Dressing for Revenge: An Analysis of Taylor Swift’s Midnights Era Fashion

Graphic by Carly Witteman.

Taylor Swift is a mastermind, and nothing in her album roll-outs is accidental—including her outfits. From the perfect red lip to the latest leg-lengthening bodysuit, each Swift album unveils a new side to the singer-songwriter’s style, and the Midnights era, based on her latest record-shattering release, is no exception. At times shimmering and at others subdued,  Swift’s recent looks perfectly represent the album’s basis on a special kind of self-reflection that can only occur in the middle of the night.

Following the announcement of Swift’s summer 2023 tour, we’re patiently awaiting to see what outfits she’ll strut down a catwalk and strum a steady tune in, but for now, here’s a roundup of the looks that have made Midnights.

The 2022 VMAs

Photo courtesy of Elle Magazine.

Photo courtesy of Elle Magazine.

Kicking off the Midnights era with a surprise appearance at the 2022 VMAs, Swift was dressing for revenge in an Oscar de la Renta mini dress, which draped her body in strings of silver jewels. Swifties were quick to point out the similarities between her look and the infamous bathtub scene from the “Look What You Made Me Do” music video, theorizing that Swift was going to announce the rerecording for her 2017 album Reputation. Even though she later announced a new era was on the way, the connections between these looks emphasize Midnights’ tracks, “Vigilante Shit” and “Karma,” proving that Swift is back and better than ever—and she’s going to celebrate. Swift embodied disco glamor in her after party look, sporting a royal blue romper, a luxurious fur jacket and silver platforms worthy of a dance floor. If karma is a queen, Swift is comfortably seated on the throne.

Midnights Mayhem

Photo courtesy of Pinterest.

In her carefully calculated chaos, Swift began revealing the names of each Midnights track in a series of TikToks aptly called “Midnights Mayhem With Me.” Taking on a more cozy version of the ‘70s aesthetic she wore for the VMAs after-party, Swift donned earthy tones, fuzzy knits and casual prints as she picked up the phone to announce the song titles. The laid-back atmosphere created in these looks is perhaps a nod to the more pared-down tracks on the album like “Sweet Nothing”—outfits you could wear as you’re in the kitchen humming, contently musing on the perfect stillness of a steady relationship.

Midnights Album Photoshoot

For the Midnights album photoshoot, Swift appeared in a number of moody, retro outfits, including wide-leg corduroy pants, ribbed tops and sparkly powder-blue eyeshadow as she forlornly lounged around wood-paneled rooms. These evoke Swift’s statement on the album as being inspired by “13 sleepless nights scattered throughout [her] life” where she was kept awake by “self-loathing,” “wondering what might have been” and “falling apart,” as revealed on Spotify. With her glittery makeup contrasting her cozy, fashionably disheveled outfits, Swift gives the impression of having returned home from a night out, feeling devastated as she sits in the dark all alone. The aesthetics are an ode to the awful silence when the party's over, and all she can do is wait for the dawn to come, lost in the labyrinth of her mind.

“Anti-Hero” Music Video

Swift’s self-contempt appeared strongest in the album’s lead single “Anti-Hero,” in which she admits the ghosts of friends haunt her at night, and she has feelings of being “too big to hangout,” as demonstrated by her literally enlarged figure at a dinner party scene. The video features two Swifts: a homebody wearing a comfortable shirt and low ponytail as she outruns her demons and the pop-star version of herself, approaching the same color palette but in the form of sparkly shorts, a ring-leader-esque bodysuit and snake-skin boots (a callback to Reputation, perhaps?). Through her matching—yet differently styled—attire, Swift conveys the idea that she constantly feels at odds against herself, struggling to live as both an ordinary person and as one of the most popular celebrities on earth. The warm, fuzzy aesthetics of the video create a dream-like quality as Swift confronts her nightmares, and Swift’s retro clothing as she faces her fears about the future alludes to the perpetual feeling of being pulled back and forth, never being the right person at the right time.

“Bejeweled” Music Video

On a brighter note, the music video for her second single “Bejeweled” finds Swift the lead in a retelling of Cinderella. But in this highly glamorized version, she takes the castle and ghosts the prince. From where we first meet Swift in the dirty frock of a “tacky, tired wench” next to her wicked stepsisters and stepmother (the sisters of indie-pop band HAIM and actress Laura Dern, respectively), Swift runs off to get “polished up real nice.” Strutting down a catwalk of diamonds, Swift wears a black bodysuit as multi-colored gems float in the air and stick themselves to her clothing, covering her in jewels and mimicking Cinderella’s glow-up scene. In later scenes, Swift continues to shine as she twirls in a large martini glass alongside burlesque dancer Dita Von Teese, wearing a diamond-encrusted bodysuit and roaring ‘20s pin waves. For her final dance at the ball, Swift’s two-piece set is pure flapper-girl extravagance, complete with a headpiece dripping diamonds down her hair. In case you missed it, Swift is sparkling.

As an artist acutely aware of every detail and unafraid of transformation, Swift’s new style for her Midnights era extends the key messages of the album’s lyrics. Her wardrobe—from comfortable clothing worn during her more brooding moments to heavily bejeweled party-wear—captures all the catastrophic feelings that occur after midnight: the melancholy, the madness and the magic.

While on her thirteenth album and nearly two decades into her career, it’s clear through Midnights that Swift, despite the vigilante shit and midnight rain, is still going to make the whole place shimmer. You best believe it.