Taylor Swift was seen in New York wearing a vintage University of Pennsylvania sweatshirt and denim shorts. The navy blue top was found by Caitlin Driscoll of Peppered Goods, a renowned clothing curator and thrift expert from Philly. To complete her look, Swift wore classic red lipstick.
While hanging laundry in her backyard in Doylestown, Driscoll received a text message from the owner of 9th St. Vintage in New York. The message included a photo from People Magazine featuring a henley-style shirt that Driscoll had sold to the shop earlier this summer. This event is just one example of how Driscoll’s vintage pieces continue to be sought after and given new life. Driscoll and her husband began selling vintage clothing and goods in 2008, even including items their newborn son had outgrown.
According to the interviewee, she was approached by a brick-and-mortar store from Boston soon after starting her vintage collection. They asked her to curate a children’s collection for them, which eventually led to her becoming a full-time vintage buyer for several stores worldwide. Initially, she and her husband worked as buyers for other vintage shops, but due to the pandemic, they had to shift gears and began selling their vintage collection on Instagram. In Philly, Peppered Goods has a curated selection of vintage pieces at Moon + Arrow boutique in Queen Village. The top that Taylor Swift wore was from the 1960s and was sold on Penn’s campus. It features the university’s crest on the left breast.
According to the speaker, the shirt is a representation of the peak period when college loyalty was in vogue. It has a comfortable texture that fits perfectly on the body. Swift matched the shirt with Ivy Park trail sneakers and a Mansur Gavriel crossbody bag. The vendor for 9th St. Vintage, Meridith Civorelli, frequently buys clothes from Peppered Goods for the New York City outlet.
Driscoll shared with excitement that Meridith had informed her of Taylor Swift and Margaret Qualley’s recent visit to their shop. She mentioned that Meri’s daughter is a great fan of Taylor Swift, so it was nice to share this experience with her. Driscoll also revealed that the celebrities had shoplifted a few items from their store, which made the moment even more memorable. She even shared a screenshot of the incident with her teenage son and asked him to show it to his friends in the hopes of becoming a bit cooler in their eyes.
Sarah Kucharski, the owner of Taylor Swift Styled, a blog and social media accounts dedicated to documenting Taylor Swift’s wardrobe choices over the years, believes that the vintage Penn top is a tribute to the singer’s fondness for classic clothing. According to Kucharski, Taylor’s outfit is evidence of her ongoing love for purchasing one-of-a-kind and retro pieces, which she has been doing since the early 2010s. Additionally, Kucharski, who hails from Philadelphia, thinks that it’s no surprise that Taylor was attracted to the University of Pennsylvania tee.
