The V&A has announced that 16 looks worn by the 14-time Grammy Award winning artist, Taylor Swift, will go on display at V&A South Kensington this summer as part of a free trail celebrating Taylor.

Taylor Swift on The 1989 World Tour, 2015. Courtesy of TAS Rights Management, LLC

Opening on Saturday 27 July and running until 8 September 2024, Taylor Swift | Songbook Trail will mark the success of Taylor’s UK tour and celebrate the creativity of her costumes, lyrics and music videos and explore the global phenomena of the pop icon. The costumes will sit alongside instruments, music awards, storyboards and previously unseen archive material which will explore her childhood and recording legacy.

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, from the critically adored album The Tortured Poets Department (2024).

Taylor Swift from the Soul2Soul Tour performance, 2007. Courtesy of TAS Rights Management, LLC

Each installation will present some of Taylor’s most iconic looks in dialogue with its unique setting in the V&A collection and will draw synergies with the V&A objects on display, as well as the architecture of the building.

The V&A is a family of museums dedicated to the power of creativity. One of London's most iconic buildings, V&A South Kensington in London is home to national collections of art, design, fashion and photography, as well as the UK's National Art Library.

Image still from willow music video, 2020. 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.”

The trail will take visitors on a winding journey through the V&A’s permanent galleries and present some of Taylor’s most iconic looks in dialogue with spaces and objects in the collection. It will also give visitors the opportunity to dive into the artist’s personal world and creativity, celebrating her ground-breaking impact on the world stage and the phenomenon of the ‘Swiftie’ fandom.

Image still from music video Fortnight (feat. Post Malone) by Taylor Swift, 2024. Courtesy of TAS Rights Management, LLC

Designed by award-winning designer Tom Piper – best known for his stage designs for the Royal Shakespeare Company as well as his Tower of London poppies and V&A exhibition Alice: Curiouser and Curiouser – each installation will be theatrically staged, bringing to life a different era of the pop icon's musical career through set dressing, music video and sound.

Janet Redler, Managing Director of Janet Redler Travel, said: “This exciting exhibition is a timely celebration of one of the world’s biggest music artists and marks the success of her UK tour. For Swifties, as well as all those interested in pop culture and fashion, this is a must-see event in London this summer.”

If you or your group would like to enjoy a visit to London to see Taylor Swift | Songbook Trail this summer as part of a tailor-made tour of the United Kingdom, please do contact our friendly team today – there’s still to time for us to create the perfect itinerary for you!