Beth Vancil vividly recalls the frigid Chiefs-Dolphins game on Saturday, where she had a memorable encounter with Taylor Swift. Seated directly behind her in Arrowhead Stadium, the pop star left her scarf in Vancil’s hands, a cherished possession that she still keeps in her house.
Speaking to PEOPLE on Monday, Vancil shared that the scarf, gifted by the 12-time Grammy winner, “smelled like home.” She was about to capture photos of her 4-year-old daughter wearing it.
Swift, who was in attendance in her Arrowhead Stadium box seat, noticed the cold conditions during one of the coldest games in NFL history. Dating Chiefs player Travis Kelce, Swift generously gifted Vancil the scarf to help her stay warm amid the below-zero temperatures.
In the Swiftie community, a red scarf is symbolically associated with Swift’s “All Too Well (10 Minute Version) (Taylor’s Version),” a fan-favorite song featuring lyrics about a red scarf kept by an ex-boyfriend after their breakup.
Vancil took to Instagram to share the memorable moment with Swift, Mahomes, and her friend Betsy Nacrelli, capturing a selfie with the caption: “We came, we saw, we conquered, we swag surfed with Donna [Kelce], Taylor, and Brittany [Mahomes], and Taylor gave me her scarf (it was not red and she doesn’t want it back).” The caption was adorned with Swift-coded emojis: “? ? ??.”
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Describing the game, Vancil recounted how Taylor identified her as a “good luck charm,” noticed her red face, and graciously gave her the scarf. Vancil, visiting Kansas City for an event by the jewelry company Collections by Joya, felt the nickname was fitting, considering the context.
Swift has attended various Chiefs victories, supporting Kelce and quarterback Patrick Mahomes, and stayed warm during the game by wearing matching jackets with Mahomes. The jackets, customized with their significant others’ names and numbers, were designed by Kristin Juszczyk, the wife of San Francisco 49ers fullback Kyle Juszczyk.
