Last night, Taylor Swift made history once more. She became the youngest female artist to be inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame at age 36—second as an artist only to Stevie Wonder who entered the American institution age 33. After being inducted by Stephen Spielberg, the pop star gave an emotional 21-minute long speech. She called songwriting “the easiest part” of her journey, detailing the doubts and family sacrifices and the grafting to get where she is—as well as the dreams she hopes to inspire in little girls.
To do so, Swift relied on her most familiar style signatures, choosing a custom, corseted, and floral print Givenchy by Sarah Burton gown for the occasion. The black dress features an elegant, strapless boned corset and draped waist, thigh-high slit, and demi-train. She styled it with yellow-gold, citrine diamond drop earrings from Mindi Mond, a ruby and diamond Amrapali ring, and matching Givenchy clutch. Of course, her Kindred Lubeck engagement ring was on her finger.
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Her hair was worn up in a tousled bun at the nape of her neck with dense bangs. The rest of her glam followed her usual beauty rhythms with a bright red lip and burgundy manicure.
It was a look that felt understated yet sophisticated for Swift, who has a history of wearing Sarah Burton’s designs out and about—this, however, marks a red carpet boon. Earlier this week, Swift also opted for a floral Erdem mini-dress with a pannier-like skirt for the Toy Story 5 premiere. And while there were no obvious Easter eggs or secret sartorial meanings (as we know she likes to imbue in her fashions), Burton’s feminine silhouettes and use of delicate florals felt very much within the Taylor Swift style lexicon.
Swift’s fiancé Travis Kelce was also in attendance but did not walk the red carpet with her. The pair are rumored to marry imminently.
Instead, Swift posed with Sombr—who performed her Folklore-era hit “Cardigan” and Speak Now’s “Dear John.” (She later thanked him in her speech, calling his renditions “perfect.”) She also shared a high-energy conversation with Jimmy Jam on the carpet and mingled with other inductees. Other stars inducted on the night into the Songwriters Hall of Fame were Alanis Morissette, Kenny Loggins, Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons of KISS, Graham Lyle, Terry Britten and Walter Afanasieff. RAYE received the Hal David Starlight Award, an accolade for early career star songwriters.
