Taylor Swift Conjures a Cottagecore Fantasy for Her Grammys Performance

She’s spent the past year steadily building up her cottagecore aesthetic, pegged to her latest album folklore. And on Sunday night at the 2021 Grammy Awards, Taylor Swift appeared fully steeped in the trend, which started on Tumblr but recently found prominence among the Gen-Z set on TikTok. To perform three of her hits from the album, “August,” “Willow,” and “Cardigan,” Swift created an entire forested world. Alongside frequent collaborator Jack Antonoff, she sang from inside a cabin in the woods, bathed in blue moonlight.

She began with “Cardigan,” for which she was seen lying on the moss-covered ground, wearing a floor-length purple and gold Etro gown and a thin golden headpiece. (Swift was, it’s worth noting, barefoot—fully committing to the cottagecore bit.) For “August,” she picked up her own acoustic guitar, and capped off the medley with “Willow,” which Swift performed while leaning against the wooden beams of her bungalow.

No Taylor Swift Grammys appearance is complete, however, without a costume change. For her appearance on the red carpet outside Staples Center, Swift wore an Oscar de la Renta dress with floral appliqué—once inside, she added a customized floral face mask to the look.