She’s done it again. Earlier this year, Taylor Swift surprised fans with an unexpected album, Folklore, a series of songs she wrote during lockdown.

But just as we’ve perfected the lyrics to every song on the tracklist, Swift has dropped another album. Yep, the singer has released Evermore, her ninth studio album and sister record to Folklore.

Swift announced the news on social media with a series of pictures and lengthy captions, outlining her process in creating the songs. She explains: “To put it plainly, we just couldn’t stop writing songs. 

“To try and put it more poetically, it feels like we were standing on the edge of the folklorian woods and had a choice: to turn and go back or to travel further into the forest of this music. We chose to wander deeper in.”

Amidst the excitement of new music and love for the cottagecore vibe of every image she posted, we couldn’t help but appreciate one other thing in the pictures: her messy-yet-chic French braid – which also features on the Evermore album cover.

“I absolutely love the new Taylor Swift album cover, the hair is right up my street – simple, super natural and timeless,” says Adam Reed, UK editorial ambassador for L’Oréal Professionnel. “Braids are wonderful all year round, especially at this time of the year when the temperature drops and we might find hair becoming a little dryer with a mind of its own. A loose soft French braid like this keeps hair tamed whilst looking stylish.”

“For this look, it’s great if the hair has a little added texture so next day hair is ideal,” says Reed. “If you need to add extra grip to the hair, prep it with a salt spray and then once fully dry, just before you braid, sprinkle a volume powder at the roots and mid-lengths for a little added height.”

Andreas Wild, senior hair stylist at Larry King, Notting Hill, also suggests finishing cream on the ends for a smooth finish like Swift’s. Then it’s time to start braiding.

Wild says the best thing is to put your fingers by your temples and section your hair from there. Then, start weaving a three-strand braid from the top of this section. Every time you take one of your three strands over, add more hair to it. Keep going until you’ve added all of your hair into the braid. 

He adds: “It’s quite nice to use a leather band or a bow on the end – you can accessorise it in a really nice way.”

Of course, French braids can be fiddly but that’ll actually work to your advantage when recreating Swift’s hairstyle. Reed adds: “The key to Taylor’s braid on the cover is to not over think it, it’s fine for some pieces to be bigger than others and loose hairs to fall down – it’s the undone done look that makes it work so well.”

Images: Beth Garrabrant/brands