At the 2024 Billboard Music Awards, Taylor Swift took home ten fresh trophies—bringing her total count to 49 and making her the winningest artist at the annual ceremony. Did she accept her golden microphone in a custom Gucci dress or an off-the-runway Dior tartan corset and cape? Did she and stylist Joseph Cassell Falconer go loud luxury in Louis Vuitton or even more Gucci? Quite the opposite, actually.
Taylor Swift instead chose a plain black sweater and a $10,995 gold chain necklace from Effy Jewelry to accept all ten awards in a pre-taped video that aired during the Dec. 12 awards broadcast. While her cozy knit hadn't been ID'd yet, it's a dead-ringer for a cashmere style from one of her favorite affordable brands, Reformation. The singer paired her low-key awards outfit with her signature red lipstick by Pat McGrath and sharped liquid winged eyeliner.
"This is like the nicest early birthday present you could've given me, so thank you very much, I love it. It's exactly what I wanted," said Swift, who turns 35 on Dec. 13.
Fans only found out last night that Swift had clinched the top artist and top female artist award. But, there are signs that the Eras Tour mastermind had known herself for several weeks. She last wore her distinctive leopard-chain Effy Jewelry necklace with a similar black sweater and plaid Carolina Herrera set for a trip to Chez Margaux in November. Maybe that girls' night out was actually an early toast to Swift's new trophies.
Taylor Swift actually spent the day of the 2024 Billboard Music Awards broadcast giving back to the Kansas City community (where she now lives part-time with her boyfriend and Chiefs tight end, Travis Kelce). She visited Children's Mercy Hospital to meet with fans in treatment for various illnesses, signing copies of her Eras Tour book and sweetly fielding questions about Kelce. Her outfit for the occasion embodied holiday cheer in the form of a tartan Miu Miu set and winter boots by Christian Louboutin.
Skipping the red carpet wasn't all that surprising in the grand scheme of Swift's packed schedule. She hasn't attended the Billboard Music Awards in-person since 2019, when she walked the red carpet in a dusty lavender Raisa & Vanessa mini before performing the Lover single "ME!" in a one-shoulder sequin dress.
In prior years, Swift attended in everything from blush-pink Versace gowns (in 2018) to white cut-out jumpsuits by Balmain (in 2015). All past appearances came with heaps of awards, bringing her to her 2024 total of 49 overall wins.
“Everything that’s happened with the Eras Tour and The Tortured Poets Department, I just have to say thank you," Swift said in her latest acceptance speech. "It means the world to me that you guys have embraced the things I’ve made and the fact that you've cared so much about my music."
Taylor Swift is finishing 2024 on a high note, between her best-selling album, her record-breaking tour, and her latest slate of awards. I can't help but applaud the way she's dressing to celebrate: like a woman who knows she's on top of the world and doesn't need more than a timeless knit (and some megawatt jewelry) to prove it.
