Whether you’re part of the millions of Swifties or not, undeniably this rock-pop star is a force to be reckoned with. And the V&A Museum in London pays homage to her star with a free exhibition kicking off this July.
With sixteen looks worn by the 14-time Grammy Award winning artist, the V&A South Kensington’s galleries will pay homage to the megastar that is Taylor Swift. Starting on Saturday 27 July 2024, through to Sunday 8 September 2024 everyone will be able to view the collection up close and for free. I can’t imagine what mayhem the museum will turn into during this time!
Set up as a journey through the museum’s permanent collection, this theatrical trail will mark the success of Taylor Swift’s UK tour and celebrate the creativity of her costumes, lyrics and music videos as well as exploring the global phenomenon of the pop icon. Each of the 13 stops on the trail will showcase a chapter in the songbook of Taylor’s career and spotlight a particular era of her music and prolific songwriting.
Costumes and accessories on loan from Taylor’s personal archive will be on display, from customised cowboy boots worn during her breakout success as a country singer in 2007, to the jet-black ruffled shoulder dress worn in the most recent music video for her single Fortnight (2024).
The costumes will sit alongside instruments, music awards, storyboards and previously unseen archive which will explore her childhood and recording legacy. Dive into the artist’s personal world and creativity, celebrating her ground-breaking impact on the world stage and the Swiftie fandom.
Each intervention will present some of Taylor’s most iconic looks in dialogue with V&A objects as well as the architecture of the museum.
Taylor Swift on The 1989 World Tour, 2015. Courtesy of TAS Rights Management, LLC
Kate Bailey, Senior Curator, Theatre & Performance, said:
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.
This past week, Newsweek — the once broke, now up again American culture and news magazine — published an op ed titled “Taylor Swift is not a good role model” by John Mac Ghlionn. In it, the author points to Swift’s single lifestyle as the cause of the problem. “At 34, Swift remains unmarried and childless, a fact that some might argue is irrelevant to her status as a role model. But, I suggest, it's crucial to consider what kind of example this sets for young girls. A role model, by definition, is someone worthy of imitation. While Swift's musical talent and business acumen are certainly admirable, even laudable, we must ask if her personal life choices are ones we want our sisters and daughters to emulate. This might sound like pearl-clutching preaching, but it's a concern rooted in sound reasoning.”
It seems the very patriarchal, archaic thinking that Swift is trying to combat with her music and lyrics has hit a chord with this particular male journalist, who also seems to have an opinion on just about anything and everything — from China, to Saudi-US relations and what he calls “the death of Western values.” If I was on the fence about Swift as a talent, I’m now sold completely on her as a role model for women, young women and little girls everywhere. I mean, by his old-fashioned standards we should all be still barefoot and pregnant to be “good role models.” And I’m the antichrist. Bahhhh-humbag!
So grab your niece, your BFF, your girlfriend or your most fun male friend and visit the V&A this summer.
For more info on the exhibition, check out the V&A website.
All images courtesy of the V&A, used with permission.