Move over, Mr. and Mrs. Smith — there’s a new power duo in town!
Because 2023 wasn’t wild enough, music and sports fans were stunned to learn that Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce may have found his “Juliet” in pop superstar Taylor Swift.
Since news of their budding romance broke the internet in September, the two (maybe) lovebirds have inspired all sorts of online conversations — with some applauding the singer for turning Kelce into “America’s sweetheart” while others, including Kelce himself, insist the media attention has become too much. Meanwhile, there are some who don’t think their coupling is real at all.
Outside of making headlines, the pair is also inspiring couples around the world to dress like them for Halloween so they can trick-or-treat on trend. If that isn’t #CoupleGoals, we don’t know what is.
That being said, we couldn’t help but talk to retail experts and TikTokers who, like many others, have become obsessed with channeling their inner “Traylor” (one of many nicknames fans have called them). Here’s what they had to say.
The birth of a trend
Theories began swirling about Swift and Kelce when the singer performed at Kansas City’s Arrowhead Stadium in July. A few weeks later, the football player mentioned during an episode of his New Heights podcast that he’d written his number on a friendship bracelet to give to Swift — though he later admitted to failing at that.
Fast forward to September, and sources at Entertainment Tonight revealed that the couple was “hanging out,” which was followed up by a second source at the Messenger who shared that the singer “saw him when she was in NYC a few weeks ago.”
Meanwhile, Kelce and his brother, Philadelphia Eagles star Jason Kelce, remained coy when asked several times about the romance in followup interviews. That left Swifties eager for answers, until a Sept. 21 clip from The Pat McAfee Show saw Kelce admitting that he “threw the ball in her court,” and “we’ll see what happens in the future.”
A few days later, Swift was spotted at Arrowhead Stadium with Kelce’s mom, Donna, and later backstage alongside the athlete. She was seen again on Oct. 1 with her celeb BFFs to watch Kelce’s team defeat the New York Jets. ET later revealed that she and Kelce are “excited” about where their romance is heading.
And believe us when we say, they’re not the only ones!
‘It’s perfect for Halloween’
Stormy Kelly, a 33-year-old clothing designer who sews and curates outfits via TikTok, is ready for “countless” iterations of Taylor and Travis on Halloween. As she tells Yahoo Entertainment, she’s already received several orders.
“I’ve been making Taylor Swift outfits for a long time. I’ve recreated a ton of her looks,” she says. That includes a blue and gold rhinestone leotard she paired with Kelce’s jersey, which she shared in a TikTok video on Sept. 25. The clip has since been viewed over 1 million times.
“I was working on that rhinestone bodysuit for the movie,” Kelly says of Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour concert film premiering Oct. 13. “Everybody was saying, ‘Oh, this is so dumb to do that. You’re only gonna wear it once.’ And next thing you know, it’s perfect for Halloween!”
Pairing it with a jersey or any kind of football attire, she adds, is a perfect combo.
“It’s a great couples costume,” she explains. “And you know what? If they don’t work out or if they break up, the guy can always be ‘dead Travis Kelce’ or ‘zombie Travis Kelce’ because, you know, he’s dead to her.”
Another creative idea would be to make them “American Sweethearts” by pairing the looks with “prom king and queen hats,” adds Kelly, who is far from the only person getting a head start on Halloween.
Kylie Schultz has been covering her Swiftie obsession on TikTok while shopping for Swift-inspired miniskirts. One video, posted Sept. 25, shows her scouring the racks at Spirit Halloween for Eras Tour outfits, racking up 1.6 million views in the process.
“So I’m back at Spirit and I’m gonna get one of these skirts because I’m obsessed and it seems like everybody else is also obsessed,” Schultz told her followers in a separate video.
Meanwhile, the hashtag #TaylorSwiftTravisKelce has grown to nearly 161 million views since the rumors of their coupling began. Many of those posts are offering tips on how to curate the perfect couples costume.
One Oklahoma couple, Makayla and Nick Stephens, had them all beat when a photo from Halloween 2020 resurfaced of them dressed as the singer and footballer. As Makayla told USA Today, it was “a full circle moment” when she discovered that the real Taylor and Travis are possibly an item.
They were “the two most random people in the whole world that we could choose to be for Halloween,” she reflected. “And now it’s getting to a point where like they actually are a couple, so it just feels like a full circle moment.”
From trends to retail
Retail stores are getting in on the craze, especially the folks at Spirit Halloween, who tells Yahoo Entertainment they’re expecting a surge in purchases from buyers this year who want to “put their own spin” on Taylor and Travis’s looks.
“Every year, fans create costumes inspired by all the buzziest pop culture happenings,” public relations manager Marisa Uzzolino says. Taylor and Travis are no different, she notes: “Talk about a power couple!”
“Halloween gives people an opportunity to dress up as anyone or anything they want to be,” she explains. “Fans can DIY their own spin on Taylor Swift and shake it off with our cheerleader costume and blond wig, while their partner grabs this football gear for the big Halloween bash.”
‘Stepping into a character’
Brittany Law, a 29-year-old actress who routinely makes costumes for various events, says dressing as pop culture icons, whether it’s Swift or Barbie, which she recreated recently, puts a little extra pep in your step while trick-or-treating.
“I feel the confidence and positivity reflected in myself when I wear these costumes,” she tells Yahoo Entertainment. “It’s like stepping into a character, and you feel the stardom that comes from the character you’re dressing up as.”
Kelly says she’s seen firsthand the impact Swift costumes have on people.
“I do a lot of sewing tutorials on TikTok and it’s awesome to see these girls making sequined dresses for the first time,” she says. “One even messaged me and she was crying, saying, ‘This is so cool. I love this.’ So, I’m happy to be inspiring people because sewing and making your own clothes is a dying art.”
Whether it’s fun, cheeky or simply your way to evoke Taylor and Travis “energy,” Uzzolino says the real spirit of Halloween is self-empowerment and expression — no matter how old you are.
“You can be whatever or whoever you want without any stigma or judgment,” she says of the Oct. 31 holiday. “It can be an elaborate costume you spend weeks plotting or a mask of your favorite hero, but either way, it’s pure escapism and we all can use a break from our lives with no strings attached.”
Who’s up for a “Love Story” this Halloween?
