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The primary challenge of creating Swift’s outfit? Since she was set to perform an acoustic set at the gala, she needed a way to ensure her arms would be free to strum her guitar and play the piano without being encumbered by extra fabric. And as it turns out, it was Swift herself who came up with the solution.

“That bolero didn’t come from me — it was her,” Mendel revealed. “She had the vision of having some sort of cover that would give it a different volume than just a basic dress. So we developed, with our Gilles Mendel touch, this little hand-pleated silk sleeved bolero cover that I thought came out really stunning.