Taylor Swift doesn't just do magazine covers. She does events. If you've been following the trajectory of the British Vogue Taylor Swift relationship, you know it’s basically been a visual roadmap of her most chaotic and triumphant eras. Honestly, looking back at her January 2018 cover is like looking at a time capsule of the exact moment the "Old Taylor" died. Or at least, that's what the marketing wanted us to believe.
But there is a lot more to these shoots than just high-fashion clothes and heavy eyeliner.
Most people think of these covers as just PR stops. They aren't. Especially under the direction of former editor-in-chief Edward Enninful, these features became a way for Swift to communicate without actually speaking to the press. Remember, for years, she didn't do traditional interviews. She used these pages to drop poems, discuss sustainability, or justify why she was wearing a CGI cat suit.
What Really Happened With That January 2018 Poem
When the January 2018 issue of British Vogue dropped, people were expecting a massive, tell-all interview about the Kanye drama or her disappearance from the public eye. Instead? We got a poem.
It was titled "The Trick to Holding On." It was a bold move. At a time when everyone wanted dirt, she gave them metaphors. The poem talked about letting go of "phone numbers you know by heart" and "the ones you don't answer anymore." It was pure Reputation era—defensive, reflective, and a little bit haunting.
The styling was just as loud. Photographed by Mert Alas and Marcus Piggott (the same duo behind the Reputation album art), she looked nothing like the "America's Sweetheart" the UK was used to. We're talking wet-look hair, kohl-rimmed eyes, and a red Saint Laurent dress that felt like a sharp departure from her "1989" bob and crop tops.
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Edward Enninful actually mentioned later how emotional the shoot was. He said he wanted to "transform" her. And he did. He took the girl next door and turned her into a high-fashion enigma who was "acutely aware" of her role model status but ready to stop playing a character that didn't fit anymore.
The Sustainability Shift in 2020
Fast forward to the January 2020 cover. The vibe shifted completely. If 2018 was about armor, 2020 was about "buying better and buying less."
She was wearing a vintage Chanel jacket from the 2005/2006 collection.
Enninful’s logic was simple: with the climate crisis, fashion shouldn't feel disposable. It was a weirdly prophetic moment, considering how much Taylor’s own private jet usage would later become a talking point in the sustainability conversation. But at the time, seeing a global superstar on the cover of Vogue in a jacket that was 15 years old was a huge deal.
Key Highlights of the 2020 Feature:
- The Interviewer: She wasn't interviewed by a journalist. She sat down with Andrew Lloyd Webber.
- The Topic: They mostly talked about the "weirdness" of the movie Cats.
- The Takeaway: Taylor admitted she loved the absurdity of it. She also famously told Webber that as she gets older, she realizes "wisdom is learning how dumb you are compared to how much you are going to know."
It’s kinda funny looking back at her defending Cats now, knowing how that movie was received. But in that British Vogue issue, she sounded genuinely inspired by the "cat school" she attended and the process of writing "Beautiful Ghosts."
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Why the UK Vogue Relationship is Different
You’ve probably noticed that her American Vogue covers feel different. They are polished, safe, and very Anna Wintour-coded.
British Vogue let her be "weird."
Whether it was the 2014 cover with Mario Testino—where she talked about the 80s influence on 1989—or the "Showgirl" aesthetic of the Reputation shoots, the UK publication always seemed to lean into her theatrical side. It’s a bit of a "London Boy" influence, maybe? She spent so much time in the UK during her relationship with Joe Alwyn that the British editions of these magazines started to feel like her "hometown" papers.
There's a specific nuance in how the British press handled her. They focused more on her as a "world-class lyricist" (Enninful’s words) rather than just a pop star. They allowed her to use the magazine as a canvas for her poetry and her evolving thoughts on body positivity.
In a 2023 "Shorts" video for British Vogue, she was refreshingly blunt about her body. She said, "I'm a woman, I'm not a coat hanger." She talked about how she stopped using her body as an "exercise of control" when her life felt out of control. That kind of transparency usually doesn't happen in a standard puff piece.
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The 2024 and 2025 "Drought"
By 2026, fans have been speculating about why it's been a few years since her last major Vogue cover.
We saw her wrap the Eras Tour in late 2024. We saw the endless parade of "Reputation (Taylor's Version)" rumors. But a new Vogue cover? It hasn't happened in a while.
Some industry insiders think it’s because she doesn't "need" it anymore. When you're the most famous person on the planet, a magazine cover is almost a step down in reach. Others believe Anna Wintour is waiting for the perfect moment—perhaps a massive career pivot or a wedding—to bring her back.
Actionable Insights for Fans and Collectors
If you're looking to dive deeper into the British Vogue Taylor Swift archives, here is how to actually get value out of it:
- Look for the 2018 "Reputation" Issue: This is a collector's item. Because it contains "The Trick to Holding On," its resale value has stayed high. It’s one of the few places her poetry is printed in a high-fashion format.
- Study the Styling for "Easter Eggs": Swifties know that Taylor doesn't do anything by accident. The 2018 shoot features clear jackets and red curtains—motifs she eventually brought back for her "The Tortured Poets Department" visuals and the Eras Tour stage design.
- Sustainability Lessons: Take a page out of the 2020 issue. The focus on "archive" pieces wasn't just a trend; it's a guide on how to style vintage luxury. If you’re trying to emulate her style, look for 2005-2006 era Chanel-style silhouettes rather than fast-fashion dupes.
- Track the "New" British Vogue: Since Edward Enninful left his post as editor-in-chief in early 2024 (after that iconic 40-woman cover that featured Gigi Hadid and Miley Cyrus, but notably not Taylor), the magazine has a new direction. Watch for how they cover her upcoming projects to see if the "special treatment" she got under Edward continues.
Taylor’s relationship with Vogue UK proved that a fashion magazine can be more than just pretty pictures. It can be a diary, a manifesto, and a very expensive way to tell your critics to leave you alone.