Taylor Swift paid tribute to her country roots — and her favorite Toy Story character — while celebrating the film series’ fifth instalment.
Stepping out for the Los Angeles premiere of Toy Story 5 at the Dolby Theatre on Tuesday, June 9, Swift, 36, rocked a strapless Western-inspired patchwork Erdem corset gown on the red carpet.
Swift, who penned her original track “I Knew It, I Knew You” to be featured in the film, paired the fall/winter 2026 creation with a gold horseshoe necklace and gold peep-toe heels. The ensemble’s country theme nodded to Toy Story’s Jessie, who inspired Swift’s new song and also influenced her childhood dress-up days, as revealed by the singer via social media last week.
The romantic ensemble was accentuated with the singer’s signature red lip and cat eye makeup, as well as a half-up hairstyle that showed off her soft bangs.
According to InStyle, Swift leant on styling guidance from Joseph Cassell Falconer, who “has worked with her since her Speak Now era.” (Speak Now was Swift’s third studio album, originally released in October 2010 before it was re-recorded and released again in July 2023.)
The musician posed for photos on the red carpet with the stars of Toy Story 5, which will be released on Friday, June 19, including Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Joan Cusack, Greta Lee and Conan O’Brien.
An X video, shared by Hollywood Reporter journalist Borys Kit, also captured Swift enjoying time within the theatre itself. Footage showed her speaking to a young child as podcaster Kelly Stafford watched on with her own children.
Additional social media footage shared by Variety showed Swift on stage in the venue, performing “I Knew It, I Knew You” for the first time in public. THR also posted a video that captured Swift joining fellow musician Randy Newman for a live rendition of his Toy Story track “You’ve Got a Friend in Me,” treating the audience to a costume change that saw her perform in a vivid yellow floor-length gown.
Swift took to Instagram on Friday, June 5, to mark her inclusion on the Toy Story 5 soundtrack. “Writing this song felt like a musical departure and coming home at the same time. Creating something for Jessie was a new challenge and also felt like second nature all at once. And being a @toystory kid from the age of 5 til now … is an adventure I plan to be on, to infinity and beyond,” she wrote.
Rare childhood footage of Swift accompanied the post, showing her as a youngster stomping around a house dressed in a Jessie-inspired cowgirl outfit complete with a cowboy hat and boots.
Crediting her co-creator Jack Antonoff within the post, Swift continued, “We wrote this with so much adoration for these characters that made us laugh and helped us learn lessons and think outside the backyard all throughout our childhoods.”
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