Halloween is just days away, so if you don't already have your costume picked out...well, you'd better get on that ASAP. And if you're looking for inspiration, Taylor Swift's "Look What You Made Me Do" music video is a very good place to start.
Side by side at the end of the video, there are a variety of topical Taylor looks to choose from—enough for your whole squad, in fact—and each one can be as glamorous or scary or ironic or conceptual as you want it to be. That's the beauty of the song, and so shall it be the beauty of your Halloween motif.
Short of having a Hollywood-caliber stylist on hand, most people aren't going to be rocking the #LWYMMD ensembles quite like the real T-Swift (although this veterinarian's foster kittens are pretty purrrfect). But with 15 Taylors in the video's final scene, you can pick whichever one best suits your style, budget and world outlook, and we've got the how-to's here for each one.
Then you can be any Taylor you want, except the old Taylor. Why? Oh, 'cause...well...
1. Biker Tay
What you need: Leather (or pleather), spikes, chains, angst
If you're going for a group costume, having a ringleader makes sense, and the one wearing that chains and the black leather motorcycle cap is automatically the ringleader. Unless you're fronting your own wild bunch, though, we'd take some creative license and add zombie makeup for an undead twist.
2. "Blind for Love" Tay
What you need: Tiger hoodie, tall red boots, sass
The real Taylor wears a baller Gucci embroidered hooded sweatshirt that retails for $2,300. But you're in luck--there's a similar(ish) one on Amazon for $20. Just get to bedazzling and grab some green duct tape for the lettering.
3. Reputation Tay
What you need: Black crushed velvet, shoulder pads, hair gel, animosity
In the video, this top-of-the-T Tay is wearing a custom Philipp Plein bodysuit. In lieu of a fashion house hookup, any velvety or faux fur black ensemble will do. Use some sparkly silver Washi tape to spell "rep" in that Olde English font and any bit of extra fabric or towel can be fashioned into shoulder pads. To copy Taylor's devil-may-care 'do, slick your hair with gel and braid it while it's damp, then unravel like Swift's reputation when it's party time.
4. Ringmaster Tay
What you need: Red jacket with gold trim, top hat, baton, sarcasm
Unless you already have a snazzy circus or majorette jacket, a prepackaged ringmaster costume will come in handy. However, if you're the DIY or die type, you can still get creative with the baton—we made this one using a stick, red packing tape, Styrofoam and aluminum foil.
5. Fearless Country Tay
What you need: Dress with sequins, boots, guitar, optimism
Do y'all remember this Taylor? If you want to be her, all you need is your best dress, some kickass boots, a guitar (sans teardrops—those were pre-Fearless) and some wide-eyed whimsy.
6. "Getting Receipts" Tay
What you need: Snakeskin dress, leopard-print coat, hot pink claws, snark
Get ready for a night of snapping duck-face selfies! Oh, and don't forget to collect receipts—they'll come in handy later.
7. 2009 MTV Video Music Awards Taylor
What you need: Sparkly dress, MTV Moon Person Award, red lipstick, bewilderment
This Kaufman Franco gown is one of the most iconic Swift looks of all time. And we're gonna let you finish, but real quick, we just want to say that you can make a VMA of your own from two pieces of styrofoam, an action figure (we went with Iron Man for the occasion) and a heck of a lot of aluminum foil.
8. 2014 Met Gala Tay
What you need: Princess gown, old Hollywood glam, disbelief
Real Tay is in Oscar de la Renta, but any pink prom dress or bridesmaids dress you've got lying around will do. Pair it with a red lip, subtle cat eye and some perfectly coiffed waves. Then, work on being genuinely taken aback by the catty behavior around you—and we don't mean the Olivia Benson kind.
9. Angry Dance Sequence Tay
What you need: Fishnets, black boots, big hair, self-assurance
This Taylor can dance and she knows it. She's also rocking the curly bang, which is far too big of a commitment for a Halloween costume. You can always bust out the mousse though and tassel up those tresses. Pair heavy eye makeup with a deep burgundy lip, and then don't be surprised if Todrick Hall shows up.
10. Background Tay
What you need: Colorful prints, control
This is the Swift who uses a chainsaw to cut the wings off a plane and paints "Reputation" on its side. According to a popular fan theory, this background Taylor is the real version of the star. As first noted by fashion blog Taylor Swift Style and then confirmed by the designer, #LWYYMD Taylor is wearing a head-to-toe ensemble from the Fausto Puglisi pre-Fall 2017 collection. We settled for a patterned romper, coordinated boots and a can of spray paint.
11. "You Belong With Me" Tay
What you need: Junior Jewels shirt, PJ pants, glasses, enthusiasm!
You guys! This is a fun, recognizable Tay look that's easy to pull together—plus it automatically wins because, comfort alert, it's basically pajamas. You can list her squad members on your shirt or put your own friends' names—just make sure not to forget anybody. Oh, and start practicing your surprised face—the other Taylors need some convincing.
12. Zombie "Out of the Woods" Taylor
What you need: Blue dress, undead skin, vengeance
This, of course, is the most fun Taylor to be. You'll need some sort of tea length light blue dress and help turning your skin the right greenish, rotting hue. Blogger and professional makeup artist Michelle Martorelli gave our face a zombie makeover using MAC Cosmetics—and to get that truly dead-eyed look, we wore a pair of non-rX white contacts from Sclera-lenses. As for the rest of our body, we went method and just used dirt (like, the outside kind), so save your custom J. Mendel gown for an even more special occasion.
13. "Shake It Off" Ballerina Tay
What you need: Feathers, tiara, tutu, newfound cynicism
This Taylor is reminiscent of Biker Tay in that it's a look just dying for the zombie treatment! If you're sticking to the straight Swan Lake costume though, you can definitely get by with a white camisole, funky feather fascinator, crown and a tutu.
14. Snake-Loving Tay
What you need: Red dress, fake snake, bite
Swift was beautiful in Balmain with an awesomely animated CGI snake. We opted for a clingy wrap dress and plastic cobra, but the end result was close enough. Just make sure to accessorize with lots of serpent bling—whether its Bulgari or bargain bin at Target.
15. Human Birdcage Tay
What you need: Orange romper, boots, thigh tattoo, oomph
This is by far the toughest Taylor ensemble to try and recreate. Real Tay wears an orange Greg Lauren belted playsuit and Gianvito Rossi thigh-high boots—it's a gorgeous outfit, but it's pricey. We just tucked a button-down blouse into a pair of booty shorts, borrowed a pair of tasseled coral boots and hoped not to be mistaken for an Oompa Loompa. If you do end up going as this Taylor, make sure you have a friend to get that sassy snake tattoo drawn on your thigh.
Costume Taylor takeaways: Unless you have access to "Wardrobe-land," aka the place "where the apocalypse of [Taylor's] clothing has all congregated," your #LWYMMD looks probably aren't going to be exact.
That's the fun of dressing up for Halloween, though! Get creative with your costume, and when you and your squad all come together, it'll probably look something like this...