I’ve recently started a quest to fill in the blank space above, and not only am I NOT out of the woods, I found myself completely lost in a deep, dark forest. After some research, it’s basically impossible to define the pop queen’s footwear range. In fact, I think she might have multiple shoe style personalities. (To be fair, who doesn’t?) So I’ve taken on the brave task of trying to categorize her various footwear phases. Below, a history of her most defining shoe moments, a.k.a., a Tay Timeline I urge everyone to step into.
Country Cool, 2005-2009
It’s hard to remember a world when Taylor strictly rocked bedazzled cowboy boots and deconstructed banana curls, but it was her trademark for the first four years of her career.
Laced-Up Lady, 2008-2011
These were transformative years for Taylor’s style. She started to lose her country flare and developed a more classic, nouveau school girl aesthetic.
Sorority Girl Meets Society Girl, 2012-2013
This was when Taylor was totally Blair Waldorfing IRL. She also dated Patrick Schwarzenneger in 2012, which means she was Kennedy family adjacent (Patrick’s mom Maria Shriver is a Kennedy through her mom, Eunice Kennedy Shriver, who was siblings with former president John F. Kennedy), and the Kennedy connection explains the modest footwear choices, from school-girl oxfords to demure Charlotte Olympia “kitty” pumps.
High-Fashion Hipster, 2014
Remember that period when Taylor Swift solely wore high-heeled, lace-up oxfords and mini hemlines? Well, here’s your reminder.
Rock ‘N’ Roll Chick, 2015-2016
Anna Wintour staged a style intervention on the star for the May 2016 cover of Vogue, and it looks like the grungy, almost goth-level makeover has stuck.
“I’m thrilled that it’s Taylor Swift, who’s my co-chair this year at the Met Gala,” Wintour shared when the cover was revealed. “And we very much wanted to give Taylor a new look, make her into a sort of a rock n’ roll chick.”
We also have a feeling Tay’s transition into pop and her DJ boyfriend Calvin Harris might also have something to do with her edgier style.