Olivia Rodrigo debuted a water-reactive dress that dissolved onstage during the opening night of her Unraveled Tour.
Rodrigo, 23, performed at People’s Bank Arena in Hartford, Conn., on Friday when artificial rain fell during her song “the cure” and caused her white sleeveless dress to gradually break apart, exposing a red corset bodysuit and micro miniskirt underneath, according to fan-shot footage. The transformation played off the lyric “I’m unraveled,” tying the costume change directly to the tour’s name.
The dress was custom-designed for Rodrigo by Cyprus-born British designer Hussein Chalayan, who first created the water-reactive design for his Spring 2016 collection inspired by Cuba, according to Vogue. Chalayan spent six months developing the original dress, which used dissolving, uniform-like outer shells to reveal new possibilities underneath as a reflection of the country’s changing political and cultural landscape.
Rodrigo’s Hartford set featured six distinct looks and five costume changes, according to the Blast. The concert was divided into seasonal chapters, opening in a colorful, garden-inspired Spring setting before moving through Summer, Autumn and Winter. The production later shifted to a purple twilight for an acoustic section, where Rodrigo wore a purple leather dress. The rain-soaked performance of “the cure” served as the centerpiece of the Winter section.
Elsewhere during the concert, Rodrigo wore a white babydoll dress and a cropped graphic T-shirt paired with hot-pink micro minishorts, according to InStyle.
“First night of the Unraveled Tour was magic!!!! Been planning this show out in my head for the last year and seeing it all come together was a dream come true,” Rodrigo posted on Instagram Saturday alongside images from the concert, including one of her melting dress.
“Thank you to everyone who came and showed so much love … Can’t wait to see more of yall on the road!!!!” she added.
The “Drivers License” singer has previously faced scrutiny over her fashion choices. She addressed backlash over her babydoll dresses in May, saying’ “Popcast” that she found it “really disturbing” that people were sexualizing her fully covered look.
“I didn’t think that I looked sexy in that at all. I was like, this is so cool. I feel like I look like Kathleen Hanna or Courtney Love, all these people who are my heroes,” Rodrigo said in the interview.
The North American tour will take Rodrigo to Pittsburgh, Washington, D.C., Charlotte, North Carolina, Chicago, Boston and other cities. She is scheduled to wrap the run in February with 10 shows at Barclays Center in Brooklyn from Feb. 11 through Feb. 28.
Rodrigo will perform in Pittsburgh as the tour continues.