# Fashion of Taylor Swift

The dressing sense of the American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift has been a subject of significant media coverage. Considered a style icon by mainstream publications, Swift has been an influence on fashion trends and commerce through her red carpet looks, editorial photoshoots, and the wardrobe of her live performances and videography. Her off-duty street style has received acclaim from fashion journalists.
As an adolescent country singer in the early phase of her career, Swift wore mostly sundresses and gowns that suited her girl-next-door image. In her subsequent career and venture into pop, rock and folk music genres, she began reinventing her clothing attire alongside her artistic direction, matching every album's genre and theme to a fashion aesthetic. With an affinity towards the American chic, Swift has embraced and substantially boosted the mainstream popularity of preppy, cottagecore, gothic and sportswear styles. She has also helped popularize red lipsticks, bangs, cardigans, knit scarfs, cowboy boots, sleeveless formal wear and waistcoats amongst the general public.
Various authors have noted that Swift's penchant for accessible dressing—often pairing high-end pieces with relatively affordable items—has made her style approachable to the general public, contributing to her cultural impact. Many fashion critics have highlighted Swift's perceived apathy for high fashion, finding her taste normal and somewhat underwhelming for a pop star of her stature and wealth, but others argue that a dressing sense authentic to herself is what sets her appeal apart from other celebrities. They have observed heavy vintage influences in Swift's wardrobe, especially the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s fashion.
Publications such as Vogue, InStyle, Harper's Bazaar and Women's Wear Daily consider Swift a global fashion influencer. A number of fashion labels, including Versace, Jimmy Choo, and Schiaparelli, have credited her with magnifying their media impact by wearing their works. Her appearances at the National Football League (NFL) games in support of the Kansas City Chiefs have caused an unprecedented increased in the sales of their merchandise. Products of lesser-known brands and small businesses achieved prominence and record sales after Swift is photographed wearing them. Her use of fashion as a medium of Easter eggs about her music has driven cultural discourses. She was named the Best Dressed Woman of 2014 by Elle and People, topped the Maxim Hot 100 list of 2015, and co-chaired the 2016 Met Gala. A number of museums have hosted fashion exhibits dedicated to Swift.

## Press

As a leading cultural figure of the 21st-century, Taylor Swift is a subject of fashion journalism. Swift has reinvented her image and aesthetic throughout her career, matching respective album cycles with distinct themes and influencing fashion trends in the process. Her "style evolution", both within and outside her music, has been covered and analysed by nearly all fashion media outlets. Her use of fashion as Easter eggs to hint at aspects of her music has similarly received press coverage. Her fashion has mirrored her musical evolution. According to Women's Wear Daily, Swift "became known for using her wardrobe choices to complement her art as well as an opportunity to create new trends, make statements and drop hints about upcoming projects." Swift has appeared on the covers of various fashion magazines throughout her career, having adopted more mature and glamorous looks over time and gradually eschewing the girl-next-door image that dominated her early career.
Taylor Swift: And the Clothes She Wears, the 2023 coffee table book by fashion author Terry Newman, became an immediate bestseller upon its release, topping the Amazon chart. Similarly, Taylor Swift Style: Through the Eras by American fashion blogger and writer Sarah Chappelle also topped the Amazon chart and was met with praise from fashion critics for its in-depth coverage of Swift's clothes. Chappelle has documented Swift's fashion in detail for several years via her Instagram account "Taylor Swift Style", which has amassed thousands of followers.

## Styles

Swift's fashion style often involves synchronizing outfits, blending classic, retro and "cool" elements, floral prints, Mary Jane or Oxford shoes, Jimmy Choo boots, and other accessories from Aldo, Prada, Christian Louboutin, Elie Saab, Dolce & Gabbana, Vivienne Westwood, Louis Vuitton and The Row. Her street style wardrobe features a variety of classic, casual staples, such as denim shorts, white tops, baseball caps, loafers, plaid skirts, combining them with "unique jewelry, bold lipstick, and trendy designer handbags."

### Clothing history

According to Fashionista, Swift's style evolution can be effectively broken down "into distinct periods bookended by sequential album drops." In Vogue's words, Swift's beauty evolved from that of "a country princess to a bombshell pop star with some serious statement hair and makeup moments to match." Consequence opined that Swift's looks progressed from "girl-next-door country act to pop star to woodsy poet over a decade". Swift has explored the "preppy-chic" aesthetic frequently, and also dressed herself in "edgier, glam styles" in the later phases of her career.
Swift debuted as a 16-year-old country music singer-songwriter in 2006. Before the release of her debut single, Swift modeled for Abercrombie & Fitch and had an original song included on a Maybelline compilation CD. In her early career, she mostly wore boho-lite sun dresses and midi skirts, accessorizing her "iconic" curls with cowboy boots and a headband sometimes, all contributing to her girl-next-door image. Grazia described it as a mix of "vintage cowboy" and bohemian styles, eschewing the traditional country aesthetic. However, Swift had maintained a fairytale "princess profile" by wearing tulle skirts, gowns and corset with floral embellishments, as seen in her music videos for "Our Song" (2007), "Teardrops on My Guitar" (2007) and "Love Story" (2008). After becoming a "household name" following the wide success of her second studio album, Fearless (2008), Swift began wearing "glittery gold outfits", ball gowns, and winged eye liner, marking a change from her previously floral, countryside attires. She explored more bold and mature garments, often incorporating lower cuts, "elegant" necklines, sequined fringe, and looser curls.
From Speak Now (2010), her third album, Swift began incorporating more purple and shades of pink in her outfits and began wearing her hair in ponytail. Oxford shoes, beanies, collared dresses and cable-knit sweaters dominated her style during the Speak Now campaign. For Red in 2012–2013, Swift adopted an autumnal wardrobe, wearing bold red lipstick and straight blonde hair with bangs, eschewing flowy dresses for fedora hats, high-waisted shorts, translucent shirts, stripped tees, knit scarves, raincoats, and saddlebag purses, incorporating more shades of red. Bustle has dubbed bangs as one of Swift's signature hairstyles. This established the "retro-cool" hipster-inspired aesthetic of Red, evident in the album's artworks as well.
In 2014, Swift moved to New York City, where her casual street style was often photographed and covered. To embody the gleeful nature of her fifth album 1989, Swift cut her hair short and began wearing neon colors, jumpsuits and two-pieces: crop tops and mini skirts. At the 2016 Met Gala, which she co-chaired, Swift changed her style drastically in a look that trended on Twitter as "Bleachella", debuting black lipstick and bleached blond hair, in a snakeskin dress that would indicate a transition to her next album, Reputation (2017). The black color dominated the "moody" wardrobe throughout the Reputation campaign, alongside thigh-high boots, dark red lipstick, bodysuits, leotards, hoodies, and cargo pants with camouflage patterns, and serpentine prints and jewellery. In 2019, Swift reinvented her style once again; camp was her leading fashion motif for Lover (2019). She eschewed the dark and edgy attires of Reputation for "candy-colored", bubblegum aesthetics of Lover, as exemplified by the music videos of the singles "Me!", "You Need to Calm Down" and "Lover" and her various award-show appearances. Swift also dyed a portion of her hair pink.
Swift opted for cottagecore aesthetics with 2020's Folklore and Evermore. Reflecting lyrical motifs of escapism, Swift embraced a rustic, nature-focused look for Folklore the "technicolor carnival" of Lover. In the music video for "Cardigan", the lead single of Folklore, Swift donned a cream-colored cable knit with silver embroidered stars on the sleeves' chunky elbows, and navy blue piping and buttons; she sold replicas of the cardigan on her webstore. Swift often dressed herself in lace and gingham clothes, with mussed hairstyles. The Times of India opined that, with Evermore, Swift embraced "1960s-era Laurel Canyon". She opted for turtlenecks and long woolen coats. For the 2022's Midnights, Swift leaned towards a dichotomy of glamorous, vintage 1970s aesthetic: bodices, faux fur, and diamond jewelry on one end, and cashmere, polo shirts, corduroy pants, and wide-legged trousers for the intimate settings of the album's concept photography. The aesthetic was explored in the music videos of "Anti-Hero" (2022), "Bejeweled" (2022), and "Lavender Haze" (2023). She adopted a gothic mood with The Tortured Poets Department (2024), whose cover artwork is a shot of Swift lying on a bed wearing black lingerie: a see-through top and high waist shorts. Journalists dubbed the fashion as mainly dark academia, with influences of coquette, inspired by classic American poets.
Following her relationship with American football player Travis Kelce from 2023, Swift adopted a WAGs-inspired "game day style", appearing in Kansas City Chiefs merchandise and customized outfits.

## Influences

Swift has cited British actress Audrey Hepburn as a style influence. Jessica Zhan Mei Yu, writing for Vanity Fair, found Swift to be particularly inspired by Hepburn's beatnik looks, such as in the 1957 film Funny Face, and also influenced by the dressing sense of classic poets, especially the white uniforms of Emily Dickinson and the preppy collegiate clothes of Sylvia Plath. Swift's bob haircut during her 1989 campaign was inspired by Anna Wintour, the editor-in-chief of Vogue. Additionally, The Cut's fashion critic Cathy Horyn identified a range of vintage influences in Swift's on-stage fashion: from the "saloon-gal" outfits of American actress Debbie Reynolds in her western films to the American fashion designer Bob Mackie's "spangled costumes" for the 1960s–70s television variety shows as well as the works of American costume designer Edith Head in the 1950s. Horyn opined that these influences evoke a "hoofer charm" and "showgirl moxie" about Swift. According to Kelsie Gibson of People, Swift has often borrowed from the style of her friends circle, especially American actress Blake Lively.

## Impact and trends

Swift's music, visuals, general attire, and concerts have influenced fashion trends and led to sales surges. She boosted the popularity of red lipsticks—considered one of her signature fashion motifs, especially since Red, which prominently featured red lips in its cover. Swift helped popularize sleeveless formal wear and waistcoats in women's fashion, and is an inspiration for Halloween costumes. Hairdressers have credited Swift with popularizing "low-maintenance and natural looking" hair in women's hairstyles.
"The scarf" mentioned in autobiographical lyrics of "All Too Well" has also become a signature object associated with Swift. It has been described variably as "an unlikely pop culture icon in an inanimate object", "a universal symbol for heartbreak", a "fantastic pop culture mystery", "the green dock light of our time", a "fabled accessory" and "a source of cultural curiosity" by publications. According to Rob Sheffield, the scarf is so significant to Swift's discography that it "should be in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame." Following the 2021 release of her self-directed All Too Well: The Short Film, the Google searches for "Taylor Swift red scarf meaning" spiked by 1,400 percent.

### Retail

The Wall Street Journal has described Swift as a "fashion-selling machine". Prominent luxury brands like Versace and Schiaparelli experience brand value boosts from Swift. Versace garnered nearly US$3.1 million in media impact value across the 35 days that the Eras Tour had been in Europe. Fashion dubbed it the "Taylor Swift effect" and compared it the impact of Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle on fashion. Sandra Choi, creative director of the British luxury fashion house Jimmy Choo, claimed that Swift has reinforced their design expertise and provided them with global visibility. Mansur Gavriel and AREA are amongst the other high fashion houses that have had their items sell out because of Swift. Retail companies like Free People and Hill House have also largely benefitted from her.
A number of small-business boutiques and brands have reported overnight success after Swift wore one of their clothes or fashion accessories. On October 8, 2024, Swift wore "glitter freckles" from Fazit Makeup Patches, a previously unknown small-business beauty brand, to a Kansas City Chiefs–New Orleans Saints game. In the first 12 hours since Swift was photographed wearing Fazit, the brand's co-founder reported over a 1,000 percent increase in sales and web traffic, with "every retailer" reaching out to her. In the first two days, the brand experienced a 2,500 percent sales spike, selling out on Urban Outfitters and Amazon.
Cottagecore experienced a resurgence on the internet after Swift adopted the aesthetic, increasing sales of hand-knitted Aran jumpers in Ireland and the U.S. RTÉ thanked Swift for putting cardigans "back on the map" with Folklore. Upon Evermore's release, replicas of the flannel coat Swift wore on the cover artwork sold out on Farfetch instantaneously.
The Eras Tour increased the demand for metallic boots, cowboy hats, and sequin dresses. CNN reported that fashion retailers marketed their products to target attendees of the tour, with various clothing brands creating a range of items inspired by Swift and her "eras" and scoring their biggest sales year yet. Some scholars felt Swift mainstreamed gothic aesthetics with Reputation and The Tortured Poets Department, the former characterized by its snake-inspired cyber-gothic motifs and the later mainly dark academia. When Swift began dating American football player Travis Kelce and attended several of his games wearing Kansas City Chiefs merchandise in 2023, both the team and the National Football League (NFL) were met with unprecedented increase in merchandise sales. The non-merchandise pieces that she wore to the games, belonging to female-owned small businesses, were also met with record sales.

## Reception

In 2014, People named Swift the Best-Dressed woman of the year, calling her a "street style queen". American fashion designer Tommy Hilfiger referred to Swift as a "new icon" of the American style, owing to her "charismatic" summer outfits. In 2015, Swift won the Elle Woman of the Year award for cementing herself as a style icon capable of "seamlessly switching between chic street style and glamorous couture gowns on the red carpet", and topped the 2015 Maxim Hot 100 list.
   "Taylor Swift is sitting in the front row of the Rodarte spring 2012 ready-to-wear show during New York Fashion Week looking prim, if not chaste, in an ivory-colored confection with long, lacy sleeves, a high neck, and a full-length skirt—a look from Rodarte's fall collection that was inspired in part by the spirit of the Kansas homestead. It is the sort of getup that treads a fine line between sincerity and irony, between too-literal costume and clever fashion reference. In other words, it takes a girl with a special sort of moxie to wear it without looking like Melissa Sue Anderson from Little House on the Prairie. The fact that Swift is supermodel thin, towers over everyone (at five feet ten she clocks in at well over six feet in platform Miu Mius, and has skin as pale as a gold-rush bride's—well, let's just say she falls somewhere on the continuum from fetching to dazzling."
Critic Francesca Wallace wrote in 2018 that Swift's authentic look is her "easygoing, feminine" and "dainty" take on fashion, incorporating bows, prints and carryall bags, creating a street style "worth copying". Sarah Midkiff of Refinery29 compared Swift's simplistic looks to that of a "classic English Rose". Mei Yu opined, there is a certain poeticism to Swift's street style choices, "she might as well be an English grad student carrying books of poetry in the crook of her elbow." In 2016, Wintour stated that Swift has been a "little bit more conservative in her fashion choices" and attempted to turn her into "an Hedi Slimane rock n' roll girl" in the May 2016 issue of Vogue, where Swift adopted a futuristic "fashion-forward" style for the cover story.
A 2024 Boohoo.com survey stated that Swift has been the most sought-out "style icon" of the 2020s decade, with an estimated 78,725 average monthly searches relating to her fashion. Swift's touring outfits, especially those of the Eras Tour, have been the subject of wide speculation and analysis, given her penchant for curating outfits that match with her musical eras. Her game-day fashion has received acclaim. Business Insider named Swift amongst its list of ten billionaires with the best style.
Jen Nurick of Vogue Australia regards Swift as an influential figure in sustainable fashion. Swift released a sustainable clothing line with Stella McCartney in 2019. However, some "environmentally conscious" detractors have criticized Swift's affinity for fast fashion looks as well.

### Philosophy

   "Taylor Swift's style reflects her personal fashion choices rather than ones that conform to industry trends. This authentic approach has made her a style icon and very relatable figure for her fans, almost like the girl next door—but better [...] What sets her style apart from other celebrities is its remarkable versatility. Swift effortlessly transitions from vintage-inspired looks to contemporary, edgier ensembles—always maintaining an air of sophistication."
Critics have opined that Swift's general disinterest in provocative high fashion despite her wealth, which can be perceived as a "bad taste" in fashion by some fashion critics, is part of her popular appeal that sets her apart from pop stars like Madonna and Beyoncé. Amanda Krause of Business Insider described Swift's style as simple, understated and attainable, without the "shocking fashion antics of Doja Cat, Lady Gaga, and Kim Kardashian." According to Zoe Suen of South China Morning Post, many critics are not impressed by Swift's "authentic" style choices and her lack of participation in fashion weeks or luxury brand collaborations despite her billionaire status. Suen said "It's safe to say that while Swift has chosen not to brand herself as an haute couture-wearing stylephile." Similarly, culture writer Emily Kirkpatrick categorized Swift as a "fashion anti-hero". Lauren Sherman, a fashion correspondent at Puck, labeled Swift's style as "Anthropologie Gone Wild— mismatched, outdated, pedestrian, but instinctual." Horyn wrote, "considering the meta nature of Taylor Swift's performances—her autobiographical lyrics and her intimate connection with audiences—it's unsurprising that her fashion choices betray self-consciousness."
Savannah Bradley of Business Insider opined that Swift's "normal" taste in fashion is an aspect of her strategic "Swiftian brand philosophy", where Swift is the audience's "best friend". Bradley highlighted that Swift has also shopped where her fans shop, such as Zara, J. Crew, Urban Outfitters, ModCloth, and Forever 21, making her fashion "attainable, predictable, and unthreatening". The Wall Street Journal noted her pairing of higher-end labels with relatively affordable brands, making her style "accessible", which often result in record impressions and surging sales for the lesser-known fashion labels she wears. Fashion reporter Sarah Chapelle opined that wearing high-end designer pieces with more-accessible retailer items is a defining aspect of Swift's fashion, which in turn contributes to her "approachable, relatable" image.
Vogue's Jonah Waterhouse commented, Swift has no use for high fashion as she does not use it to propagate her career like other musicians have to. He opined that "Swift's wardrobe, in its authenticity to her personal brand and taste, embodies quiet power", as fashion does not influence Swift but she influences fashion instead. Olivia Petter of The Independent considered the critique Swift receives for her fashion as sexist, questioning why every woman in entertainment are expected to deliver over-the-top fashion and Swift for one cannot be allowed to detach herself from such scrutiny. Jake Henry Smith of Glamour echoed the same sentiment, saying Swift dresses like a "normal person"; he noted that the sustainable fashion retailer Reformation is the "backbone" of Swift's wardrobe.

## Exhibits

List of select exhibitions of Swift's fashion :
| Venue | Location | Duration | Title |
| Arlington Museum of Art | Arlington, Texas | June–September 2023 | The Eras Tour Collection |
| Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum | Nashville, Tennessee | May 2023 | Through Taylor Swift's Eras |
| Grammy Museum at L.A. Live | Los Angeles | August–September 2023 | I Can See You (Taylor's Version) (At Grammy Museum) |
| Museum of Arts and Design | New York City | May 2023–March 2024 | Taylor Swift: Storyteller |
| Victoria and Albert Museum | London | July 27 to September 8, 2024 | Taylor Swift: Songbook Trail |

## Gallery

* Swift's layered teal dress, and personalized cowboy boots bearing her name from her 2007 Academy of Country Music performance
* Swift photographed at the Fearless Tour in Newark, New Jersey (2010), depicting the hair curls, midi and cowboy boots characteristic of her early career.
* Swift on the red carpet of the 2010 Time 100 Gala
* Swift at a 2011 YouTube interview, wearing a polka dress and pearl earrings
* Swift in a fedora hat at the Red Tour (2013), unique to her Red-era fashion
* Swift in an interview with British fashion journalist Zanna Roberts Rassi; the short hair is associated with her fifth studio album 1989 (2014)
* Swift performing "Dress" in a snakeskin bodysuit at the Reputation Stadium Tour (2018)
* Swift's wax figure at the Madame Tussauds museum, London, wearing the sequined romper that she wore at the 2019 iHeartRadio Music Awards, signaling the commencement of the Lover era
* Swift's Versace shirt and look from "The Man" music video in 2020
* Swift's flapper-inspired, jewel-encrusted Oscar de la Renta mini that she wore at the 2022 MTV Video Music Awards
* Swift performing "The Archer" at the Eras Tour in a crystal-embellished bodysuit (2023)
* Swift's black Victorian dress from her "Fortnight" music video in 2024

## Books

* Chappelle, Sarah (October 8, 2024). Taylor Swift Style: Fashion Through the Eras. St. Martin's Publishing Group. ISBN 9781250906168.
* Johnson, Glenys (May 23, 2024). Icons of Style - Taylor Swift: The Story of a Fashion Icon. Headline Publishing Group. ISBN 9781802798371.
* Newman, Terry (October 2, 2023). Taylor Swift: And the Clothes She Wears. ACC Art Books. ISBN 9781788842280.
* Pomarico, Nicole (December 3, 2024). Long Live: The Definitive Guide to the Folklore and Fandom of Taylor Swift. Running Press. ISBN 9780762489411.