Nice Taylor-ing: Country star Swift steps out in preppy knit sweater and pleated skirt

She may be from the South, but Taylor Swift looked like she stepped straight out of a J. Crew catalogue today.

The 21-year-old singer looked adorable in her preppy ensemble as she shopped in New York City.

The country starlet wore a navy cable-knit sweater tucked in to a sunny yellow pleated skirt.

She didn’t seem to be afraid of a little colour, as she accessorised with magenta ballet flats, a cobalt purse and bright red lips.

Her favourite number, 13, was emblazoned on her right hand as she entered Ralph Lauren’s West Village boutique.

She has spoken about why she paints the lucky number on her body before each show.

‘The significance of the number 13 on my hand … I paint this on my hand before every show because 13 is my lucky number — for a lot of reasons. It’s really weird,’ she has explained.

She added: ‘I was born on the 13th. I turned 13 on Friday the 13th. My first album went gold in 13 weeks. My first number one song had a 13-second intro.’

‘Every time I’ve won an award I’ve been seated in either the 13th seat, the 13th row, the 13th section or row M, which is the 13th letter. Basically whenever a 13 comes up in my life, it’s a good thing.’