Taylor Swift has entered her engagement era. And, as befitting an artist whose image has always evolved to reflect the shifts in her music — not to mention one who has never been afraid to share her most Hallmark-seeped romantic fantasies — boy, does she have a new look to go with her new status.
Or rather, boy, do she and her fiancé, Travis Kelce, have a new look. He is now officially part of the picture — specifically, part of the pictures as posted by Ms. Swift on Instagram, the site of choice for many celebrity life reveals, to share her news.
According to Mr. Kelce’s father, Ed, Travis actually proposed two weeks ago, but it appears the couple needed time to craft the ideal announcement. It makes sense, considering the stagecraft.
The engagement photos were set in a leafy bower festooned with pink and white roses, anemones, lilies and delphinium, like something straight out of an enchanted garden. They featured the couple hugging, cuddling and, at the re-created moment of proposal, Mr. Kelce kneeling before Ms. Swift.
In all of the shots, they are framed beneath an arch dripping in blossoms and flanked by two large white urns overflowing with more floral bounty, as though nature itself had burst into bloom to celebrate the Swift/Kelce union.
Ms. Swift is wearing a black and white striped sundress with spaghetti straps and a smocked bodice by Ralph Lauren, a designer more than adept at weaving wardrobe dreams of American royalty. Mr. Kelce is wearing a navy cable-knit Ralph Lauren polo shirt, with tailored khaki shorts. They look a little Hyannis Port, a little “Midsummer Night’s Dream.”
On her left hand is her large, vintage-look diamond engagement ring and a diamond and gold Cartier Santos Demoiselle watch. On her feet are brown Louis Vuitton Isola sandals; on his are loafers. Her hair is loose and just slightly undone. The vibe is artfully simple and in perfect concert: two people sharing the same fairy tale. One that Ms. Swift has been singing longingly about since she first broke out of the country scene with ballads about high school, Romeo and Juliet, cheerleaders and football players.
It’s schmaltzy, no question, but part of Ms. Swift’s power is her willingness to acknowledge her own soap operatic dreams, to cast herself as the heroine endlessly chasing the allure of love promised to little girls in old clichés, and wear her emotions for all to see. She may be a world-dominating figure, one of the powerhouses of her chosen profession, but she’s still a sucker for a great romance and not embarrassed to share that.
It’s no wonder, really, that within hours her dress, which had been on sale for $319.99 (down from $398), had sold out online.
The pictures are also a noted departure from the imagery of Ms. Swift that most recently flooded the digisphere thanks to her announcement, on the podcast Mr. Kelce hosts with his brother, Jason, of her new album, “The Life of a Showgirl,” scheduled to be released in October.
Those pictures, which depict Ms. Swift as the cabaret performer of the title, are rife with feathers, rhinestones and skin, the underbelly of the showbiz world. At the same time, the engagement photos are also a contrast with Mr. Kelce’s recent GQ cover shoot, in which he poses in a giant faux fur hat and waders, clutching an enormous Hermès bag. (He also jumps into the ocean in a cowboy hat, among other exciting clothing adventures.)
The photos even diverge from the paparazzi shots of the couple, which often reveal their penchant for experimenting with such a wide range of styles and outfits that they mostly suggest shared fashion chaos. They’re a stew of good taste and bad taste, without much distinction between the two.
But the engagement shoot (because that is what it is) offers harmonic coordination. The pictures, really, of the prelude to a perfect happy ending.
Vanessa Friedman has been the fashion director and chief fashion critic for The Times since 2014.
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