How to Have a 'Folklore' Fall

We’ve got witchy, whimsical, and cozy ideas galore.

Taylor Swift’s album Folklore dropped in July of 2020 and promptly took over everyone’s pandemic-times playlists, dominating that summer. But even at the time, it felt like fall. I remember wanting to cozy up in cable-knit sweaters by a fire while listening to it, even as New York weather reached regular highs in the 90s.

There is, of course, the lead single, “Cardigan.” There’s the “haunted” house she refers to in “Seven” and the entirely witchy energy of “Mad Woman.” There’s a song called “August,” but it’s about the month “slip[ping] away like a bottle of wine.”

The world of Folklore is wistful, looking back on past loves with hard-won wisdom (as in “The 1” and “Cardigan”), the way autumn is an admission that spring and summer are over and winter is coming. It welcomes storytelling around a fire, the tale of “The Last Great American Dynasty” or “Betty.” (What happened when he showed up at her party?) It’s facing hard truths, as in “Exile,” “My Tears Ricochet,” “Mirrorball,” “This Is Me Trying,” and “Illicit Affairs.” But it’s also about the hope that comes from believing in fate, the inevitable changing of seasons that may be difficult sometimes, but is ultimately leading us in the right direction, as in “Invisible String.”   

Here are 7 things you can do to evoke the spirit of Folklore in your own fall.

Put on your favorite sweater, especially a cardigan.

Wrapping yourself in knit coziness is the main goal. Etsy is chock full of Folklore-inspired cardigans, which is handy since Swift’s own official merch store seems to have moved on. Otherwise, you can’t go wrong with a Banana Republic sweater, like this oversized cashmere number.

Get witchy.

Taylor the Witch debuts on Folklore with the song “Mad Woman,” though we would get further glimpses of her on future albums with Evermore’s “Willow” and, most potently, The Tortured Poets Department’s “Who’s Afraid of Little Old Me?” To honor this spirit, you could go big, like visiting the Salem, Massachusetts, home of the historic witch trials; or pay a visit to your local witch store (these are often referred to as “metaphysical” stores and are full of incense, bells, crystals, tinctures, and other irresistible goodies); or watch the delectably witchy 1998 film Practical Magic (available on Max), whose combination of stylish, relatable young witches and romance feels like a match with Swift’s version of witchery.

Get the inside scoop on the real-life heiress behind “Last Great American Dynasty.” 

Swift fans were first introduced to Rebekah Harkness, the eccentric oil heiress who once inhabited Taylor’s Westerly, Rhode Island, home, in the track “The Last Great American Dynasty.” Harkness, who was a major source of tabloid fodder in the ‘60s and ‘70s, is the subject of the intimate biography Blue Blood: How Rebekah Harkness, One of the Richest Women in the World, Destroyed a Great American Family, penned by New York Times bestselling author Craig Unger. Learn more about the mysterious woman who once dyed her neighbor’s dog a key lime green as you replay “LGAD” for the one millionth time and dream of your very own salt house box by the sea. 

Stream the films that inspired Taylor’s Folklore aesthetic. 

While stuck inside during COVID, Taylor escaped by immersing herself in the fairytales of filmmaker Guillermo Del Toro and intertwined his gothic stylings into her pandemic album.

 "I did experience combining some of those cinematic experiences, so you end up with an album that is me telling stories from other people's perspectives as folk tales," she told Entertainment Weekly. (While the singer didn’t specify which of his films, we’d suggest Pan’s Labyrinth and The Shape of Water for those Folklore-y vibes.)

Go for a walk in the (alleged) Folklore forest. 

The dreamy album cover artwork for Folklore, which features Taylor standing amongst towering trees, was reportedly shot in Lewisboro, New York.  Sadly, there’s no exact location available but you can find a guide to the various parks, trails, and reserves here and shoot your very own cozy, witchy photos as you explore. You can also sink into Folklore: The Long Pond Sessions to watch Taylor perform and talk about all of the tracks on the album in another wooded setting, Swift collaborator Aaron Dessner’s secluded studio near Hudson, New York. In fact, Upstate New York in the fall has major Folklore vibes, with changing trees, hiking paths, witch stores, wineries, cider houses, and fire pits galore.

Or head to any of the other (many, many!) beautiful forests across the country, to channel your inner woodland creature, who is just dying to spread its autumn-soaked, Folkore-coded wings. 

Have a bottle (or three) of red wine.

August may have slipped away like a bottle of wine, but we’re in the thick of fall now, so it’s a perfect time for a really good red. We love Dry Farm Wines delivery service, from whom you can get a lovely selection of three reds that are everything you want them to be—organic, sugar-free, artisanal, and lower alcohol. We swear we’re not sponsored by them, though we’re open to discussing it.

Volunteer with Swifties for Kamala.

This has nothing to do with Folklore, and everything to do with fall and Taylor: S4K is regularly updating their Substack with fun and productive opportunities up until Election Day, including text- and phone-banking as we watch grainy Eras Tour feeds together (which is really fun and makes the time fly). Join us!

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