The Look for Less: Taylor Swift

Whether you love her or hate her, Taylor Swift has been one of the major female celebrities to watch as far as fashion goes since she first broke out on the scene. From her trademark blonde curls to her vintage red lipstick, each step of her style transformation has remained classic, feminine, and timeless. While many of her looks are too red-carpet and impractical for the average girl on the go, this ensemble she wore when arriving at the airport is a simple way of playing with a trend that’s been fairly popular this season: the plaid shirt.

In this tutorial, I’ll outline how to achieve a similar look using lost-cost items and things that you probably already have in your closet.

The Key Pieces

The main aspect of this look is Taylor’s plaid flannel shirt. Plaid can be a scary pattern for a lot of young women, and as one of my best friends constantly says, “I love plaid on the hanger, but whenever I put it on, it just looks hideous.” In my opinion, the key to be able to pull of plaid is picking the right color, checking pattern, and cut of the shirt to suit your skin tone and body type. For example, if you have blue eyes and a fair complexion, you may want to try out a light blue or aquamarine plaid pattern to complement your eyes. If you have a darker complexion, you could definitely pull off a more vibrant color such as fuchsia or violet. With plaid, it’s all about experimentation and finding out what works for you and your own personal style. Not all plaid shirts have to fall in line with the stereotypical lumberjack look.

For my recreation, I went with a red flannel from Hollister. Though this top normally retailed for around fifty dollars, I used a forty-percent off promo code to get it for around twenty-seven dollars. Honestly, that is more than I would generally be willing to pay for a shirt, but I thought it was worth the investment because I do wear this shirt with quite a few outfits. It’s also a nice change from the typical cardigan sweaters I tend to wear once the temperature drops.

With the nearing arrival of spring, Hollister has a variety of plaid shirts on clearance for around sixteen dollars each, and compared to the retail price, that’s a steal. Wet Seal also has a variety of colors and styles of plaid tops to choose from for a decent price.

Underneath my plaid shirt, I layered a loose-fitted white v-neck from Target. Although Taylor’s only wearing the plaid top, I felt like layering something underneath and wearing the plaid shirt open gave it a more laidback appearance, which is closer to my own style.

For the bottoms, I went shopping in my own closet, which is something I’d suggest you ladies do as well. Taylor paired her top with a dark-rinse skinny jean, and while I have a pair of similar jeggings, I thought the navy of the jeans was too matchy with the navy from the shirt, so I paired it with a lighter washed jegging. I got both pairs of jeggings from Hollister on clearance for twelve dollars, but as I mentioned previously, the one key piece for this look is the plaid shirt. Feel free to use any jeans that you already have in your closet.

The Accessories

For the shoes, I saw this as an opportunity to make the look reflect my own personal style, and I would definitely suggest that you guys do the same. Fashion should be used as a means of self-expression, and you’re not expressing yourself if you’re copying a celebrity from head-to-toe.

I generally rotate between two pairs of boots for this outfit. One pair is a cognac over-the-knee riding boot that I purchased from Shoedazzle.com, and the other pair was a distressed leather cowboy boot from Sheplers. While the riding boots were only thirty-nine dollars, a reasonable price for boots that aren’t cheap looking, I’m not going to lie and pretend the cowboy boots weren’t pricey. Fortunately, I didn't go out and buy the boots just for this outfit. They're something I wear multiple times a week.

If you’d like to wear shoes similar to Taylor’s, Target offers smoking flats for a low price. In my opinion, the shoes were just too trendy for me and made the outfit look too put-together. I don't think there's really any need to buy a new pair of shoes for this outfit though. Depending on your personal style, you may choose to wear a pair of low-top Converses or a pair of ballet flats that you already own. The possibilities are endless.

In summary, I feel like the only piece you'd need to buy to get this look would be the right plaid shirt. Once you find a shirt that works for you, pair it with your favorite jeans and a cute pair of shoes, and voila! You have the same effortlessly casual look as Taylor Swift.