As a fan of both shimmery, glitter gel pen pop music and the sequin-coated costumes that stars perform their greatest hits in, it's hard for me to pick a favorite moment from Sabrina Carpenter's Short 'n Sweet Tour. But if I had to choose one from the sold-out show I attended at New York City's Madison Square Garden on Sept. 29, it's the grand entrance Carpenter makes for her second act wearing a custom lace jumpsuit by Patou.
The Short 'n Sweet Tour is structured like a vintage variety show, complete with cheeky references to '70s ads and a set constructed to resemble a plucky heroine's unrealistically chic penthouse apartment. (The end of the stage's runway is a heart that transforms into a sunken couch, for example.) Naturally, there are over-the-top transitions that put the star's avant-bombshell style on display. At the start of a "Sabrina After Dark" segment, the five-foot-nothing Sabrina Carpenter emerges at the top of a staircase in her custom Patou look. The outfit, styled by Jared Ellner, consists of a lacy, lingerie-inspired jumpsuit with capri-length bottoms and a corseted top set with a demure bow. It's accessorized with over-the-elbow lace gloves and a burgundy feather shawl that's promptly torn off during the first song she sings. ("Feather," of course.)
"Oh, don't make me sing," Carpenter drawls before sauntering down the curved staircase to a jazzy rendition of her 2023 hit. The stage lights refract off two types of lace hand-embellished with sequins in a 60-hour creation process, per notes shared with Marie Claire by Patou. Her lace jumpsuit is also paired with low, glittering, doll-like Mary Janes—an ideal addition both for twirling her way through the choreography and leaning into the throwback themes of the staging.
The whole moment is highly theatrical and self-aware: Obviously Carpenter wants to sing, and wants to stand out from her backup dancers and their relaxed babydoll dresses. It's her tour, after all. I don't have any reason in my real life to burst into a party in black lace lingerie, but Carpenter's confidence made me wish I could.
Carpenter's Patou jumpsuit is bookended by two other revealing looks. She opens the show in a custom Victoria's Secret bodysuit and garters—bedazzled with 150,000 crystals—and ends the performance in a halter-neck column gown that transforms into a matching set, when the longer skirt is ripped off at the start of her hookup-anthem "Juno."
While Carpenter has revealed at least three pastel variations of her first and last two looks across the Short 'n Sweet Tour so far, she's only worn a black lace version of her Patou outfit. There is, however, a color-changing detail those in the floor seats might catch: the delicate bow at the top of her jumpsuit changes colors each show, to match the feather shawl over the top.
Carpenter's lace jumpsuit is her first custom piece by Patou for the tour, helmed by creative director Guillaume Henry. It isn't, however, her first foray into lingerie dressing onstage. The singer is as known for her corset- and lace bustier-forward costumes as her playfully raunchy lyrics. (Google her "Nonsense" outros if you don't know what I mean.) Touring for both Short 'n Sweet and her previous album, emails I can't send, Jared Ellner has styled Carpenter in everything from vintage Victoria's Secret lingerie to custom, heart cut-out corsets by Frolov.
It's Carpenter's affinity for playful yet sophisticated style that resonated with Henry and the Patou team. In fact, he tells Marie Claire that "Sabrina embodies the essence of a Patou girl."
“When we received the request from Sabrina’s stylist, Jared, I was very excited," Henry says. "As a fun anecdote, I was actually on holiday at the time, on a boat to the Faroe Islands, and found myself sketching designs for her in the middle of the ocean. It’s incredibly exciting to see this project come to life and to watch her perform in this custom piece.”
A Patou press release states that creative director Guillaume Henry desires "to dress real women—his friends, colleagues, and the women who inspire him." Now we know Sabrina Carpenter is on the list. And, I can safely guess the label's favorite moment on the Short 'n Sweet Tour is the same as mine.
