As Taylor Swift ushers in a new era of music, a new era of style comes along too. The Grammy-winning artist unveiled her 11th studio album, The Tortured Poets Department on 19 April. It instantly became Spotify’s most streamed album of the year, surpassing Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter. Accompanying the album’s release was the music video of her single, Fortnight featuring Post Malone, which explored a heartbreak arising from a two-week long love affair. The four-minute video transported us back in time with its monochromatic cinematography and gothic outfits.
Swift appears to be tunnelling into the past for style inspiration lately. Her new music video showcases a variety of underlying historical influences, including Victorian-inspired mourning attire, a Romantic wedding gown and a ’90s sparkling flapper dress. Given Swift’s penchant for aligning her style with her musical evolution, it’s only a matter of time before she fully embraces a new aesthetic off-screen, too.
Below, GRAZIA Singapore takes a closer look at all of the pop star’s best outfits in her Fortnight music video—and what interpretations Swifties can make about the song through the singer’s style.
1. Romantic Wedding Gown
In the opening scene of the music video, Swifts dons Maticevski’s Candescence gown from its Spring/Summer 2024 collection, featuring a sculptural silhouette and a rounded neckline. The gown’s intricate design is showcased as metres of crinkly cotton gather at the waist, gracefully cascading into folds that delicately part to unveil an alluring slit. The garter on her thigh subtly hints at a wedding gown while the fitted bustier top brings to mind corset dresses that characterise the Romantic era. For the finishing touch, she accessorises with a diamond encrusted brooch that has been repurposed into a choker.
Many fans were quick to point out that this look bears striking parallels to what Swift wore to the 2024 Grammys. She was spotted wearing a similar strapless white dress paired with a timepiece converted into a choker. We can only surmise that the pop star may have been subtly dropping hints about her upcoming album through her carefully curated sartorial selections.
2. Victorian Funeral Attire
Swift’s gothic dressing instantly transports us back to 19th-century England under Queen Victoria’s reign. Queen Victoria popularised black funeral garbs after she chose to wear black for 40 years after the passing of her husband, Prince Albert. The song’s underlying message could potentially reflect one’s anguish over the loss of love and the failure to move on.
Upon closer inspection, the black ensemble that Swift dons in the second scene is actually not a dress. She wears the Victor Ruffle Waxed Denim Jacket from Unttld’s Fall/Winter 2021 collection paired with a ruffled skirt from Elena Valez’s Fall/Winter 2024 collection. Given that this is Swift’s first album following her split with Joe Alwyn, fans speculate that she may be mourning the end of her past relationship. Others have theorised that it was Swift’s whirlwind romance with Matty Healy that inspired the song.
3. Sparkly Flapper Dress
It looks like Swift truly can’t live without her sparkles. In the finale of the music video, she sits under the rain in a mini sparkly dress from Celine’s Spring/Summer 2024 collection. The dress features a plunging neckline embellished with beaded crystals, reminiscent of flapper dresses that defined the roaring ’20s. Aside from her fashion, Swift embodies the spirit of the decade with her new makeup style in the opening scene. She sports a daring bold lipstick, sultry smokey eye makeup and razor-thin brows. The inclusion of a track titled Clara Bow in her latest album serves as a poignant homage to the iconic silent film star, further solidifying Swift’s embrace of the roaring ’20s aesthetic.
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