Taylor Swift’s Tortured Poets Era Color Is (Probably) Going To Be White

A new era of Taylor Swift is upon us — and nowhere is that more evident than within her wardrobe. The singer will release her 11th studio album, The Tortured Poets Department, on April 19 and in the lead-up, Swift is pivoting her style from Midnights’ glittery, astrology-inspired aesthetic to a more refined and elegant palette. One might even call it poetic.

As seen throughout her record-breaking Eras Tour, Swift adopts a distinct style for each of her album releases. The eras are always defined by an overarching color: green for her self-titled debut, yellow for Fearless, purple for Speak Now, red for Red (duh), sky blue for 1989, black for Reputation, pink for Lover, gray for Folklore, neutrals for Evermore, and midnight blue for Midnights.

After nearly a dozen records, white and orange remain the only colors that Swift has not yet utilized. Many fans speculated the latter would be her select hue, but given a few of her most recent looks, it appears that Swift is going with a much more muted color to represent her Tortured Poets album.

Her Recent All-White Looks

Swift set the tone for her next era at the 2024 Grammys on Feb. 4, when she announced Tortured Poets while accepting the award for Best Pop Vocal Album. For the occasion, she wore a long white gown from Schiaparelli Couture, complete with a sky-high thigh slit and a long train for maximum melodrama.

This was a surprising choice, because until then, she had been hinting heavily at a Reputation (Taylor’s Version) release through a stream of all-black ensembles punctuated with various snake-inspired accents.

And while the look marked her most noticeable style shift, it seems Swift began laying subtle Easter eggs months earlier, when the pop star wore several white looks while out in New York City during the Eras Tour.

This was most prevalent when she was photographed outside of Electric Lady Studios in May 2023, when she was likely recording Tortured Poets. A similar ensemble would later show up in her album cover art.

That said, she hasn’t started changing her Eras Tour looks to reflect Tortured Poets yet. But why would she? It’s a whole new era that’s definitely not included on her setlist. (At least not yet.)

She did, however, offer a small nod to her blossoming aesthetic, sporting white-bright nails at her six Singapore concerts from March 2-9 — the final shows before the album’s release.

The Tortured Poets Visuals

The first Tortured Poets cover, which Swift posted right after announcing the album, is a black-and-white portrait of her lying on a bed surrounded by crisp, white sheets. Plus, the vinyl is “Ghosted White.” Her new vibe is made clear through this image alone, but the hints don’t stop there.

Her additional cover strikes a similar chord, though the backdrop has changed. Instead of white sheets, Swift dons an oversize white button-up shirt, similar to the one she wore over the summer.

While Swift has primarily used whites and grays for her Tortured Poets visuals, she threw fans for a loop when she unveiled the album’s final cover art. The “Black Dog” edition is easily her most dramatic album cover to date, with Swift embracing herself against an all-black backdrop. Though the cover is mostly noir, she pops against the moody background in a simple white tee.

Unless Swift says otherwise, it seems as though white will be the official color of The Tortured Poets Department.