Taylor Swift Revives Her Era-Transcending New York Fall Dinner Formula: Plaid Mini Skirts and Leather Boots
'Showgirl' sequins are taking the night off.


When she visited The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon earlier this week, Taylor Swift was asked the last "fall" thing she had done before her interview. Then, her answer was baking cinnamon rolls. By dinner out in New York City the following night, she'd need to update her answer to breaking out her Miu Miu plaid mini skirt and knee-high leather boots.
Regardless of the album she's promoting or the aesthetic she's wearing with it, Taylor Swift loves a splash of tartan and a tall fall boot between September and December. For an October 7 dinner at New York City's Eighty Six with comedian Jerrod Carmichael, she deemed it the seasonally appropriate time to revive her time-honored outfit formula. In place of her The Life of a Showgirl-style shimmering chainmail minis and bedazzled halter neck dresses, Swift decided on a black turtleneck tucked into a Miu Miu pleated mini skirt. To finish, she sourced caramel knee-high boots from Jennifer Chamandi. It's simple; it's timeless; it's as "fall" as the opening bars of Red (any version).
Taylor Swift stopped by New York City's The Eighty Six for dinner with a side of her favorite Miu Miu plaid skirt.
Swift's latest album may be all about sequins, lace, and "pearls of wisdom," but her first true fall outfit of the era didn't include any of the above. Instead, she accessorized with Dior's Small 30 Montaigne Avenue Top Handle Bag, and coordinated a slate of gold jewelry to the style's gilded "CD" logo. The line-up included one of her many Cartier watches, as well as a Cartier Love bracelet and a vintage chain dating to the 1800s. The most Showgirl-esque detail came in the form of her diamond engagement ring by Artifex Fine. (That kind of sparkle is meant for a spotlight.)
Swift accessorized her plaid skirt and turtleneck with a Dior bag and her diamond engagement ring.
Taylor Swift's collection of Miu Miu pleated mini skirts dates back to December 2023, when she paired her first with a shearling-lined Gant coat and Reformation boots. While the singer had worn apple orchard plaid many times over the years, this look for dinner with Selena Gomez marked the beginning of an outfit formula she'd wear on repeat over the next two years. Each time, she switched up her brands from Rails and more Reformation to Hill House Home and even more Miu Miu. Each time, the effect was the same: down-to-earth and easily replicable.
Plaid mini skirts and knee-high boots are recurring characters in her New York City street style and in the stands for Kansas City Chiefs football games. The exact Miu Miu skirt she wore on October 7 has also shown up in her wardrobe already. When she visited a children's hospital around the 2024 holidays, she wore the same one in a wintry shade of evergreen with a matching shacket.
Taylor Swift has previously worn Miu Miu's plaid skirts on several occasions, like this December 2023 dinner.
Don't mistake this outfit formula's encore for the signal that Showgirl's promo cycle has come to an end. Swift has another interview lined up for Late Night With Seth Meyers on October 8, where she's likely to reference the album visuals through a hint of sparkle. For fans who've tracked the singer through all her style eras, I've found down similar plaid mini skirts and knee-high boots to shop now. Where late-night street style is concerned, a Taylor Swift fall reliably includes pieces like the ones ahead.
Shop Plaid Mini Skirts and Boots Inspired by Taylor Swift
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Halie LeSavage is the senior fashion news editor at Marie Claire, leading can't-miss coverage of runway trends, emerging brands, style-meets-culture analysis, and celebrity style (especially Taylor Swift's). Her reporting ranges from profiles of beloved stylists, to breaking brand collaboration news, to exclusive red carpet interviews in her column, The Close-Up.
Halie has reported on style for eight years. Previously, she held fashion editor roles at Glamour, Morning Brew, and Harper’s Bazaar. She has been cited as a fashion expert in The Cut, CNN, Puck, Reuters, and more. In 2022, she earned the Hearst Spotlight Award for excellence in journalism. She holds a bachelor’s degree in English from Harvard College. For a closer look at her stories, check out her newsletter, Reliable Narrator.