Swifties, rejoice! The Museum of Arts and Design in New York has dedicated an entire floor to displaying a slew of costumes, accessories and jewelry worn by Taylor Swift during her Grammy-winning career, which spanned over of a decade.
Through “Taylor Swift: Storyteller“, fans will find ensembles she’s donned in music videos for tracks such as Shake (2014) and Bejeweled (2022), guitars she wielded during live performances, and concert outfits designed by fashion houses. These approximately 50 artifacts are on display alongside live projections of Swift’s music videos and wall enlargements of her handwritten lyrics.
As its title suggests, the exhibit is meant to showcase Swift’s storytelling prowess, which has grown in scale and ambition throughout her 10-album discography and videography. in expansion.
“Music tells you a certain story and it uses costumes and props in order to build on those stories and characters that it creates,” MAD director Tim Rodgers told Artnet News. “Like all artists, she takes it into other realms – there’s fantasy woven into it, notions of larger archetypes.”
“All Too Well” outfit, designed by Marina Toybina. Photo: Bruce M White.
The show was orchestrated by Swift’s management company 13 Management, who approached MAD specifically after seeing footage of her Machine Dazzle Retrospective. The showcase was put together in the space of two months – a “quick” sprint, in Rodgers’ words, to coincide with Swift’s current The Eras Tour, which tours the tri-state area in the end of May.
Chances are the expo will be inundated with ardent Swift enthusiasts (hence the timed entries and a gift shop full of Taylor Swift merchandise), but Rodgers is adamant you don’t need to be a deep dyed Swiftie to get you sucked in.
“Yes, it’s about Taylor Swift, but it’s about something bigger than Taylor Swift,” he said. “It’s really about our own culture and how women are portrayed and thought about and written about. Those are the ideas we wanted to explore.
Below, we’ve selected five highlights from the show ahead of your own inevitable visit.
1. The cheerleader and ballerina sets from “Shake It Off”
The cheerleader and ballerina outfits from the music video “Shake It Off” (2014). Photo: Bruce M White.
by Swift video for “Shake It Off” made her the only female artist to hit a three billion views on YouTube, but also illustrates his habit of playing with and against archetypes. The four-minute clip sees her don personas ranging from an inept break dancer to an inept performance artist, aided by vibrant costumes. Two of the most emblematic, the ballerina (with hints of The black swan) and cheerleader (“You belong to me”, anyone?), are included here, summarizing Swift’s investigation of “notions of what women are meant to be, can be, or should be” , according to Rodgers.
2. A shimmering guitar
Taylor Guitars GS6 #3 Sparkle Guitar. Photo: Min Chen.
Quite possibly Swift’s most recognizable instrument, this GS6 acoustic guitar, adorned with Swarovski crystals, is made by Taylor Guitars (no relation) and is reminiscent of the musician. Speak Now era (circa 2010–12). This is not the only model available: the one shown is labeled Guitar No. 3 and yet another now accompanies Swift on her The Eras tour.
3. This cat-themed outfit from “Look What You Made Me Do”
A set consisting of a Gucci sweatshirt, Christian Louboutin boots and a cat mask, taken from the video “Look What You Made Me Do” (2017). Photo: Min Chen.
Will Taylor Swift ever run out of archetypes? Don’t bet on it. Her video 2017 introduced us to an all-new cast of characters, including one dressed in an oversized Gucci hoodie adorned with a tiger face and wearing a cat mask. It’s in this costume that Swift is filmed amidst a scratched bank safe, dollar bills to her Louboutin boots, inviting virtually all sorts of cat burglar puns.
4. Flamingo lawn ornaments from “You Need to Calm Down”
From left to right: Agent Provocateur dress from the video “You Need to Calm Down” (2019); a Versace ensemble worn by Swift at the 2019 MTV Video Music Awards; and a set with a Marina Hoermanseder shirt, Yves Saint Laurent shorts, Fleur de Mal bra, Irregular Choice boots and Ohuhu garden ornaments from the video “You Need to Calm Down” (2019). Photo: Bruce M White.
THE Swift’s 2019 single video is less a music video and more a series of random celebrity cameos (RuPaul! Katy Perry! The guys from weird eye!). But the real stunt comes, of course, from the flamingo ornaments that generously adorn the lawn at Laverne Cox’s trailer park. Produced by an art supply company Ohuhuthe items here are paired with the stunning suit Swift wore in the video, a set of designs from Saint Laurent, Marina Hoermanseder and Irregular Choice.
5. A painting of Taylor Swift’s cat, Benjamin Button
Painting by Benjamin Button, on wallpaper by Rebecca Graves, taken from the video “Lover” (2019). Photo: Min Chen.
Did You know taylor Fast like cats? She has three, baptized with names like Meredith Grey, Olivia Benson and Benjamin Button. The latest, which she adopted after appearing in his “ME!” video, is immortalized here in a painting, artist unknown, endearingly peering into a hazy blue background. If you can’t see it in person, the work can also be previewed in (or elsewhere) another video, “The Lover” of 2019.
“Taylor Swift: Storyteller” is on view at the Museum of Arts and Design, 2 Columbus Circle, New York, through September 4.
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