The Tortured Fashion Department
She’s transforming her style once again.
A new era of Taylor Swift is upon us — and nowhere is that more apparent than within her wardrobe. The singer will release her 11th studio album The Tortured Poets Department on April 19 and in the lead-up, Swift is pivoting her style from the glittery, astrology-inspired aesthetic of Midnights to a more refined and elegant palette — you might even call it poetic.
As evidenced throughout her record-breaking Eras Tour, Swift adopts a distinct style for each of her album releases. These eras are always defined by an overarching color: green for her self-titled debut, yellow for Fearless, purple for Speak Now, red for Red (duh), sky blue for 1989, black for Reputation, pink for Lover, gray for Folklore, neutrals for Evermore, and finally, midnight blue for Midnights.
After nearly a dozen records, white and orange are the only colors Swift has not yet utilized. Many fans speculated the latter would be her select hue, but given some of her most recent looks, it seems Swift has chosen a much more muted color to represent her Tortured Poets album.
Swift set the tone for her next era at the 2024 Grammys on Feb. 4, when she announced Tortured Poets while accepting the award for Best Pop Vocal Album. For the occasion, she donned a long white gown from Schiaparelli Couture, complete with a sky-high thigh slit and a long train for maximum melodrama.
This was a shocking choice, because up until then, she had been hinting heavily at a Reputation (Taylor’s Version) release through a stream of all-black ensembles punctuated with various snake-inspired accents.
Though this marked her most noticeable style shift, it seems Swift actually started laying more subtle Easter eggs months before. The pop star wore several white looks while out in New York City during her Eras Tour.
This was most prevalent when she was photographed outside of Electric Lady Studios in May 2023, when she was likely recording Tortured Poets. A similar ensemble would later be reflected in her album cover art.
That said, she hasn’t started changing her Eras Tour looks to reflect Tortured Poets yet. But why would she? It’s a whole new era that’s definitely not included on her setlist. (At least not yet.)
She did, however, offer a small nod to her blossoming aesthetic, sporting white-bright nails at her six Singapore concerts from March 2-9 — the final shows before the album’s release.
The first Tortured Poets cover, which Swift posted right after announcing the album, is a black-and-white portrait of her lying on a bed surrounded by crisp, white sheets. Her new vibe is made clear through this image alone, but the hints continue from there.
Her additional cover strikes a similar chord, though the backdrop has changed. Instead of white sheets, Swift dons an oversize white button-up shirt, similar the one she wore over the summer.
While Swift has primarily used whites and grays for her Tortured Poets visuals, she threw fans for a loop when she unveiled the album’s final cover art. The “Black Dog” edition is easily her most dramatic album cover to date, with Swift embracing herself against an all-black backdrop. Though the cover is mostly noir, she pops against the moody background in a simple white tee.
Unless Swift says otherwise, white is the official color of The Tortured Poets Department. I don’t make the rules.
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