Tate McRae and the mystery of Taylor Swift’s signature scent

The exchange took place around the time McRae joined Swift, the Haim sisters, and Justin Bieber for an evening in Manhattan following a New York Knicks game. While the sourdough gift is part of a growing tradition for Swift—who has also baked for Selena Gomez and Sombr—it was the atmospheric scent accompanying the bread that caught McRae off guard. During a recent conversation with Variety, she admitted to being stumped by the aroma, unable to discern if the fragrance originated from the bread itself or a signature scent worn by the host.

Swift’s culinary focus has become a frequent topic of conversation, with the singer recently admitting that sourdough occupies roughly 60% of her daily dialogue. Travis Kelce, who has witnessed the hobby evolve from a casual interest to a full-blown obsession, even gifted her a professional bread slicer to manage the output. The trend has even reached the commercial sphere, with Panera launching a promotional campaign dubbed “The Loaf Story” to capitalize on the public fascination with the couple’s domestic life following their July 3 wedding at Madison Square Garden.