The Narrative Thread: What Taylor’s Recent Plaid Looks Really Mean
Taylor Swift has been spotted in the streets in striking new ensembles, and they all have one thing in common: plaid. And not just plaid, but several woven and checkered fabrics like gingham, houndstooth, and tartans.
She often uses her outfits to signify a new era and leave us Easter eggs pointing to what’s next. So what’s with all the plaid?
I’m an English teacher and major Swiftie, and I think Taylor’s recent looks have more symbolic meaning that we might realize.
She’s Always Used Colors, Not Patterns
First, it’s important to note that Taylor hasn’t used patterned textiles in any of her previous eras. She’s worn them, sure, but never so blatantly and never grouped so closely together.
Changing eras are usually signaled by color scheme shifts, like from 1989 ‘s peppy light blues to the monochrome looks of reputation. This then shifted into the rainbow explosion of Lover.
She wore patterns and prints in all these eras, but it was the overall color scheme that was key.
Right now, it’s not the color scheme that seems to be a commonality: it’s the pattern.
She’s worn a multitude of colors in her street looks recently, but they all have one thing in common: a checkered print.
The Symbolism of Plaid
We could go into the history of plaid and tartan, but I don’t think its history is what’s most important. It’s the symbolism that’s key.
What is a checkered fabric? Different colors woven together to create a tapestry. All the different threads come together to form one unified cloth.
In the Scottish Highlands, your clan’s tartan told your story, and signified your heritage. The red strands of some tartans, for example, were dyed by berries unique to specific areas. If you had that red in your tartan, it meant – among other things – that you were from that region, and it signified your identity.
All the threads of your people, your native land, and your history, came together to tell one unique story of who you are and where you’re from. I believe Taylor’s plaid is signifying the same thing.
Plaid in The Eras Tour Poster
You’ll notice in both versions of The Eras Tour poster, there are boxes of different colors, positioned together to create a checkered pattern. What does that remind you of? Plaid.
Different squares of color, each representing one of Taylor’s eras, come together to form one cohesive narrative. Her past and present – all the narrative threads – are woven together to tell a single story.
The plaid, therefore, was with us all along. So what’s it trying to tell us?
It helps to look at the larger journey, and see where The Eras Tour fits into Taylor’s narrative.
Taylor’s Hero’s Journey
The hero’s journey is a framework through which to view Taylor’s life and career: the larger story she’s telling us.
Through this lens, The Eras Tour lies near the end of her hero’s journey (or heroine’s journey, which I’ve outlined here).
In my previous analysis, I posited that either The Eras Tour, or the completion of the re-records, is the final step: “return with the elixir”. It’s her victory lap after she’s defeated all her enemies, and brings home a gift to humanity.
In The Wizard of Oz, for example, Dorothy clicks her heels, returns home, and learns that “there’s no place like home”. Dorothy didn’t need to go looking for outside help; the key was looking within.
In the end of Taylor’s hero’s journey, the lesson is that all she needed was inside of her all along. No matter how many people come at her, and try to steal her name, reputation, and life’s work, she’ll defeat them all. She just has to fully embrace her power to come full circle.
This, I believe, is the larger significance of the plaid Easter eggs: she’s winding it all up, weaving the patchwork of her narrative. She’s looking back at where she’s been, how it changed her, and reflecting on the tapestry of her career.
A “Checkered History”
The old saying, “a checkered history,” or “chequered history,” depending on which side of the pond you live, means that you’ve had trouble in the past. You’ve been through bad times and good, but there’s something scandalous in your past that tarnishes your reputation.
Symbolically, nothing could be more appropriate for Taylor to wear than plaid as she wraps up her entire history and completes her hero’s journey.
She’s been through the ringer, been scandalized, and been torn down. But, despite that “checkered history,” she’s still come out on top.
So What Does All The Plaid Mean?
I don’t think Taylor’s checkered looks are signaling a new era. I think it symbolizes the completion of her “eras” era.
Remember, she’s wearing all these looks as The Eras Tour comes to a close.
But Taylor’s outfits usually do point toward a new release. What could that new release mean, if we assume that the plaid symbolizes all of her eras, and the completion of the hero’s journey?
Here are a few possibilities, if she is pointing toward a new release of some kind.
1. Debutation
This is the theory that most Swifties are clowning for. We’re so anxious for reputation (Taylor’s Version), that we’ve gone to some pretty delusional lengths to predict when it will drop.
So could the plaid be signaling reputation TV, debut TV, or both?
Since she’s weaving her narrative, and those are the final two threads that make the complete tapestry, I think either are possible.
Read my full prediction post on what will happen after The Eras Tour right here.
2. An Eras Tour Documentary
We know she’s releasing The Eras Tour book soon, but what about a behind-the-scenes doc?
Taylor has been sighted exiting the Eras Tour stage several times with a film crew, and we know that the preparation and rehearsals were already professionally filmed. This was revealed in the I Can Do it With a Broken Heart music video, which is a mini-documentary of sorts.
The plaid could be signaling the release of this new film, which truly wraps up her “eras” era once and for all, telling the story of how it came to be and how it changed her.
3. An Eras Tour Live Album
Since Taylor’s outfits usually point to new music specifically, I think it’s highly likely that we’ll get an Eras Tour live album. This could definitely be the “new music” she’s pointing toward.
If this happens, will there be surprise songs? Special guests? Will it include both the old and new setlist? And will there be recordings from each stop on the tour, or only one recording, taken from a single show or city?
4. An Updated Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour Concert Film
It’s fairly likely that, since the current version of The Eras Tour concert film on Disney+ includes only the old setlist, that we’ll get an updated version.
Will it get another theatrical release? Will the current version be replaced, or will there be a supplement including the TTPD set? Will they be two separate films, like a sequel, or will they be combined into one?
Will Travis’ appearance make the cut? Will we get to see Florence perform Florida!!!? Will there be more surprise songs?
5. Nothing. It Just Means We’re Still in The Tortured Poets Era
The plaid could just be in line with the dark academia vibes of her Tortured Poet looks, and we’re all clowning for nothing.
6. It Signals Another New Album
I think this is the least likely possibility, as Taylor’s new album pattern has been fairly consistent. Every two years she releases a new studio album, with two re-records in between.
We just got The Tortured Poets Department in spring of 2024, so I don’t think we can expect an entirely new album until 2026.
But blondie is always full of surprises, and with her unstoppable drive and work ethic, anything is possible.
What About the Yellow?
Taylor has also been calling attention to the color yellow recently, both in checkered prints and solid colors.
She hasn’t used yellow before for any of her eras. She’s used gold for Fearless, but that’s about as close to yellow as she’s gotten.
But what is also yellow, that she’s referenced time and time again? The yellow brick road. The road through perils and triumphs, on which she tries to find her way “home.” Ding, dong, the witch is dead.
She references the yellow brick road blatantly in the Karma music video, and has also referenced The Wizard of Oz in songs like Out of The Woods.
So what could the yellow mean? She’s following the yellow brick road home. She’s completing her hero’s journey, which is similar to what I think the plaid is trying to say.
The major question is: does her hero’s journey end once The Eras Tour is over, or does it end once she releases her final two re-records?
In my view, this portion of her journey can only end once she’s reclaimed everything that was stolen: her name, her reputation, and therefore, her identity.
The yellow – and/or the plaid – could mean that we’re almost home, and Taylor Swift (Taylor’s Version) and reputation (Taylor’s Version) are on the horizon.
She’s weaving the final tapestry of her story and completing the narrative, and will have trod the length of the yellow brick road to make it back “home.”
What Do You Think The Plaid & Yellow Means?
This is, of course, only my interpretation. What do you think?
Email me at Jen (at) Swiftly Sung Stories (dot) com, or message or tag me on TikTok. I’d love to hear your thoughts and theories!
Is our hero about to become the mentor, having finished her own journey, or is a new journey just beginning?
Read More
The Plotline of Taylor Swift: Her Ultimate Heroine’s Journey
What Will Happen After The Eras Tour? Ranking the Possibilities
Mapping Taylor’s Hero’s Journey & What Comes Next
Taylor Swift 101
