Sarah Chapelle is working late, ’cause she’s covering a pretty busy singer.
Even on the eve of her book launch, the author of “Taylor Swift Style: Fashion Through The Eras” (out now) and curator of the @taylorswiftstyled Instagram account, was busy doing the usual: tracking Swift’s latest public appearances and quickly providing all the info about where to find everything she’s wearing, from clothes to shoes to yes, sparkle freckle temporary tattoos.
“Sometimes I wonder how it must have been for Taylorswiftstyled to have 6.5-7 years where she had to clock in once every 2 months to report on Taylor’s outfits then boom one day in April 2023 she’s now working overtime and on weekends too,” an X user posted recently.
Since the Eras Tour went on a break in late August, Swift has been spotted in public at least a dozen times — a mixture of award show appearances, social outings and Kansas City Chiefs games.
Even if Chapelle, a longtime journalist and Swift fashion-tracker, doesn’t count football Swift as an official TS era, it’s still a major part of the conversation. In general, how Swift chooses to show up and present herself through fashion matters because she’s made aesthetics part of her larger storytelling narrative, Chapelle argues in her new book.
“Her football fashion has definitely been methodical, and in its own way, it’s intentional and carefully thought out,” Chapelle tells Taypedia. “But that’s dressing for an occasion and a certain scenario, so I wouldn’t call it an Era.”
Take the way she announced 1989 (Taylor’s Version) at the Eras Tour, for example. An earth-shattering roar emitted from fans at night six in Los Angeles, when Swift stepped onstage for the Speak Now portion of the show, not in her usual purple or pink dress, but a light blue one. 1989 equals light blue in the Swift-verse, and thus a simple costume change was enough for her to communicate what re-record was coming next — no words necessary.
“She’s created this visual legacy that’s so defined and distinct to each version of herself that she’s been over the course of her career, which I found fascinating,” Chapelle says. “She’s always thought about how certain things are going to be captured. She had that realization of using fashion not only as a communication method, just as she does with her lyrics, but also as this signifier of using fashion as a time capsule. Being able to place her on a timeline is so clear and so present.”
When will Reputation (Taylor’s Version) finally arrive? Swift’s latest fashion hasn’t done much to suggest it’s coming — she’s currently donning lots of plaid, which doesn’t necessarily fit an one era (she’s been a plaid skirt fan for years). And onstage, she’s worn the same bodysuit for Reputation section every. single. show.
“I don’t think we’ve yet seen a Reputation (Taylor’s Version) hint through costuming yet,” Chapelle says. “I know that a lot of people want one, and I wouldn’t be surprised if she does have a second version once Reputation (Taylor’s Version) is released,” Chapelle says. “But I’ve said this many times: Why isn’t there another ‘reputation’ bodysuit? You can’t improve upon perfection.”
She had that realization of using fashion not only as a communication method, just as she does with her lyrics, but also as this signifier of using fashion as a time capsule.
Not all of Swift’s looks through the years have been deemed “perfection,” though. The book features a bloopers chapter, featuring fashion choices where “Taylor should’ve said no,” including Swifts 2014 MTV Video Music Awards outfit, a light blue long-sleeved Mary Katrantzou onesie, complete with two-toned burgundy heels. Chapelle refers to this look as “The Incident.”
As for best looks, she’s partial to Swift in green — notably, the shimmering green custom Gucci gown she wore to the 2024 Golden Globes. Moving forward, Chapelle would love to see Swift do a high-end or designer fashion collaboration, like the one she did with Stella McCartney during the Lover era.
“I really think that a brand that would get her and is such a great fit for her would be Ralph Lauren,” Chapelle says. How “Miss Americana.”
“Taylor Swift Style” spans from Swift’s printed sundress and cowboy boot days of Debut all the way through the ’70s resurgence and sparkly showgirl aesthetics of Midnights. It’s rife with the kind of deep-dives and intense analysis that Swifties are famous for loving.
“For Taylor, her fashion and her music really do work in tandem to communicate a message, and her style is the other half of the story,” Chapelle says. “I wanted to make this book as a testament to the visual half that codified every era and made all of these moments memorable. … I think the one thing that unites Taylor Swift fans is that there’s no detail too small. I hope that all of this extensive research gives it the gravitas and the attention it deserves, because it’s carefully thought through by her and it should be carefully deciphered by us.”
Related reading:
Taypedia 