First Look: Stella x Taylor Swift ‘Lover’-Inspired Fashion Collaboration

Everything has been coming up rosy lately in Taylor Swift’s world. Now, the singer’s sweet new fashion aesthetic is moving to a whole new level, as her highly anticipated fashion collab with British fashion designer Stella McCartney (announced in June) is set to drop during a YouTube Live event on Thursday, just ahead of the release of her seventh studio album, Lover, on Friday. On Tuesday, McCartney shared the first images of the limited-edition Stella x Taylor Swift collection and news of her pop-up shop in New York with The Hollywood Reporter.

Swift teased an image on Instagram of herself standing with McCartney in a studio amongst a sea of pastel mood boards (decorated with pastel clouds, kittens, and cotton candy-colored fashion items) while reviewing images of the forthcoming collection. Swift wears a pastel tie-dye T-shirt tucked into lemon-yellow cut-off denim shorts — both pieces from the collection.

The line also includes sweatshirts, bags, a reusable water bottle and two exclusive pieces (a $795 logo handbag and a $1,995 bomber jacket decorated with an arty airbrushed design), which will only be available for purchase at stellamccartney.com as of Thursday and in the Stella McCartney stores in London and New York beginning Friday. The Lover Experience Pop-Up Shop, sponsored by Capital One, will sell the complete merch line from Friday through Sunday.

In the Instagram post on Tuesday, Swift said, “It’s been SO much fun to work/dream up cute stuff with my friend @stellammcartney to create a line inspired by my new album Lover. Can’t wait to show you what we’ve been working on and tell you more about the pop up shop at the @YouTube Live event this Thursday at 5p ET!”

A press statement from McCartney says that the line is also inspired by “vintage graffiti, band tees, nostalgic memorabilia and Taylor’s lyrics, with some pieces also featuring Taylor’s cat Benjamin Button as a personal touch.” Indeed, the pop star’s new cat, Benjamin, appears on T-shirts and sweatshirts, as does the track list from Lover and newly revealed lyrics “Summer’s a knife.”

The jersey fabric featured in the collection is “made from sustainable organic cotton,” and the bomber jacket is crafted from “sustainable viscose, with an airbrushed heart at the front and glass rhinestone detailing, while the logo handbag is made from oyster-hued Eco Alter-Nappa leather, which contains recycled polyester and oils from vegetable waste and is solvent free,” according to the statement, which also said: “Taylor is a huge supporter of Stella’s pioneering work in the field of sustainability and is excited to be able to offer pieces to fans that are kinder to the environment.” 

During her YouTube Live session on Thursday, Swift noted that she was inspired by McCartney’s commitment to eco-friendly fashion: “I love that you stand for that,” the pop star said at their pop-up in New York. A water bottle was the first item they decided to include in the line, because McCartney wanted to encourage less plastic use, Swift said. “The first thing I said when I was excited to do it [was] ’Can I do it in the same way that matches my ethics?’” McCartney said. “It’s super eco. The message is not only one of love but it’s also one of being a real conscious consumer.”

As for the inspirations behind the line, McCartney said it started when Swift played “Lover” for her — Swift had “name-dropped” McCartney in the upcoming song “London Boy” and wanted her blessing. “I was told if I told anyone about it, I would be killed,” McCartney joked of the album. 

“I didn’t say it. I just implied it with my face,” Swift said. 

“You had such a specific kind of mood board and it really reminded me of being a kid on the road with my family,” McCartney said. “This summer of love and all these colors and all this airbrushing.”

The English designer envisioned the line as genderless tour merch with anyone being able to wear pieces, such as the cat hoodie. “It’s got a lot of whimsy to it,” Swift said. “It’s romantic, it’s playful, it’s whimsical, it’s cheeky.”

The Stella x Taylor Swift pop-up shop in New York also includes a display of the costume Swift wore on stage to Wango Tango 2019 — a rainbow fringe jacket over a rainbow body suit with matching Stella sneaks.

“We custom-made the outfit based on the shoe,” Swift laughed. “Thank you for everything you do and the example that you set,” Swift told McCartney, who responded, “I’ve loved every minute.”

The bomber jacket and bag are now available for pre-order at stellamccartney.com.

With additional reporting by Lindsay Weinberg.