Taylor Swift’s ‘return to country’ for ‘Toy Story 5’ gets a new style era to match

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From showgirl to cowgirl.

Days after mysterious, cloud-dotted “TS” billboards popped up around the globe — followed by a matching blue-and-yellow countdown on Taylor Swift’s website — the musician confirmed Monday that she’ll contribute a new original song, “I Knew It, I Knew You,” to the “Toy Story 5” soundtrack.

And according to Disney’s accompanying press release, Swift’s trading the glossy pop of her “Life of a Showgirl” album for an acoustic guitar.

“Inspired by the rootin’ tootin’ cowgirl Jessie’s ongoing journey in ‘Toy Story 5′ that began back in “Toy Story 2,’ ‘I Knew It, I Knew You’ also marks a return to Taylor Swift’s country roots, blending styles that have defined her record-breaking career as a songwriter and artist,” the statement reads.

And in the grand tradition of Swift shifting her personal style to complement her sound, the photos she shared on Instagram to announce her latest project reflect this sonic reset.

In the first, Swift relaxes on a grassy lawn framed by tulips, sporting minimal makeup and the same honey-colored curls synonymous with her early years in country music.

Co-written and co-produced with longtime Taylor Swift collaborator Jack Antonoff, “I Knew It, I Knew You” releases this Friday, June 5. Instagram/taylorswift
As fans were quick to point out, the musician wore a similar floral sundress for her “Tim McGraw” single artwork in 2006. Taylor Swift

While only a single strap of her floral sundress appears in frame, that didn’t stop fans from comparing the style to Swift’s look from her 2006 “Tim McGraw” artwork — a fashion flashback if there ever was one.

(It doesn’t hurt that the theatrical release date for “Toy Story 5,” June 19, happens to fall on the 20-year anniversary of her debut single.)

Another image from the Grammy winner’s “I Knew It, I Knew You” announcement sees the curly-haired songstress posing in an empty field wearing utilitarian wide-leg pants and a patchwork jacket embroidered with flowers, birds and other icons of the great outdoors.

Beth Garrabrant snapped several photos of Swift to promote the upcoming “Toy Story 5” track. Taylor Swift
In the early days of her country career, Swift (pictured in 2006) was famous for her blond curls, printed dresses and cowboy boots. GC Images
The songwriter seemed to hint at her latest project by dressing in the “Toy Story” color palette of blue and yellow for an April outing in NYC, pairing a striped Staud midi dress with a lemon-hued Lady Dior bag. GC Images

With its red rickrack trim and overlapping squares of plaid, polka-dotted and seersucker fabric, the (likely vintage) outerwear could’ve been plucked from a teenage Swift’s closet in Nashville.

Given the superstar’s “already completely re-recorded” her self-titled debut album, as she shared last year, it’s not hard to imagine she might be laying the foundation for what her “Taylor Swift (Taylor’s Version)” fashion might look like — and it couldn’t be further from the sequins, corsets and general razzle-dazzle of her “Showgirl” styles and Eras Tour stage costumes.

“I’ve always dreamed of getting to write for these characters who I’ve adored since I was a 5 year old kid watching the first Toy Story movie,” Swift captioned her social media post sharing the news of her upcoming tune.

With both her fresh music and her latest looks, it would seem, Swift’s going back to where it all began.

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