After a historic night at the 66th Grammy Awards, Taylor Swift took home her 4th Grammy for “Album of the Year”, marking the world record for the most Grammys ever won for “Album of the Year”, beating out other legends such as Paul Simon, Frank Sinatra, and Stevie Wonder.
With this monumental record, we thought we would give you a breakdown of all of Taylor Swift’s albums and their aesthetics that have cemented her as one of the greatest artists of all time.
Each of Swift’s albums holds their distinctive qualities, which helps to add to their legendary status. These iconic albums have been brought to life in many different ways, one of the most prominent being the outfits worn by fans at “The Eras Tour.”
Back in 2006, Swift was just a small-town Tennessee girl writing songs about her normal high school life. Swift’s self-titled debut album focussed on themes of love and heartbreak through the eyes of her 16-year-old self. “Debut” is seen as Swift’s purest country album, focusing on her small-town Tennessee charm. The aesthetic of Swift’s “Debut” album is unmistakably 2000s country, from cowboy boots, butterflies, the color teal and most importantly, the notorious 2000s staple: chunky necklaces. At “The Eras Tour”, you will most likely see “Debut” fans sporting the classic white flowy dress, a pair of cowboy boots (extra points if they’re teal), and a good ole cowboy hat.
Oh, young love that feels like a fairytale; first released in 2008, “Fearless” is Swift’s second album which explores her experiences with the ups and downs of young love. “Fearless” has countless mentions of a fairytale type of love, with songs such as “White Horse” and “Love Story,” which focuses on the tale of Romeo and Juliet. When I think of “Fearless”, I think of ballgowns and castles, a knight in shining armor and an age-old story of love. The looks from “The Eras Tour” must undoubtedly have gold fringe in the outfit somewhere, with fans adorning a gold dress with country classic cowboy boots.
Initially released in 2010, Swift’s third album, “Speak Now”, is an emotional roller coaster that takes fans on a musical journey through her experiences of stardom, navigating relationships and the shift between adolescence and adulthood. With songs like “Enchanted”, “Dear John” and “Sparks Fly”, “Speak Now” is a monumental album in Swift’s career that helped to solidify her reputation as a talented, chart-topping singer-songwriter. The signature color of “Speak Now” is lots and lots of purple. “Speak Now” has elements of whimsicality and fantasy, so bring out the princess attire. Fans at “The Eras Tour” can be seen wearing purple babydoll dresses and outfits adorned with sequins and sparkles.
The official turning point in Swift’s career, from country to pop music, is as monumental as Swift’s fourth album. Originally released in 2012, “Red” has themes of love and heartbreak. With songs such as, “All Too Well”, “I Knew You Were Trouble” and “We Are Never Getting Back Together”, “Red” is the perfect album to listen to while watching the leaves change during autumn. Pull out those red scarves, cozy sweaters and Swift’s signature chai cookies to sit back and enjoy the serenity of fall. At “The Eras Tour”, “Red” fans can be seen rocking Swift’s signature red lip.
And just like that, fall turns to summer, and Swift is now a New York City girl entering the wide world of the pop genre with her 2014 album “1989.” This newfound genre gives off “it girl” in every way possible, from the carefree polaroids to the infamous 4th of July bashes Swift threw– during this era, everyone wanted to be a friend of Swift’s. “1989” is the definition of a 2014 pop album with hit songs like “Bad Blood” and “Shake It Off.” There is something so nostalgic about looking back on this Swift era. At “The Eras Tour”, you are likely to see fans of “1989” wearing a glittering top and a white pair of shades.
After a break from the spotlight, Swift shocked the world when she unexpectedly released her sixth album, “Reputation” in 2017. “Reputation” is widely known as Swift’s vengeful villain era. The album follows a theme of Swift’s perception by the media and those in her personal life. With songs such as, “Look What You Made Me Do”, “Don’t Blame Me” and “Getaway Car”, “Reputation” is a show-stopping, snake-filled spectacle that is sure to make you feel powerful. At “The Eras Tour”, fans can be spotted wearing dark colors, especially black, with fishnets and snake accessories to tie it all together.
Pink, hearts, clouds, rainbows, glitter, cats, cats and more cats; these are all things that perfectly describe Swift’s seventh album, “Lover”. Swift writes this album with amazing emotional contrast, moving from loneliness and self-doubt, to love, happiness and self-love. Through “Lover”, Swift took a political stand and made her voice heard differently. The album not only crushed the billboards and charts but also challenged our patriarchal society and supported the LGBTQ+ community. With songs like “You Need To Calm Down”, “Cruel Summer” and “The Man”, “Lover” instates itself as being arguably one of Swift’s best albums. Fans at “The Eras Tour” can be seen wearing lots of colors, pastels and sparkles, with the iconic glitter heart face decorations.
The sister albums, “Folklore” and “Evermore,” or as I like to call them “Folkmore,” were released during the Covid-19 lockdown. The album’s venture where Swift hadn’t gone before, with a folk sound and feature from Bon Iver, “Folkmore” is arguably a lyrical masterpiece. The main inspiration from the sister albums stems from movies, shows, and books that Swift consumed during her time in quarantine. “Folklore” comes with a solemn summer vibe with the Betty, August and James teenage love triangle. “Evermore” has a quality of desperation with songs like “tolerate it” and “champagne problems.” Fans of this album at “The Eras Tour” are wearing plaid flannels and green, really anything you would consider to be forest-witch-like.
Swift’s most recent album, “Midnights”, is met with a retro 70’s vibe. The “Midnights” album is just what it sounds like– 13 tracks from 13 sleepless nights. Since the return in popularity of Vinyl records “Midnights” is a must-have in your record collection, because of course, any big fan of the album would be a record collector. The album has a particular aesthetic of stars and jewels, with the colors you see most being dark blue, brown and maroon. Fans of “Midnights” attending “The Eras Tour” will undoubtedly be wearing stars and a midnight blue top or dress.
