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Taylor Swift’s Glasses Style Through Her Eras

Shu Kie

Written By:

Shu Kie

Updated: 28 March 2024 •  
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Whether you’re a Swiftie or not, I’m pretty sure you’ve heard her music on TV, Youtube, or at the supermarket. As one of the biggest pop stars today, her music and influence are far-reaching and hard to miss.
 
Blonde hair, sparkly dresses, and red lipstick aside, glasses also feature heavily in Swift’s distinctive style, be it sunglasses or eyeglasses.

Today, we’re taking a deep dive into Taylor Swift’s love affair with glasses and how they have evolved with her style through the years.
 

Who is Taylor Swift?

A brief introduction: Swift is an American singer-songwriter who recently released her 10th studio album Midnights, which saw immediate success with ten songs off the album dominating the top ten spots of the Billboard Hot 100. She burst onto the scene with her self-titled album in 2006, and her star has been on the rise ever since then.
 
As one of the most influential artists around, whatever she wears immediately sparks a trend, from her outfits to hairstyles to accessories.
 

The Fearless era: Goofing around with nerd glasses

Taylor Swift with best friend Abigail

Taylor having fun with her best friend Abigail while sporting Christmas-themed sweaters. Source: Myanmar Hardcore Swifties 2

 
Taylor’s sophomore album Fearless came out around the time MySpace peaked, which is probably why this looks like something out of any other ordinary girl’s MySpace profile.
 
Here, Taylor can be seen with her best friend Abigail goofing around in what looks to be Christmas-themed sweaters, sporting basic yet weirdly endearing rectangular-framed glasses.
 
This type of frame works best to balance out faces with softer, rounder features. To emulate teen Taylor, check out our Laura frames.
 
laura black rectangle eyeglasses frame

Mouqy’s rectangle black Laura eyeglasses.

 

The Fearless era: Bringing out her inner geek

Taylor Swift in CMT Music Awards in 2009

Taylor Swift in round metal frame eyeglasses in her You Belong To Me – CMT Music Awards in 2009. Source: YouTube

 
Taylor wore these glasses for her live performance of ‘You Belong With Me’ during the CMT Music Awards in 2009.
 
Reprising her geeky character from the song’s music video, she chose these glasses that have a thin black rim. While they still succeed in bringing out her geeky side, the thin frames give it a more elevated, classy vibe.
 
You can get a similar look with our Navy frames, which have the same thin black rims and oversized appearance.
 
navy square black eyeglasses frame

Mouqy’s shiny square black Navy eyeglasses.

 

The Speak Now era: Going bold yet classic

Taylor in her music video for ‘The Story of Us’

Taylor sporting tortoiseshell glasses in her music video for ‘The Story of Us’. Source: YouTube

 
In her music video for ‘The Story of Us’, Taylor wore these vintage eyeglasses that sported a classic yet eye-catching tortoiseshell print. The contrast of the red and black tones against her blue eyes made for a complementary look.
 
Once again, Taylor stuck to rectangular frames which complemented and balanced out her baby face the most at the time.
 
Tortoiseshell isn’t for everyone, but it can be quite the fashion statement if you take that leap. With our Vogue frames, you can step out of your shell.
 
vogue rectangle tortoiseshell eyeglasses frame

Mouqy’s rectangle tortoiseshell Vogue eyeglasses.

 

The Speak Now era: Minimalist rimless oval glasses

Taylor Swift in rimless glasses

Taylor Swift in rimless glasses while doing a video in her car. Source: My Taylor Swift Blog

 
In a vlog filmed inside her car, Taylor can be seen sporting a pair of glasses that are wholly different from anything else we’ve seen her in so far.
 
Oval-shaped and rimless, they’re arguably the most low-key out of the glasses we’ve seen on her so far. If Taylor passes you by on the street with this look, chances are you might not even notice her — and maybe that was her intention with these glasses.
 
Apart from being effective in helping one go incognito, these rimless glasses are also lightweight, making them extra comfortable.
 
If this is your cup of tea, you can opt for our Dapper glasses which are practically identical to Taylor’s.
 
dreamy oval rimless eyeglasses frame

Mouqy’s oval Dreamy rimless eyeglasses.

 

Thick-rimmed black glasses for her Target commercial

Taylor in Target commercial

Taylor in black glasses to promote her Speak Now Deluxe Edition album for a Target commercial. Source: YouTube

 
When Taylor did a commercial for Target, she switched up her look by transforming into an artsy French poet, complete with beret, brown wig, and thick-rimmed black glasses. The result was a look that was equal parts elegant and vintage.
 
You too can go through a style transformation in an instant with our Queen frames. While some may immediately dismiss the idea of black, square glasses as being nerdy, they can look rather sophisticated paired with the right outfit. Just look at Taylor’s outfit above.
 
queen square black eyeglasses frame

Mouqy’s square black Queen eyeglasses.

 

The Red era: Cool and colorful in bright sunglasses

Taylor Swift in her Blank Space music video

Taylor Swift in pink-coloured sunglasses for her Blank Space music video. Source: Billboard

 
In Taylor’s music video for Blank Space, she donned plenty of memorable outfits, and one of them featured the prettiest sunglasses in pastel pink.
 
Bright or pastel-coloured frames like these tend to suit spring or summer the most, but to be honest you could wear it any season you wanted — it’s all about confidence, after all.
 
If you’re curious about what color of glasses you should get, here’s a guide that can help you decide based on your skin tone, hair color, eye color, and other factors.
 
#TeamPink all the way? We have quite a number of pink frames, but the closest one to Taylor’s shades has to be these retro Audrey frames.
 
audrey cat eye pink eyeglasses frame

Mouqy’s cat eye pink Audrey eyeglasses.

 

Turning up the nerd factor up to 100 for Jimmy Fallon

Taylor in character in Jimmy Fallon’s Ew! segment

Taylor in red-framed eyeglasses for a character in Jimmy Fallon’s Ew! segment. Source: E! Online

 
Playing totally against type, Taylor turned up as the nerdiest possible version of herself for ‘Ew’, a segment of The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon where celebrity guests play geeked out, teenage characters who judge whether something is ‘ew’ or ‘cool’.
 
Eye-popping overbite and braces aside, Taylor’s red-rimmed rectangular glasses also stole the show.
 
Despite its vibrancy, red can actually be worn as a neutral as it complements most shades while still adding a bright pop of color.
 
If you’re a Swiftie, red likely also holds special meaning for you as it’s reminiscent of the Red era.
 
Although Taylor’s look was done in the name of parody, you can put a stylish spin on the look with our show-stopping red June frames.
 
june rectangle red eyeglasses frame

Mouqy’s rectangle red June eyeglasses.

 

Experimental street style for the ‘Shake It Off’ MV

Taylor Swift for her ‘Shake It Off’ music video

Taylor Swift in browline eyeglasses for her ‘Shake It Off’ music video. Source: WallpaperCave

 
Taylor showed true range in her music video for 1989’s lead single ‘Shake It Off’ as she switched between being a ballerina, cheerleader, and hip hop dancer.
 
One of the relatively more low-key looks was this sleek black outfit, which was paired with equally polished side-swept bangs and attention-stealing browline glasses.
 
Although Taylor is no stranger to oversized, square glasses, the thick, eyebrow-concealing upper frame of this variation added a touch of chic to her monochromatic ensemble.
 
If you have a larger forehead — or are simply having a bad eyebrow day — these glasses will work a treat in balancing your facial features.
 
While Taylor’s glasses are the more experimental type, we do have a few designs that are similar but more understated for everyday wear.
 
The Steven design boasts a thicker, angular top frame which elevates it above more run-of-the-mill glasses.
 
steven square black gunmetal eyeglasses frame

Mouqy’s square black gunmetal Steven eyeglasses.

 

Does Taylor Swift actually need glasses?

As a songwriter, Swift has been known to spend days and nights buried in her craft — a creative pursuit which can be draining on the eyes.
 
For years, she had myopia, which is more commonly known as nearsightedness. She also had astigmatism, a condition where an improper curvature in the cornea causes blurry vision.
 
These conditions make wearing glasses mandatory, and Swift revealed in a 2008 interview with JustJared that she wore these ‘huge glasses’ that are ‘the ugliest pair of glasses you’ll ever see in your life’.
 
Fast forward to 2019, Swift went on the Tonight Show and told host Jimmy Fallon that she underwent LASIK surgery not long before, so she was finally able to see clearly without glasses.
 

Although glasses are a thing of the past for Swift now, she’s given us some rather memorable style inspo moments throughout her many musical eras and public appearances.
 
Here’s a look at her style evolution and the many memorable eyewear moments that came with it.
 

A swift history of Taylor’s style evolution

Growing up as a country girl, Taylor Swift was heavily inspired by Shania Twain and Faith Hill’s music and style. When she first entered the music industry, her signature look consisted of her curly blonde hair and laidback, girl-next-door outfits.
 
In summary, she was just a country girl with her guitar.
 
Young Taylor Swift

Young Taylor bursting onto the scene with her trusty guitar and country-inspired girl-next-door look. Photo from GotCeleb

 
As she grew in her craft and became more confident at expressing herself, her sense of fashion gradually shifted as well.
 
While many of her looks continue to feature her distinctive curly blonde tresses, you can see how her style has developed through the years when you see looks throughout her eras.
 
Taylor Swift in 2007

A classic Taylor Swift look with tight blonde curls and a sparkly dress in 2007. Source: Billboard

 
Taylor Swift in 2012

Taylor Swift during her ‘Red’ era in 2012. Source: Showbiz Cheatsheet

 
Taylor Swift in 2016

Taylor went high fashion in 2016 with a platinum bob and edgier red carpet dresses. Source: Time

 
Taylor Swift in AMA 2022

At this year’s American Music Awards, Taylor went with a look that was highly reminiscent of her early days. Source: Billboard

 
While Taylor has undoubtedly matured as a person and trendsetter, her looks have clearly stayed true to her roots.
 

Long live Taylor’s glasses era

Although Taylor doesn’t need glasses anymore for the foreseeable future, her bespectacled looks and the trends she sparked will live on.
 
If you need help kick starting a style era of your own, any one of these glasses would not be a bad place to start!

Shu Kie

Written by:

Shu Kie

Shu Kie is Mouqy’s certified optician with over 5 years of experience in the optical industry. She earned her certification from Association of British Dispensing Opticians (ABDO).

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