looks like she is wearing a high powered corset under that dress.

    • so cool says:

      Because she is wearing one. On her concerts she doesn’t looks so good. She is wearing corset and some ass pads (like on her tour). She also had boob job and some fillers on her face. She gained weight, so her implants and fillers looks more nature, but it is obvious.

      • Elaine says:

        Or the “boob job” and “fillers” are just weight gain? That’s generally how weight fills out

      • jammypants says:

        I dislike Taylor like the next person but the only obvious work I’ve seen her do is boob job, her face looks the exact same to me only fuller. Let’s not exaggerate.

      • ElizabethL says:

        She has had a boob job but no fillers. IMO the boob job ages her (not that she looks old) but adding plastic usually does.

  27. so cool says:

    Hey Tay Tay, Alexis Carrington called, she wants her nightgown back. What a hideous dress.

  28. No Doubtful says:

    The dress is boring and her hair is even worse.

  29. JennyJazzhands says:

    If she were on the TV show “Dallas” in the 80s, she could have definitely come sweeping down the staircase in this.

  30. saltandpepper says:

    Nah.

  31. Babs says:

    I live for the read Allee Willis gave her. Now THIS is writing, take note Swifty.

  32. HollyGo says:

    There is just something off with that right shoulder section. The pleats over the details… it’s wrong. Her pins look amazing though.

  33. Case says:

    She looks so much healthier than she used to. Because she’s so tall, the extra weight looks truly great on her.

    The dress is meh for me.