Your quick guide to fashion exhibitions

Fashion isn’t just on the runway anymore, it’s stepping into museums. Across cities like London and Paris, major exhibitions are turning couture into a cultural experience you can explore. From landmark retrospectives to rare archival displays, these shows offer a closer look at the designers, icons, and ideas shaping fashion’s past and present. Whether planning a trip or updating your cultural calendar, here’s where to see fashion up close.

Schiaparelli: Fashion Becomes Art
At London’s Victoria and Albert Museum, Schiaparelli: Fashion Becomes Art brings the legacy of Elsa Schiaparelli into focus. Featuring nearly 400 pieces, the exhibition traces the brand’s journey from its 1930s collaborations with artists such as Salvador Dalí and Jean Cocteau to the modern designs of creative director Daniel Roseberry. Highlights include the iconic “Lobster Dress” and “Skeleton Dress”, alongside recent red-carpet looks worn by Ariana Grande. The exhibition shows how fashion and art come together and runs until November 8.

Vivienne Westwood: Rebel – Storyteller – Visionary
At County Durham’s The Bowes Museum, the exhibition highlights the work of Vivienne Westwood. It explores her designs from the 1980s to the 2000s, from her punk phase with Malcolm McLaren to her reinterpretation of historical fashion. The show includes rare pieces from private collections alongside items from the museum, reflecting her bold and unconventional approach. The exhibition runs from March 28 to September 6, 2026.

The Antwerp Six
At Antwerp’s MoMu Fashion Museum, the exhibition marks 40 years of the famous design group. The exhibition looks at how the six designers changed fashion from the 1980s onwards. It includes clothes, archives, and personal items, giving a closer look at their work and ideas. The show highlights both their individual styles and their shared influence on global fashion. It runs from March 28, 2026, to January 17, 2027.

Queen Elizabeth II: Her Life in StyleMarking the centenary of Queen Elizabeth II, the King’s Gallery at Buckingham Palace will showcase a sweeping exhibition of outfits worn by the monarch across every stage of her life, from early childhood to her wedding dress and coronation gown. Around 200 garments will be displayed alongside sketches, fabric swatches, and handwritten notes, offering insight into how she carefully shaped her public image through fashion, diplomacy, and symbolism. The exhibition will run from April 10 to October 18 this year.

Costume ArtAt the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the Costume Institute will present Costume Art, its 2026 spring exhibition, in new gallery spaces. The exhibition brings together art and fashion to explore how garments shape the body and vice versa. It will run from May 10, 2026 to January 10, 2027, and is linked to the annual Met Gala.

Marilyn Monroe: A PortraitAt London’s National Portrait Gallery, Marilyn Monroe: A Portrait will mark the 100th birth anniversary of Marilyn Monroe. Presented in association with the Marilyn Monroe estate, the exhibition explores her life, career, and lasting influence through portraits by leading artists and photographers. Alongside these works, personal items such as books, scripts, and clothing offer a deeper look at the woman behind the image. The exhibition will run from June 4 to September 6, 2026.

The Dior Collection by Azzedine Alaïa
At Paris’ Fondation Azzedine Alaïa, The Dior Collection by Azzedine Alaïa is presented alongside a parallel exhibition celebrating Azzedine Alaïa and Christian Dior as two “masters of couture”. Alaïa, who briefly worked at Dior in 1956, drew lasting inspiration from the house’s ateliers. The exhibition brings together around 30 Dior designs from his personal collection, shown alongside an equal number of his own creations, highlighting how Dior’s New Look shaped his work.