Taylor Swift’s Speak Now Exhibit

Taylor Swift wrapped up her Speak Now tour in March, and she probably won’t do another major tour until next year.  So how can her fans get their Taylor fix between now and then?  Taylor has taken the costumes and props from the Speak Now tour and loaned them to the Country Music Hall of Fame & Museum in Nashville where they will be on display until November 4. 

“Taylor Swift’s Speak Now tour was one of the most successful tours in all of music, and she has been an ambassador for country music, raising awareness of our genre literally around the globe,” said Museum Director Kyle Young.  “We are delighted to be able to bring our visitors up close and personal with many of their favorite elements from the show, from the colorful and elaborate stage costumes and beautiful instruments, to the magnificent ‘Juliet balcony’ that Taylor entered near the conclusion of each show and ‘flew’ around the circumference of each venue.”

The Country Music Hall of Fame is a favorite place for Taylor.  It was there that she signed her recording contract in 2006.  Since then. she’s performed at several benefit concerts for the institution, including Keith Urban’s All For the Hall concert last year.  Last month, Taylor pledged $4 million to fund a new education center at the museum.  Swift’s gift, the largest capital contribution by an individual artist in the museum’s 45-year history, prompted the museum to name the new space the Taylor Swift Education Center.  The center will open in early 2014.  The gift was made in conjunction with the museum’s expansion capital campaign, Working on a Building: Country Music Lives Here. 

The Speak Now exhibition will recreate 10 vignettes from the tour, including the following artifacts:

• Taylor’s Roberto Cavalli ombre gold bugle-beaded dress and shimmering red Gibson Les Paul model electric guitar, featured during Swift’s performance of “The Story of Us”
• Taylor’s vintage ecru lace dress and Deering six-string banjo with rolled steel drum; fiddle player’s Marc by Marc Jacobs moss green crepe dress; male dancer’s soft-shoe costume including Brixton tartan plaid newsboy cap, shirt, pants, vest and oxfords; and numerous props including the 6′ x 8′ switchboard
• Taylor’s pale blue silk Marchesa gown with rhinestone bodice; and a white piano bench with tufted leather upholstery, both featured in “Back to December”
• Taylor’s red, sequined Jenny Packham slip dress and knee-high leather boots, worn during “Better Than Revenge”
• Taylor’s vintage purple silk halter dress; dancers’ costumes including a chiffon bridal gown with pearl- and bead-encrusted bodice, tulle veil and silk rose bouquet; two cotton-candy pink bridesmaids’ dresses with lace bodices and ruffled tulle skirts, and bouquets; groom’s ivory tuxedo and black pants; cleric’s vestments; and props including retro microphone, all featured during “Speak Now”
• Taylor brand koa wood ukulele with mother-of-pearl inlay, whose “happy sounds” Swift elicited during her acoustic performance of “Fearless”
• Taylor’s sleeveless, flesh-colored Reem Acra gown with sequin overlay; female dancer’s ballerina costume, comprised of a gold and ivory brocade bodice and pastel tulle tutu, embellished with pastel tulle flowers, seed pearls and beading; male dancer’s tunic and leggings; and prop trees; all featured in “Enchanted”
• Taylor’s re-worked vintage dress, featuring leather corsetry; and the mallet she used to ring the bells during her performance of “Haunted”
• Taylor’s black Jenny Packham flapper-style slip dress with rhinestone embellishments; black knee-high leather boots; and Taylor brand “sparkle” guitar encrusted with Swarovski crystals and featuring a headstock outlined in crystals and embellished with a crystal “13,” featured during “Long Live”
• Taylor’s golden Valentino ball gown, featuring layers of tulle and a sequin overlay; dancers’ and aerialists’ costumes; and the “Juliet balcony” in which Swift soared above the crowd during each performance of “Love Story.”

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Category: Photos