The first rule of organising a trip to farflung cities? Plan ahead. City breaks are ripe for all kinds of cultural explorations – but if you want the hottest ticket in town, you’ll want to pay a vist to the fashion exhibitions now lining the world’s biggest galleries and museums. Lucky for you, we’ve put together a calendar of the top shows to see this year, from The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s spring exhibition to the Queen Elizabeth II retrospective at Buckingham Palace.
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Global Fashion Exhibitions To See In 2026
Azzedine Alaïa’s Dior Collection at La Galerie Dior & Azzedine Alaïa and Christian Dior, Two Masters of Haute Couture at Azzedine Alaïa Foundation, Paris
While a respected couturier in his own right, fashion designer Azzedine Alaïa was also an unwavering admirer of Christian Dior. Having amassed one of the biggest private fashion archives on record – reaching 20,000 pieces total, with around 600 being Dior designs – Alaïa’s collection has helped preserve the heritage of one of Paris’ biggest fashion houses. And now, the public can see his collection in person, thanks to a collaboration between the Azzedine Alaïa Foundation and La Galerie Dior – with more than a hundred Dior pieces going on show for the very first time. Visitors can hop between the fashion history hotspots; start at La Galerie Dior to see Alaïa’s collection, before heading over to the Azzedine Alaïa Foundation to see the two designers’ portfolio of work come together for a conversation on style codes, silhouettes and colour palettes.
When: 20 November 2025 – 17 May 2026
Where: La Galerie Dior, 11 rue François Ier, Paris 8e
Book It: Tickets are €16 at La Galerie Dior, and €11 at the Azzedine Alaïa Foundation (reduced ticket prices for each venue are available with proof of ticket purchase at the other) | galeriedior.com, fondationazzedinealaia.org
Fashion In The 18th Century. A Fantasized Legacy at Palais Galliera, Paris
Lace-up corsets, bejewelled bodices, pannier skirts and gravity defying wigs – it’s all too easy conjure up a vivid image of the fashions that so strongly defined the Age of Enlightenment. This period, marked by a huge creative revolution, is the subject of the Palais Galliera’s latest exhibition Fashion In The 18th Century. A Fantasized Legacy – which looks at how our collective memory of fashion past has continually shaped fashion future. Comprised of 70 distinct silhouettes, the exhibition marries 18th century regalia (a corset once owned by Marie Antoinette is the star piece) with contemporary pieces from the collections of Chanel, Christian Dior, Louis Vuitton, Christian Lacroix, Vivienne Westwood, Dries van Noten and more.
When: 14 March – 12 July 2026
Where: Palais Galliera, 10 av. Pierre 1er de Serbie 75116 Paris
Book It: Tickets are €14 | palaisgalliera.paris.fr
Installation view from The Bowes Museum
Vivienne Westwood: Rebel – Storyteller – Visionary at The Bowes Museum, Durham
One of Britain’s biggest (and most provocative) fashion designers takes centre stage at the Bowes Museum this spring/summer, with an exhibition dedicated to industry disruptor Vivienne Westwood. Spanning the early 1980s to 2000s, Vivienne Westwood: Rebel – Storyteller – Visionary charts the designer’s professional journey through eras of rebellion, runway couture and historical reinvention. This is an exhibition not to be missed of you’re a fan of the original queen of punk.
When: 28 March – 6 September 2026
Where: The Bowes Museum, Barnard Castle, County Durham DL12 8NP
Book It: Entry free with admission (Day Tickets are £20) | thebowesmuseum.org.uk
Exhibition details (photo by the Victoria & Albert Museum)
Schiaparelli: Fashion Becomes Art at V&A South Kensington, London
The V&A is renowned for its fashion exhibitions – with recent shows spanning everything from Chanel and Dior to Alexander McQueen – and this year, it dives into new territory. Schiaparelli: Fashion Becomes Art is the first UK exhibition dedicated entirely to the fashion house – as well as the designer who started its legacy: Elsa Schiaparelli. And with over 200 objects spanning clothing, jewellery and art on display, it’s practically a treasure trove of design inspiration for fashion fans. You can find out more about what to expect here, and read all about the curators’ highlights here.
When: 28 March – 1 November 2026
Where: V&A South Kensington, Cromwell Road, London SW7 2RL
Tickets: Weekday tickets from £28 and weekend tickets from £30 (members go free) | vam.ac.uk
Ann Demeulemeester in The Antwerp Six
at MoMu – Fashion Museum Antwerp, 2026 © MoMu Antwerp (photo by Stany Dederen)
The Antwerp Six at The Fashion Museum Antwerp (MoMu), Antwerp
While many will be familiar with the fashion circles of London and New York City, few will know a great deal about the Antwerp Six. The design collective, made up of six fashion designers who trained at Antwerp’s Royal Academy of Fine Arts in the early 1980s – and made their international debut together at the 1986 British Designer Show in London. Their work, which quickly captured the style set’s intrigue and put their home city on the global fashion map, is the subject of a landmark exhibition at The Fashion Museum Antwerp.
When: 28 March 2026 – 17 January 2027
Where: The Fashion Museum Antwerp (MoMu), Nationalestraat 28, 2000 Antwerp
Book It: Tickets are €13 | momu.be
Alexander McQueen Spring/Summer 1999 © Robert Fairer Archive (courtesy of the V&A)
Catwalk: The Art Of The Fashion Show at V&A Dundee, Dundee
London isn’t the only V&A outpost that can pack in a global audience. Up in Scotland, V&A Dundee celebrates over 100 years of runway history with Catwalk: The Art Of The Fashion Show. Drawing on examples from world-renowned names like Alexander McQueen, Chanel, Dior, Maison Margiela, Vivienne Westwood, Mary Quant, Gucci, Louis Vuitton and Charles Jeffrey, the exhibition traces the dramatic evolution of the catwalk from private salon to livestreamed runway.
When: 3 April 2026 – 17 January 2027
Where: V&A Dundee, 1 Riverside Esplanade, Dundee DD1 4EZ
Book It: Tickets from £7 | vam.ac.uk
Queen Elizabeth II on Princess Margaret’s Wedding Day, Cecil Beaton, 1960 (c) Cecil Beaton, Victoria and Albert Museum
Queen Elizabeth II: Her Life in Style at The King’s Gallery, London
If there’s one thing we’ll always remember about Queen Elizabeth II, it will be her fashion. Britain’s longest-reigning monarch was always something of a trendsetter – in every decade of her life – and now her fashion is being celebrated in a landmark exhibition at The King’s Gallery in Buckingham Palace. The show will display a huge selection from her vibrant wardrobe, including the colourful suits, silk headscarves and tartan coats – and yes, that iconic black handbag – that made the Queen so recognisable.You can find out more about what to expect here.
When: 10 April – 18 October 2026
Where: The King’s Gallery, Buckingham Palace, London SW1A 1AA
Tickets: Tickets are £22 | rct.uk
Artwork by Julie Wolfe (image courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art)
Costume Art at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City
You can always count on the Met’s spring exhibition to lure in fashion fans from across the globe. Tying in with this year’s Met Gala, Costume Art dives into the intricacies of the clothed body – pairing garments and artworks from the Costume Institute’s vast collection to explore connections and experiences. Focusing on Western art from prehistory to the present, pairings will be organised into a series of thematic body types – ‘Naked Body’, ‘Classical Body’, ‘Pregnant Body’, ‘Aging Body’, ‘Anatomical Body’ and ‘Mortal Body’ – that illustrate the relationship between clothing and body.
When: 10 May 2026 – 10 January 2027
Where: The Met Fifth Avenue, 1000 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10028
Book It: Entry free with admission (General Admission is $30) | metmuseum.org
Installation view of Cartier at V&A South Kensington | 12 April-16 November 2025 (c) Victoria and Albert Museum, London
Cartier at The National Gallery of Victoria (NGV), Melbourne
Did you miss out on the V&A’s major Cartier exhibition last year? Whether it was a matter of distance or timing, now’s your chance to see it once more – this time in Melbourne. The National Gallery of Victoria is running a fresh iteration of the show, bringing its 300-strong collection of precious jewels, gemstones, watches and clocks to the city for the first time. For an idea of what to expect, see our guide from the show’s London outing here.
When: 12 June – 4 October 2026
Where: NGV International, 180 St Kilda Road, Melbourne
Book It: Tickets are $43 | ngv.vic.gov.au
Fashioning Chinese Women: Empire To Modernity at Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA), Los Angeles
If you ever needed a sign that a visit to LA was needed this summer, this is it. LACMA is hosting a major exhibition spanning over 100 years of Chinese fashion, charting how sartorial codes have changed in the country from the 20th to the 21st century. Spotlighting late Qing Dynasty robes, 1930s qipaos and 1960s chongsams, alongside meticulously handcrafted textiles – totalling 70 ensembles from Shanghai, Hong Kong and America, displayed on mannequins customised by fashion designer Jason Wu – Fashioning Chinese Women: Empire To Modernity explores how Chinese and Chinese American women have continued to express themselves through dress through monumental times of change.
When: 14 June – 12 October 2026
Where: Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 5905 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90036
Book It: Entry free with admission (General Admission is $30) | lacma.org