London’s Victoria and Albert Museum will host an exhibition on Taylor Swift this summer, featuring a series of personal items loaned by the star.
Taylor Swift: Songbook Trail opens at the V&A South Kensington on 27 July and is free to enter.
The exhibition will feature 16 looks worn by the Grammy-winning singer, 34, who is currently on her successful Eras Tour with performances at EdinburghLiverpool, Cardiff, London and Dublin.
Visitors will be able to see costumes and archival footage up close, many of which will be on display for the first time.
Among the items on display along with the costumes are: music awards, storyboards and previously unpublished items from the singer’s archive.
Musician Taylor Swift (pictured) is the subject of an upcoming exhibition at the Victoria & Albert Museum
Taylor Swift: Songbook Trail opens at South Kensington Museum on July 27 and runs until September 8
These will ‘explore her childhood and her recording legacy’, according to the V&A.
Among the items on display will be custom cowboy boots Swift wore during the 2007 Soul2Soul II Tour, as well as the ruffled black dress she wore in her recent music video for Fortnight, the first single from The Tortured Poets Department.
In the music video for Fortnight, Swift stars alongside American rapper and singer Post Malone, with lyrics like “I love you, you’re ruining my life” already a favorite among her most dedicated fans, known as Swifties.
Each of the Songbook Trail stops will showcase a chapter of her musical career, while highlighting eras of her music and songwriting career, which began when Swift moved to Nashville, the birthplace of country music, when she was 14.
The Songbook Trail will take visitors on a journey through the V&A’s permanent galleries while featuring some of Swift’s famous looks alongside spaces and objects from the museum’s own collection.
The installations have been designed by Tom Piper, whose other projects include the V&A’s 2021 exhibition Alice: Curiouser And Curiouser.
Swift’s multi-million dollar Eras Tour sees her perform dozens of chart-topping tracks from her discography, including hits from the albums 1989, Red and Midnights, and the setlist also includes songs from The Tortured Poets Department.
The tour has spanned America, Asia and now Europe, and has attracted an impressive line-up of celebrities including the Prince of Wales and his children, Hollywood star Tom Cruise and Fleabag favourites Andrew Scott and Phoebe Waller-Bridge in the audience.
The exhibition will share a series of previously unpublished items from the musician’s personal archive (photographed in the music video for Willow, in 2020).
Among the items on display will be a pair of cowboy boots that Taylor Swift wore during the Soul2Soul II Tour in 2007.
The pop star also delighted fans during one of her dates in London when she was joined on stage by her boyfriend, American football star Travis Kelce, who made a surprise appearance at Wembley Stadium.
Kate Bailey, the museum’s senior curator of theatre and performance, said: ‘We are delighted to be able to showcase 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 inspired by art, history and literature.
“We hope this theatrical tour of the museum will inspire curious visitors to discover more about the artist, her creativity and the objects at the V&A.”
Taylor Swift: Songbook Trail will be on view at the V&A South Kensington from 27 July to 8 September 2024.
