Taylor Swift chose to stay close to the original aspects of her 2010 album as she released the re-recorded version as Speak Now (Taylor’s Version)on Friday, July 7, 2023.
For the cover of her album, the Grammy-winning artist, 33, recreated the album cover for by posing in a lilac look by Reem Acra - the same designer behind the iconic purple dress seen on the original Speak Now cover.
The Lebanon-born couturier compared both fashion moments in an interview with Page Six Style which she claimed came as complete surprises as she had “no idea” Swift was planning to wear her work either time.
“I discovered it at the time of the [album’s] release,” Acra recalled of Swift selecting a strapless violet ballgown from her spring 2007 collection for her initial Speak Now shoot.
A decade later, the designer was “happily surprised” to see the singer wear another of her designs.
The musician opted for a pastel pleated tulle creation with a delicately embellished bodice for the back cover of her re-recorded version.
“I was thrilled to say the least,” Acra says. “It is a big honour to see her in my creation 13 years later.”
She added, “I love that she picked this dress in particular — it is very dreamy and modern at the same time.”
Swift announced the release of her re-recorded version with “pride and joy” in a bid to reclaim the masters of her songs after they were sold to Scooter Braun in 2019.
“I first made Speak Now, completely self-written, between the ages of 18 and 20. The songs that came from this time in my life were marked by their brutal honesty, unfiltered diaristic confessions and wild wistfulness,” she said via an Instagram post announcing the news.
“I love this album because it tells a tale of growing up, flailing, flying and crashing … and living to speak about it,” she added of the album.