Taylor Swift’s tour looks are on display in London… but why?

A message that may surprise some: London’s Victoria & Albert Museum Museum has just announced that it has acquired a number of looks from Taylor Swift‘s personal wardrobe for a brand new exhibition. “Today, the V&A announces that 16 looks from 14-time Grammy Award winner Taylor Swift will be on display at the V&A South Kensington this summer as part of a free exhibition in tribute to Taylor,” the press release reads.

Instead of creating a separate area in the museum, Taylor Swift – Songbook Trail will be spread across several of the V&A’s galleries, where “Taylor’s most iconic looks” will apparently dialogue with items from the permanent collection. Costumes on loan to the museum include the black ruffled prairie dress Swift wore in the video for her “Fortnight” music video and a pair of glittery cowboy boots from her time as a singer in 2007. The accompanying sets will be directed by British theatre designer Tom Piper, best known for his work on the ceramic poppy installation at the Tower of London in 2014.

Elsewhere in the press release, the museum says the exhibition will “honor the success of Taylor’s UK tour and celebrate the creativity of her costumes, lyrics and music videos, as well as explore the pop icon’s global phenomena.” Like it or not, Swift’s influence on the pop canon is considerable, but it does seem odd that her first exhibition in London would be based on looks. The singer is not exactly known for her influence or power in the fashion world, opting for comfortable touring costumes that were not designed with boundary-pushing intentions.

Although the costumes are displayed alongside “instruments, music awards, storyboards and previously unseen archive footage,” the focus on fashion seems at odds with Swift’s career, which has not focused on fashion at all. And while the V&A has hosted groundbreaking exhibitions such as Alexander McQueen‘S Wild beautylast years Africa Fashionor the current Naomi: In Fashion – which is being shown alongside Swift’s exhibition – this new addition to the list can hardly keep up with the rest.

Taylor Swift – Songbook Trail runs from 27 July to 8 September 2024 at the V&A South Kensington.