KPU journalism alumna releases book on Taylor Swift’s fashion evolution

In October 2011, a journalism student at Kwantlen Polytechnic University — armed with a passion for research and fashion, and a desktop computer by her side — started a blog called Taylor Swift Style to document the pop star’s fashion. 

Sarah Chapelle wanted to create a “niche within a niche” after discovering a personal connection with the pop star and reading work from her favourite bloggers and writers. 

“If the only person who ended up enjoying that content was me, it would forever be a project born from a place that was genuine, earnest, and passionate,” she said during an event at KPU for her book.

Through scanning fashion magazines by hand and utilizing research skills she learned in her journalism classes, Chapelle would identify everything that went into putting an outfit together, from clothes to accessories, for the blog. 

Whether it was subscribing to fashion magazines, researching fashion history, or watching fashion runway shows, Chapelle had developed the skill of fashion identification before Google reverse-image search existed.

“I started discerning patterns, the shape of a heel, a detail of a shirt hem, or a certain cut in a dress. The house codes of designers started to become clear enough that I could begin spotting a Prada bag or a Christian Louboutin shoe,” she said.

“Like any language, the more you immerse yourself in that world, the more you become fluent, and fashion spoke to me.”

Chapelle said fashion is a culture. It’s like a “double-edged sword that will always speak for you without you even opening your mouth.”

She adds that Swift has tailored the concept into her brand intentionally and effectively to communicate on her behalf. 

“For Taylor, her fashion and her music work in tandem to communicate a message. As this generation’s most prolific songwriter, [she’s] most familiar [for] her emotional storytelling songs about her life, but her style is the other half of that story.”

Chapelle said fashion serves a “visual counterpoint” to Swift’s music. 

From talking to the Wall Street Journal about the business behind Swift’s fashion to reporting items she wore on her blog, Chapelle has witnessed sales spikes — sometimes nearly 10,000 per cent — for certain brands after she reported on them.  

“My book is the physical manifestation of the dream that a little girl once had that she got diverted by and thought would never happen.”

Chapelle said she is grateful for her experiences at KPU that helped her develop skills like interviewing, conducting research, and exploring a niche to put the book together. 

“I thought that this dream was something that was too big, unrealistic, and too audacious, and yet, despite all of those things, it’s real.”

Chapelle said she felt it was important to explore Swift’s fashion in her book not only as a fan but also as a woman to whom the concept of fashion had been touted as a “traditionally feminine” and “foundational gender interest.” 

After this interest in fashion was weaponized against her, Chapelle wanted to embrace it as a method of empowerment and expression in her book. Through journalistic integrity and reporting, Chapelle wanted to explore a concept that is often looked down upon, she said. 

“I wanted to write a book that was a reciprocal love letter to Taylor and a love letter on what her discography symbolized for me.”

The book, which is a New York Times and USA Today bestseller, serves as an extension of Chapelle’s blog, which she started as a university student at KPU. 

Taylor Swift Style: Fashion Through The Eras is available for purchase at Indigo and on Amazon with select copies available at the KPU library.

Chapelle also shares fashion commentary, red carpet roundups, and personal style content on her Instagram @taylorswiftstyled as well as on Substack.