Taylor Swift's Choker At The 2024 Grammys Finally Makes Sense (& It's Not Reputation-Coded)

According to Swifties, there's often more than meets the eye with Taylor Swift's fashion choices. Naturally, fans couldn't wait to analyze her ensemble at the 2024 Grammy Awards, where the singer won best pop vocal album for "Midnights."  The six-time nominee arrived at the ceremony in a breathtaking white Schiaparelli gown, dramatically gathered just above her hip. The eye-catching garment also featured a structured and strapless bust, a subtle and flowing train, and a thigh-high slit to top it all off. 

But it wasn't Swift's dress that had everyone talking. Her accessories spoke volumes, from a pair of show-stopping black gloves to a glittering watch fixed at the center of her multi-strand necklace. The centerpiece of her choker, a vintage Lorraine Schwartz, truly made the whole place shimmer. "She's in 300 carats of Lorraine Schwartz Diamonds," a Lorraine Schwartz rep told GQ. Many fans quickly pointed out that the jewelry could be a nod to one Swift album in particular, likening its six, sparkling strands to "Reputation," the singer's sixth record.

It makes even more sense when you consider that the star's green Golden Globes dress gave us serious serpentine "Reputation" vibes back in January. Even Swift's overall Grammys 'fit seemed to hint at "Reputation (Taylor's Version)," given the look's black-and-white color scheme matching the album's cover. With that in mind, the star shocked us all when she announced a new album — "The Tortured Poets Department" — in her best pop vocal album acceptance speech, giving her Grammys garb deeper meaning.

If you're sensing mixed signals from Taylor Swift's Grammys look, you're not alone. There was, after all, a slew of symbolism in her outfit. It's possible that certain details were meant to be red herrings, or maybe we dug too deeply into the hidden meaning behind Swift's jewelry. For instance, the Lorraine Schwartz watch in Swift's necklace was set to midnight, so it's easy to see why several fans proposed theories regarding albums like "Reputation" (released at midnight) or "Midnights" (for obvious reasons). 

Still, it's hard to be upset about your favorite clue being wrong when there's a new album on the horizon. "It's called 'The Tortured Poets Department,'" Swift announced during her best pop vocal album acceptance speech. "I'm going to go and post the cover right now backstage." Sure enough, fans were treated to a black-and-white album cover for the newly announced album on Swift's Instagram alongside a release date of April 19, 2024. Moreover, lyrics from the album appeared on her Instagram Story and included the phrase "the tick, tick, tick of love bombs," which further explains the watch around her neck at the Grammys. 

What makes this Grammys reveal even more interesting is that Swift's website crashed earlier in the day, with fans deciphering the phrase "red herring" on the site's error page. Ultimately, this was no outfit mishap. We may have been off with our initial guesses and red herring's meaning — "Reputation (Taylor's Version)" is the red herring — but we've got to hand it to the "Anti-Hero" single for nailing "The Tortured Poets Department" aesthetic with her Grammys attire.