London Fashion Exhibitions: on now
Looking for fashion exhibitions in London? Big bustles and gowns fit for princesses await in Culture Whisper's guide to the best fashion museums and retrospectives
London Fashion Exhibitions: on now
On now
Fashioned from Nature, V&A
Fashioned from Nature, opening in April 2018 at the V&A, will explore how fashionable dress over the past 400 years recurringly draws on the beauty and power of the natural world. It is a mega blockbuster exhibition tracing 'the complex relationship between fashion and the natural world'. With exquisite garments and accessories from Christian Dior, Dries van Noten, Philip Treacy and, of course, sustainability veteran Stella McCartney, it's a visual feast.
21 April 2018 - 27 January 2019
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Azzedine Alaïa: The Couturier
Before his untimely passing in November last year, Tunisian-born designer Azzedine Alaïa was the darling of the fashion world. Edward Enninful called him a 'visionary' Naomi Campbell said he 'captured the essence of femininity', and the Design Museum were working with him on a retrospective of his work. Now, the planned retrospective has become a tribute to the late designer. Go to see Azzedine Alaïa: The Couturier at The Design Museum and be amazed by the sculptural, feminine designs that have triumphed on catwalks, red carpets – and now in great museums.
10 May 2018 - 7 October 2018
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This is first time that Frida Kahlo's hidden possessions have left Mexico to come to London. Locked away in a bathroom by her husband, some 300 of her personal effects were uncovered in 2004, including her dresses, prosthetics, letters and photographs. This is a rare chance to glimpse into the extraordinary everyday life of one of the world's most fascinating artists, item by item.
16 June 2018 to 4 November 2018
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The Knights of Knightsbridge
Nick Knight, Knights of Knightsbridge
Globally-acclaimed fashion photographer Nick Knight, in collaboration with The Knightsbridge Estate, has unveiled a new large-scale fashion installation at the intersection of Sloane Street and Brompton Road. The Knights of Knightsbridge features 18 of Knight's most striking fashion-led images, which include a selection of highly-structured ‘armour-like’ creations from luxury fashion designers Gareth Pugh, Rick Owens and Maison Margiela, as well as a collection of highly embellished pieces from the Dior archive by John Galliano.
Knight has said of the visual artwork: 'I took inspiration from historic references as well as the area's name and decided to create a "frieze" based on a multi-cultural, global interpretation of classical knights. I also looked to the historic architectural tradition of heroic characters high up on buildings that watch over cities and communities.'
The 11 metre high, 120 metre wide panorama, produced at Knight's SHOWstudio, will be on display until summer 2019.
Upcoming
Night and Day: 1930s Fashion and Photographs, Fashion and Textile Museum
This Winter, the Fashion and Textile Museum will be presenting Night and Day: 1930s Fashion and Photographs. The exhibition, featuring over 100 ensembles, will explore fashion of the 1930s — a time that rang in the changes after the excess and decadence of the 20s.
12 October 2018 - 20 January 2019
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A Royal Wedding: The Duke & Duchess of Sussex, Windsor Castle
Meghan Markle dazzled more than 29 million viewers across the world when she walked down the aisle in May to marry Prince Harry. Now, you have the chance to see her dress up close. The Duchess of Sussex's Givenchy wedding dress, designed by the British artistic director of Givenchy, Claire Waight Keller, will go on display alongside Harry's frockcoat Household Cavalry uniform. Many will flock to see Meghan Markle's wedding dress exhibition.
26 October - 6 January 2019
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Christian Dior Exhibition V&A
In February 2019, the V&A will open its doors to the largest and most comprehensive exhibition ever staged in the UK on the House of Dior. It will be of a scale to rival the likes of Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty, which swept us off our feet in in 2015. If any institution was to stage a worthy Dior exhibition, the V&A would be it.
2 February 2019 – 14 July 2019
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Mary Quant Exhibition, V&A
From miniskirts and hot pants to vibrant tights and makeup, discover how Mary Quant launched a fashion revolution on the British high street, with over 200 garments and accessories, including unseen pieces from the designer's personal archive.
From 6 April 2019
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Tim Walker Exhibition, V&A
British photographer Tim Walker’s ethereal dreamscapes and idiosyncratic fairy-tales have entranced imaginations worldwide ever since he shot his very first fashion story for Vogue at the age at 25. Now, thirteen years later, the V&A has announced that the museum will stage the third solo exhibition of the inimitable British fashion photographer in September of 2019.
From September of 2019
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