Travis Kelce's Best Taylor Swift-Inspired Fashion Moments
Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce rocketed to worldwide fame during the 2023 NFL season, not least because he ultimately helped his team win back-to-back Super Bowls but also as the latest boyfriend of superstar Taylor Swift. The two started showing up for each other in the fall with Kelce attending several of her Eras Tour concerts. Swift even recognized Kelce's attendance by changing the lyrics to her song "Karma" to "the guy on the Chiefs, coming straight home to me."
The "Bad Blood" hitmaker, for her part, also attended multiple Chiefs games, including the Super Bowl where Swift and Kelce wore matching outfits — her in a black corset top and black jeans with crystal detailing and him in a sparkly black Armani suit. The NFL star was known for his style long before they started dating, particularly for his game-day fits over the years. But once they made things official, more attention was drawn to Kelce's looks, and fans reckon that he's picking some of his outfits and accessories as a subtle nod to his singer girlfriend. Here are five of the best.
Travis Kelce's golf hat featured two subtle Taylor Swift references
Travis Kelce enjoyed some downtime during the off-season by, among other things, playing golf with his buddies. During one such outing in March 2024, he was with former NBA player Chandler Parsons, who shared a video of Kelce to his Instagram Stories. In it, Kelce was seen teeing off while "Bad Blood" was playing in the background, which is from Taylor Swift's "1989" album. Then, when he came closer to the camera, you could clearly see that the NFL star was wearing a Sherwood Thousand Oaks Country Club hat, which just so happened to open in 1989.
"Oh no, this backfired"
"He liked it!"
These dudes really put BAD BLOOD on thinking it would rattle travis. PLS. He's a 1989 girlie, it's only gonna fire him up 😂pic.twitter.com/KN1QAcnobJ— Lorr ★ (@themmonster) March 28, 2024
The logo for the Sherwood Country Club is an archer which is, of course, another connection to Swift — "The Archer" is a song from her 2019 album, "Lover." The singer-songwriter is a well-known lover of Easter eggs — just consider all the hidden messages that Swift included in The Eras Tour – so we're certain that she'd love these references to her music in Kelce's golf day look.
Travis Kelce's blue and white outfit looked a lot like a nod to 1989 (Taylor's Version)
Another "1989 (Taylor's Version)" outfit reference came in the form of Travis Kelce's game day look on September 24, 2023, which was also the first of Kelce's games that Taylor Swift attended. His outfit was comprised of a denim jacket and matching pants in sky blue and white by KidSuper. The Kansas City Chiefs tight end also walked out of the game in that outfit with Swift by his side. The designer renamed it the "1989 Bedroom Painting" set after he saw Kelce wearing it with Swift when before it had just been "Bedroom Painting."
The early days of Kelce and Swift's relationship played out behind closed doors, but once she showed up at that first game and left with him after, they weren't hiding anymore. Was it just a coincidence that Kelce wore an ensemble that happened to resemble the blue and white of the album cover for "1989 (Taylor's Version)" for their first public outing? It could be, but we know that Kelce is a fan of "1989 (Taylor's Version)." He talked to WSJ Magazine about seeing Swift in concert, noting: "'Blank Space' was one I wanted to hear live for sure. I could make a bad guy good for the weekend. That's a helluva line!"
Travis Kelce sporting a cardigan didn't go unnoticed
Taylor Swift's "Cardigan" from "Folklore" was nominated for multiple awards including Song of the Year at the 2021 Grammys, and one of her signature looks, along with a slick of red lipstick, is a cozy cardigan. She even sold cardigans to promote the release of "Folklore" and for "1989 (Taylor's Version)." As a result, Swifties were convinced that Travis Kelce was paying homage to the hit song when he was spotted wearing a cream-colored, cottagecore style cardi while out for lunch with friends in Los Angeles.
One person posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, "It looks like [...] boyfriend material," while another noted: "Seeing Travis in a cardigan + sunglasses made me realize how much he looks like Jake G*llenhaal[.] But actually, this is good for us Tayvis fans because Taylor was so in love with JG [that] she wrote an entire album about 3 months with him." A third wondered aloud, "Did I dream that I saw a picture of Travis wearing a cardigan[?]"
One fan even suggested, "Travis may have borrowed this cardigan from a certain blonde's wardrobe." It's worth noting, however, that Kelce has rocked much wilder cardigans in years past. His pre-game look against the Las Vegas Raiders in November 2023 featured a blue, orange, and green cardigan with a palm tree pattern. His 2022 cardigan looks, meanwhile, included a pink and orange patterned cashmere version and a neon Louis Vuitton version.
Travis Kelce's brown velvet pants were giving major Midnights vibes
When Taylor Swift revealed the tracklist for "Midnights" in September 2022, she did so via TikTok in front of a set of brown velvet curtains while wearing a long brown blazer. Fast-forward to October 2023 when the Kansas City Chiefs were playing against the Minnesota Vikings, and Travis Kelce wore what appeared to be a pair of brown velvet pants that reminded fans an awful lot of Swift's "Midnights" announcement. The NFL star posted several pictures of the outfit to Instagram with the caption, "Keep it chill like Sauvignon Blanc."
Swift is a big fan of white wine; she had a chilled glass of it backstage at the end of the first US leg of The Eras Tour. Perhaps she introduced her favorite tipple to her new man, inspiring his comment. Fans eagerly commented on Kelce's post, noting the combo of Swift references with clear excitement about what was then their relatively recently launched relationship.
Travis Kelce wore the colors from Taylor Swift's Tortured Poets album
When Travis Kelce's big brother, Jason Kelce, announced his retirement, in 2024, in a speech that touchingly brought both of them to tears at different points, Travis was wearing a shirt that Taylor Swift fans assumed was a reference to her "Tortured Poets Department" record. The color palette for Swift's 11th studio album is a combo of black, beige, brown, and gray neutrals. Her boyfriend's color-blocked shirt fit in perfectly with that chic scheme. The Swift references didn't stop there either. He accessorized the look with sunglasses and some black and white friendship bracelets, one of which spelled out "Kelce" and another that seemed to feature two "Ts" and hearts.
Making and trading friendship bracelets has become a big part of Swift's Eras Tour, as a reference to a line from the song "You're On Your Own, Kid" from "Midnights." The NFL star notably talked about making a friendship bracelet with his phone number on it to give to Swift before her July 2023 Kansas City concert. Even though that plan didn't work out, the two eventually found their way to each other, and we can't wait to see Kelce's next Swift-inspired look.