Taylor Swift's January British Vogue Cover Continues Her Edgy Reputation Style Streak

British Vogue’s new Editor-in-Chief, Edward Enninful, received such high praise for his first issue featuring model Adwoa Aboah on the cover that it seemed almost impossible to follow-up such a successful launch. But on Monday he did it again, debuting another surprising cover reveal with the biggest pop star on the planet, Taylor Swift.

The magazine tapped famed photographers Mert Alas and Marcus Piggott to capture the star for its January 2018 issue and Enninful himself styled Swift’s 12-page shoot. According to the magazine, it “sets the precedent for #NewVogue’s exciting year ahead.”

Swift wore a red, ruffled, leather Saint Laurent minidress by Anthony Vaccarello for her cover shot, which may look familiar since Anja Rubik modeled the look on the spring/summer 2018 Paris runway in September.

Much like Enninful, all eyes will be on Swift and her evolving style when she embarks on her world tour in 2018, so her corresponding spread captures her “transformative fashion journey” in which she models everything from an ethereal sparkly dress to a structural, studded black top.

“For me, the chance to help transform America’s most fascinating sweetheart was a joy,” Enninful wrote in a statement about working with the cover star. “As we took the pop icon on an epic fashion journey with photographers Mert Alas and Marcus Piggott, what struck me most about Taylor was her brilliant sense of humour, but also how, for a woman in her twenties, she has an incredible sense of who she is.”

He added: “Obviously she is a world-class lyricist – and has written a stunning poem just for Vogue on the timely subject of reinvention and moving on – but she also takes her duties as a role model very seriously. Taylor is acutely aware of her following and how she communicates with young women, and will never portray a character that would send the wrong message. That said, even superstars aren’t immune to the power of a great dress. Taylor says she has never seen herself transformed like this before, and I was very touched to see how emotional she was at the end of our shoot day in London.”

To see the full photo shoot, the January issue of British Vogue is on sale Friday, Dec. 8.