Taylor Swift exhibition to open at the V&A – costumes very much included

Calling all Swifties! If you’ve been revelling in the Taylor Swift mania that has gripped the globe, yet still can’t quite quench your thirst for all things Tay Tay, then listen up. 

A shining new Taylor Swift exhibition is set to open at London’s Victoria & Albert Museum from July 27 to September 8. Titled Taylor Swift: Songbook Trail, the glittering exhibition will be completely free to visitors and features thirteen stops that document key moments in Swift’s life and music career.

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From costumes to personal archives such as storyboards and accessories, the exhibition promises a deep dive into Taylor’s cultural evolution. The main event? A pair of customised cowboy boots that the singer wore during her debut album, Taylor Swift, and the now-iconic black ruffled shoulder dress worn during the Fortnight music video. 

The exhibition guides spectators through the Grammy-winner’s evolution, from childhood to the Eras Tour,  which has recently seen the singer perform in Edinburgh, Liverpool, Cardiff, London and Dublin.

The Taylor-themed installations have been designed by British Theatre designer Tom Piper, whose fellow projects include the V&A’s hit-2021 exhibition Alice: Curiouser And Curiouser and work for the Royal Shakespeare Company. 

The launch of the exhibition comes after the V&A’s February 2024 announcement that the museum was hiring for five Taylor Swift ‘Superfan Advisors’ who were experts in all things Taylor. The successful applicants met with V&A curators to share their knowledge of the Cruel Summer singer, spanning memorabilia to super-fan culture.

© Gareth Cattermole/TAS24

Kate Bailey, Senior Curator, Theatre & Performance, noted via the V&A website: “We are delighted to be able to display a range of iconic looks worn by Taylor Swift at the V&A this summer, each celebrating a chapter in the artist’s musical journey. Taylor Swift’s songs, like objects, tell stories, often drawing from art, history and literature. We hope this theatrical trail across the museum will inspire curious visitors to discover more about the performer, her creativity and V&A objects.”

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 Taylor Swift: Songbook Trail opens at the V&A from July 27 to September 8 and is free of charge for all.