Taylor Swift is a Renaissance Woman
In the beginning of Taylor Swift’s career as a singer songwriter, Taylor dawned renaissance inspired attire. This could be because of the iconic song, ‘Love Story’, that is based off of ‘Romeo and Juliet’ written by William Shakespeare.
Here, Swift has chosen a red dress to wear during her live performance of ‘Love Story’ and a white dress to wear during the filming of the ‘Love Story’ music video. Based off of Shakespeare’s symbolism in his sonnets, the color of the dresses could mean more than just a pretty fabric. White indicates good favored, anti-revolutionary, purity and innocence. In the music video, Taylor is taking on the persona of Juliet. The dress is a creamy white to show delicacy but also resemble the inner values of the character. It is interesting that white could also symbolize an anti-revolutionary person because ironically, Juliet did the opposite.
“My mistress’ eyes are nothing like the sun; Coral is far more red than her lips’ red; If snow be white, why then her breasts are dun; If hairs be wires, black wires grow on her head. I have seen roses demasked, red and white, but no such roses I see in her cheeks…” (Sonnet 130 lines 1-6)
The same theme through the years
We see the same white dress / red dress dynamic, at her Brit awards performance. She keeps the workings of renaissance fashion while also applying the Shakespearean color symbols to another one of her songs. She begins her performance of ‘I Knew You Were Trouble’ with a white dress with gold embellishments, similar to the Love Story dress. Here it is clear that the dress symbolizes the innocence and purity of the singer when she had first met the antagonist in the song.
Midway through the song, Taylor changes into a more gothically-modified renaissance dress. Even though the singer is still the same girl throughout the song, here it assumed that she is taking on the role as the mistress. These replications are evident in Shakespeare’s sonnet 130 (shown above). The dress still looks like a renaissance piece while adding an edgy feel to the feminine and delicate piece before. .
(Top to bottom) Left: Fearless Tour, Speak Now Tour, Red Tour Right: 1989 Tour, Reputation Stadium Tour
Similar to works in literature that get remade into different editions over time, Swift does the same with her song ‘Love Story’. When she performed the song live on her Fearless tour in 2009, she started off in the traditional red renaissance inspired gown. At her Speak Now tour in 2011, she wore a more bedazzled and modern piece but kept elements of the literature such as the iconic balcony scene. From 2013 on Taylor opts for more modern dresses until she abandons the complete renaissance look in 2015 on the 1989 tour.
A transition through the eras
An indirect and even unintentional look at how a classic piece moves away from traditional and original work. Simply, how something iconic is modified throughout the ages to create something more contemporary, that keeps it’s value but also can fit into the present day genre.
Gentleman’s Grey Concrete Wall
Standing in front of a wall. Habitant aenean vero repellat? Natus, dictum? Sunt habitasse cras corrupti. Aute taciti of the maecenas erat ac deleniti arcu. Primis tincidunt viverra duis. Euismod ad quae! Ac cubilia suscipit anim perspiciatis eum parturient ratione iaculis odit magnam. Photos by Daria Shevtsova.
Taylor Through the Ages 