Taylor Swift's Midnights: How To Nail The '70s Nostalgia Meets Nighttime Glitter Look
Taylor Swift is officially in her "Midnights" era. Gone are the bright pinks and purples of her optimistic and bright "Lover." She has also phased out her cozy cardigans and whimsical autumnal tones of her woodsy "Folklore" and "Evermore" eras. It's 2022, and along with the release of her latest album, Swift has debuted a brand new look.
The album itself is inspired by sleepless nights. As she wrote on Instagram, it's "a collection of music written in the middle of the night, a journey though terrors and sweet dreams." In her Instagram videos teasing the album's song titles (aka her Midnights Mayhem videos), her public appearances, her album artwork and her "Midnights" music videos, Swift's style has taken a retro turn. Her looks are largely '70s inspired — think brown tones, retro collars, stripes, houndstooth and corduroy. And for her nighttime looks, Swift has embraced a disco vibe — think glitter, sequins and feathers. As the album's music makes clear, Swift is all grown up — and she has a new look to prove it.
If you're anything like us, you can't wait to enter your own "Midnights" era. Looking for inspiration? Here are some tips on achieving Swift's "Midnights" look.
Daytime is all about '70s looks – browns, collars, corduroy and stripes
Let's start with a general overview. For daytime looks, Taylor Swift has stuck with a very retro 1970s look.
It's laid-back, easy-going and comfortable. Luckily, according to Marie Claire, the '70s are back in fashion, so it's the perfect time to adopt Swift's new look. If you're trying to achieve the look, go for warm, neutral colors — think shades of brown, deep greens, oranges, beiges, and the like. A lot of Swift's "Midnights" looks have featured '70s-era patterns, too, such as stripes, large flowers, houndstooth or checks. As for fabrics, Swift has been wearing a lot of cozy textures, like ribbed knits and corduroy. When it comes to creating a silhouette, high-waisted, flared trousers are a must. Complete the look with a pair of chunky loafers.
In the evenings, go for glamour and sparkle
Taylor Swift has had a decidedly different vibe for her evening looks. While her Midnights Mayhem videos showed her wearing laid-back '70s looks, for her evening appearances, she's evoked a very different '70s look: She's gone full disco. Swift's look seems to say, while the middle of the night can be a time for serious introspection, it can also be a time to let loose and party.
For Swift's party style, she had opted for high-octane sparkle and shimmer — we're talking loads of sequins. Her evening color palette has consisted of silver, gold, black, and deep midnight blues. She often accessorizes with fur coats, sparkly bags, high heels, and dramatic smoky makeup.
Shortly after her new album was announced, Swift wore a deep blue mini slip dress covered in silver stars. Later, she appeared at TIFF in a glamorous gold sequined gown. At the Nashville Songwriter Awards, she chose a sparkly back turtleneck dress with a side cutout, one sleeve and a side slit. She also went for sparkly glamour for her appearance on "The Graham Norton Show," where she wore David Koma's Crystal-Embellished high-nick mini dress worth $1,480.
Taylor Swift has been wearing a lot of '70s-inspired Reformation in her Midnights era
If you are hoping to imitate a few of Taylor Swift's '70s looks, you're in luck. A few of her outfits are from the LA brand Reformation. First, Swift wore a form-fitting striped dress in a video describing her song "Snow on the Beach." The mini dress featured blue, yellow, and red stripes; long sleeves; and a high rounded neck. She also posted a video wearing a brown sweater with a '70s V-neck polo collar during her Midnights Mayhem series.
As Stylist noted, both of these looks are cashmere numbers from Reformation. You can buy the Leone Cashmere Sweater Mini Dress for $278, and the Cashmere Polo Sweater in Camel for $168. To be just like Taylor, pair the cashmere sweater with a green mini skirt, a pair of drop earrings, and an updo.
Taylor Swift has spoken – sweater vests and polo sweaters are in
If you're going for the Taylor Swift-in-her-"Midnights"-era look, there are two things you absolutely must add to your wardrobe — sweater vests and collared polo-neck sweaters.
Here is what she's worn so far. In her Midnights Mayhem videos, she's worn a short-sleeved beige polo neck top, the aforementioned beige Reformation polo-neck sweater, and a red, white and green checked sleeveless sweater vest. In another Instagram video, she wore an outfit from one of her "Midnights" music videos. The outfit featured a white sleeveless knit vest with red and yellow zigzag stripes. The top is actually part of a set by Mother and can be purchased for $157.
Swift continued her knit top trend in her "Anti-Hero" video, which featured not one but two polo knits: one patchwork collared polo t-shirt in red, blue, yellow and white, and one ribbed sweater with horizontal stripes.
Taylor Swift is big on the blazers in her Midnights era
As Taylor Swift leans into the 1970s looks, she is also wearing more blazers than ever before. In her first Midnights Mayhem video, she was seen wearing a brown blazer with a simple white tee and a pair of shorts. The blazer is reportedly the Smythe '90s blazer in Burnt Sienna and retails for $695.
On October 20, 2022, Swift was seen wearing a Stella McCartney single breasted black blazer with a pair of wide legged beige trousers, a black cami and a pair of black heeled loafers by Prada.
Swift pulled out another gorgeous blazer look for her appearance on "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon" on October 24, 2022. For the talk show appearance, Swift wore the black and white Dorothee Schumacher Jacquard three-piece set, which featured a turtleneck top, flared high-waisted trousers, and a fitted blazer. As Swift demonstrates perfectly, the blazer is the perfect way to add some glamour to the nostalgic '70s daytime look for those evenings when you don't want to go full sequined glitz.
Here's how to get Taylor Swift's alter ego look from her Anti-Hero video
Feeling chaotic-bad? It might be a good time to channel Taylor Swift's slightly evil alter ego as seen in her "Anti-Hero" music video. The video sees a glittery and devious Swift haunting the real Swift, bringing all of her late night intrusive thoughts to life.Swift's alter ego may be a little evil, but she certainly knows how to dress.
In the video, Swift wore the green pink and orange glittery Farm Rio one-piece swimsuit ($165) under a pair of sequined orange mini shorts. She also wore a delicate gold necklace and a dramatic pair of knee-high heeled green snake print boots, which appear to be the Python Boots by Prada (yes, Swift seems to be dropping a classic snake Easter Egg with her boots!). Swift completed the sparkly outfit with a jewel just below her left eye. Whether you wear this look out to the club or for your next costume party, it's already iconic.
Midnights-era Taylor is all about the chunky shoes
Taylor Swift hasn't just updated her wardrobe for the release of "Midnights" — she's updated her shoe closet, too. Her song "Maroon" may feature the line, "The one I was dancing with in New York/No shoes," but let's face it — we all need shoes!
To go with her new look, Swift has begun to wear a lot of chunky lace-ups and loafers. After all, the '70s was the decade of the platform shoe (via Independent). Here are a few of the shoes and boots to try if you want to go full, head to toe "Midnights."
Start with the Jeffrey Campbell Refresh Platform Boots for $180, which Swift wore for her Jimmy Fallon appearance (via People). Swift can also be seen wearing the Fendi Match Mixed Leather FF Sneakers worth $930 during her "Anti-Hero" music video. In her "Midnights" photoshoot, Swift wore a pair of chunky Mary Janes by Chloe worth $895. And, of course, we've already mentioned those iconic green Python boots by Prada.
Don't be afraid to bejewel yourself
When it comes to those evenings when you're going out out, Taylor Swift has spoken — it's all about the accessorize. As her music video for "Bejeweled" makes very clear, if you want to go for the "Midnights" look, the more jewels the better. Basically, just add as much sparkle as you can — on your arms, neck, fingers and ears, but also on your clothes and your face. As Swift would say, "What's a girl gonna do? A diamond's gotta shine."
So far, Swift has been spotted in a few specific pieces of jewellery (via Femestella). During her appearance on "The Graham Norton Show," she wore the Anita Ko 18kt White Gold Diamond coil ring. In her "Bejeweled" video, she wore stud earrings and a necklace by Swarovski, along with the LELET NY Poppy Comb, the LELET Pearl hair pin and the Shashi Blossom pin set in her hair. She was also seen wearing Irene Neuwirth's Gem Necklace worth $37,120, wrapped twice around her wrist as a bracelet. In her "Anti-Hero" video, Swift reportedly wears two necklaces and a ring by Jennifer Meyer. And then, of course, there is Swift's own bejeweled friendship bracelet, which is for sale on her online shop.
Add some '70s glamour with blue feathers and fur
While Taylor Swift has been opting for boxy, oversized blazers for her daytime looks, her glizty evening looks call for something with a bit more pizzazz. For chilly evenings when your sparkly mini dress isn't quite enough to keep you warm, go with a very extra fuzzy coat — we're talking either feathers or fur.
For instance, when Swift wore her midnight blue mini dress covered in stars for the MTV VMAs after party, she paired it with a stunning white fur coat draped around her shoulders (via Bustle). Swift wore another fuzzy coat in her "Midnights" trailer and in an Instagram video announcing her new Tumblr theme. This blue feathery, fur coat is the $168 Renata Fur Coat by Free People.
Fur is the perfect way to really stand out from the crowd and add some '70s glamour to your party outfits.
Get on some vigilante s*** and try dressing for revenge
Dressing for "Midnights" isn't just about copying Taylor Swift's outfits meticulously — it's also about achieving the right vibe. And one great place to start is with the concept of revenge. As Swift's song "Vigilante S***" goes, "I don't dress for women/I don't dress for men/Lately I've been dressing for revenge."
So, how does one dress for revenge, anyway? Well, you could try imitating Princess Diana's famous black off-the-shoulder "revenge dress" — just like Swift apparently did back in 2021 during her appearance on "Late Night With Seth Meyers" (via Insider).
According to Cosmopolitan, revenge dressing is all about wearing fierce, sexy statement pieces that scream, "I'm doing just fine, thank you very much." They suggest going for leather, lace and corsets — anything that is bold and attention-grabbing that makes you look and feel great. Just as Swift says in the song, dressing for revenge isn't about dressing for women, men, or friends, but for yourself.
Get a Midnights mani
We've talked clothes — but what about nails? Luckily, Taylor Swift has already given us some excellent inspiration for the perfect "Midnights" mani. In an Instagram video, Swift showed off her new nails, writing "Meet me at midnight," and "Midnights manicure" (via Byrdie). Just like the dark glittery vibe of her album, her latest manicure is all about late night sparkle. She went with a dark blue base covered with silver sparkles and stars. In fact, it looked an awful lot like a night sky. And a lot like her outfit to the VMAs after party.
If you want to try a "Midnights" mani yourself, you could either imitate Swift's look, or come up with your own version. We recommend going for dark blues or dark reds — "Maroon," anyone? Add some sparkle and, if you're feeling brave, a moon and some stars. And voila — your very own "Midnights" mani.
Go for that long, laid-back '70s haircut
When it comes to hair, Taylor Swift has leaned into the 1970s look. Along with her signature heavy bangs, Swift's hair is long, wavy and filled with layers. In fact, we can't help but notice a striking resemblance to Joni Mitchell, one of the fashion icons of the 1970s (via Huffington Post).
While Swift has been wearing her hair long and loose for a lot of her videos and appearances, she has also done a few hairstyles. One common accessory in her Midnights Mayhem videos and her "Anti-Hero" video is the claw clip. According to a fan account, in one video she wore her hair twisted back in a white Anthropologie hair clip. In another Midnights Mayhem video, Swift wore her hair in two long braids — again, it was all very Joni Mitchell.
Draw the cat eye sharp enough to kill a man and do Midnights-era makeup
And finally, make-up. Taylor Swift has done some iconic make-up looks in "Midnights" era. While her laid-back daytime looks have featured pretty minimalistic looks, Swift has been pretty consistent on one front — eyeliner. Specifically, liquid cat eyeliner. She was being serious when she said, "Draw the cat eye sharp enough to kill a man."
For her glittery evening looks, Swift has gone for some very dramatic make-up looks. In addition to cat eyes, she's worn sparkly eyeshadow, face glitter and, of course, her signature red lip. Her "Bejeweled" video featured make-up designed by Pat McGrath. As McGrath told Allure, she used her fingers to apply the Mothership X: Moonlit Seduction Palette's shades Blitz Venus, Skintense Glow, Astral Lilac Aura, Xtreme Nocturne, and Platinum Dusk for her shimmery eyeshadow look. As for the red lip, McGrath used the Permagel Ultra Lip Pencil in Blood Lust and Deep Dive, along with the LiquiLUSTTM: Legendary Wear Matte Lipstick in Elson 4.