The National Cowgirl Museum & Hall of Fame will open its new Icons Gallery on November 7, 2026, with Lambert’s residency costumes as its first exhibition. The opening coincides with the Fort Worth museum’s expansion.
Lambert wore the costumes during a Las Vegas residency that ran from September 2022 through April 2024. Now, the National Cowgirl Museum & Hall of Fame in Fort Worth will present them as the first exhibition in its new Icons Gallery, opening November 7, 2026.
Created in collaboration with Lambert, Miranda Lambert: Velvet Rodeo brings together the one-of-a-kind garments she wore onstage. The gallery is part of the museum’s 16,000-square-foot expansion, a $19 million project.
In a museum, visitors can examine details that are easy to miss during a performance. The costumes were designed for movement and stage lighting; the exhibition is scheduled to remain on view for at least a year.
Lambert has said her first visit to the museum inspired her to send photographs of its Western pieces to her stylist, Tiffany. They drew on those pieces and the heyday of Elvis while developing the residency wardrobe. Curator Ashley Kowalski said the styling also took inspiration from historic garments by Western tailors in the museum’s collection.
The exhibition also reflects Lambert’s ties to the world beyond music. She is a National Cowgirl Hall of Fame honoree and a mounted shooting competitor. She is also a horsewoman, connections the museum says link her public identity to the women it celebrates.
Executive Director Pat Riley said Lambert’s confidence and independence made her a fitting choice to launch the gallery. He also cited her determination. The museum is presenting the residency wardrobe as part of Western fashion history and as a record of Lambert’s stage style.
The Icons Gallery will open alongside the museum’s expansion on November 7. The museum is scheduled to close to the public on October 19 for preparations, then reopen on November 7.
The 16,000-square-foot addition will include new galleries. It will also have a photographic space and a new entrance facing Dickies Arena. An event room will accommodate up to 250 people, and the expansion will add the Cowgirl Carousel. The new spaces will focus on the achievements and influence of women of the West.
Visitors will be able to study the garments’ materials and construction. Their decorative details will be on view outside the concert setting.
Members can preview the gallery at 10 a.m. on opening day. The public opening is at noon.
