A Taylor Swift album cycle is never merely a musical era; it's a 24/7 commitment to a mood and an aesthetic. As the Grammy winner traveled between stops on the Australian leg of the Eras Tour last night, she dressed precisely for what fans now recognize as the Tortured Poets Department look.
After playing for crowds of 288,000 people over three nights in Melbourne, Australia, Swift went out to dinner in Sydney with tour opener Sabrina Carpenter in an outfit with all the emblems of her new style era. Swift's look revolved around variations of two pieces she's worn multiple times over the past year while teasing her forthcoming eleventh studio album: a close-fitting black corset top and a pleated mini skirt. (No subtle nods to boyfriend Travis Kelce were spotted this time around.)
This time around, tiny cutouts split Swift's top down the middle, and it was completed by a ruched neckline tied with a bow. She cinched her pleated micro miniskirt with a thick leather belt, and accessorized with a gold T-bar chain necklace by Tilly Sveaas and an Evil Eye bracelet by Jacquie Aiche.
The designers behind Swift's exact top and mini skirt, meanwhile, haven't yet been identified, but the look is consistent with Swift's months-long run of preppy pleated skirts and close-fitting black tops. Between cheering on boyfriend Travis Kelce at football games and going out to dinners with her friends in New York City, Swift has dressed in variations of the corset top-plus-mini skirt formula, featuring her usual high-low mix of designers from Free People to Versace to The Row.
Every time Taylor Swift releases an album, she chooses a color palette, set of silhouettes, and roster of designers to convey the music's mood—sometimes months before its release. The original 1989 era was characterized by bright colorblocking and her clipped bob haircut; Reputation (Not Taylor's Version) took a turn toward a moody downtown nightscape with labels like Balenciaga and Gucci in heavy rotation. Swift has also told fans (and journalists) that her fashion and beauty choices are often laden with Easter eggs for fans to decode.
Swift officially acknowledged her eleventh era onstage at the Grammys, in a custom Schiaparelli gown with black opera gloves. On the album cover released shortly after, she poses in a knit lingerie set by The Row—the same brand behind many of the jackets, bags, and blazers she's worn in the months leading up to her outfit reveal. It didn't take fans long to connect the dots, noticing that Swift wasn't simply wearing the mini skirt and corset trend while out and about. She was laying the groundwork for her upcoming album with a slew of collegiate-coded clothing. (Almost like what a well-dressed poetry professor would wear.)
The Tortured Poets Department will be released in just less than two months, on April 19, and bring a host of message-coded looks with it. This is Taylor Swift, after all—with her, a mini skirt is never just a mini skirt.
Editors' note: This post will be updated with additional photos and outfit credits when they are available.
