All of Taylor Swift's Album Eras and Their Distinctive Styles

Swift's debut album was simply titled Taylor Swift. Fully country and written while she was in high school, the innocence and youthfulness were reflected in her tight curls, sundresses, and cowboy boots.

Swift's second album Fearless established her as a crossover artist with the success of singles "Love Story" and "You Belong With Me." Fearless remains the most awarded album in country music history, including Album of the Year at the Grammy Awards in 2010. Her style for this album consisted of sparkly fringe dresses, ballgowns, and her signature lucky number 13 painted on the back of her hand.

With Speak Now, Swift really leaned into theatrical elements. Her music video for "Mean" had her leaning into her country roots, while her red carpet looks became more glam and grown-up. Considering this was her first album in her 20s, it made sense that she seemed to be experimenting with different styles and sounds.

Despite the album being a mix of country and pop, Swift's Red album has one of the most consistent aesthetics among her albums. Besides the obvious colour threading it together, the singer's love for all things vintage was evident throughout all of her looks. High-waisted shorts, '50s dresses, and her iconic red lip and bangs combo were all essentials of the Red era. 

Swift's first full pop album came with 1989. Inspired by the golden era of '80s pop, her glittery crop tops and freshly cut bob aided her evolution to pop stardom. Like Fearless, 1989 is the most awarded pop album by any artist in history and earned Swift her second Album of the Year Grammy. 

After the drama with Kim Kardashian and Kanye West, Swift disappeared from the public eye for a year. When she came back with Reputation, she gave us an aesthetic we'd never seen from her before. The moody style of this album was emphasized by dark lipstick, black bodysuits, and snake motifs.  

Drastically different from Reputation, Swift's Lover album was the rainbow after the storm. Butterflies replaced snakes and pastel pinks, blues, and purples took over the dark color palette of the past. While this era was cut short by the pandemic, the colorful celebration of love was fun while it lasted. 

While in isolation due to COVID, Swift spent her time creating an alternative indie album. Inspired by folksongs and escapism, the album's aesthetic was simple but the songwriting was some of her best. The Grammys must have agreed because Folklore earned the singer-songwriter her third Album of the Year Grammy, making her the first woman to accomplish that feat. 

Less than five months after Folklore, Swift released Evermore, a continuation of lockdown musings. The album aesthetics were very similar, with the most noticeable difference being that Folklore was a summer album while Evermore was a winter one. 

In April 2021, Swift released her first re-recorded album, Fearless (Taylor's Version). After losing the rights to her masters, Swift decided to re-record her previous albums to regain ownership over her songs. With the re-records, she also added some previously unreleased songs to the album.

Unlike Fearless (Taylor's Version), Swift went on a mini promotional tour for Red (Taylor's Version). She released a short film for her highly anticipated 10-minute version of "All Too Well" starring Sadie Sink and Dylan O'Brien, performed the song on Saturday Night Live, and even released a music video for another single, "I Bet You Think About Me" directed by Blake Lively. 

At the 2022 VMAs, Swift announced her recently released 10th original studio album, Midnights. The 13-song soundtrack maintains her pop vibes yet she has also found a soft edge to include in the sound. Swift has officially returned and has clearly come back with a new confidence and a lot to say.