To help you plan your next exhibition, we share 10 must-visit exhibitions in 2023.
In 2023, museums around the world invite fashion fans to engage with designers like Gabrielle 'Coco' Chanel, Karl Lagerfeld, Iris van Herpen, Christian Dior and Alexander McQueen.
Costume Institute at the Metropolitan Museum of Art: 'Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty'
The Costume Institute's spring 2023 exhibition will showcase the work of Karl Lagerfeld, who passed away in 2019, examining the "artistic methodology and lexicon of style" of his designs through recurring themes seen from the 1950s to his final collection in 2019.
Running from May 5 to July 16, the exhibition 'Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty' will explore the late designer's "creative process, the evolution of his designs and his eternal influence on fashion". There will be approximately 150 pieces accompanied by his sketches to highlight his complex creative process.
Pier Paolo Righi, CEO of Karl Lagerfeld, said in a statement: "Karl was a lover of the multidisciplinary arts, and it is the highest appreciation of his work to be presented in such a monumental exhibition at The Met's Costume Institute.
“As keepers of Karl's legacy, we aim to bring his passion, intuition and inexhaustible creativity to life in everything we do. We can't imagine a more poignant or meaningful way to celebrate his tremendous achievements (both his lasting impact on fashion and how he has shaped the future).
V&A: 'Gabrielle Chanel. Fashion Manifesto'
The V&A will host the first UK exhibition dedicated to French designer Gabrielle 'Coco' Chanel's work, which chronicles the evolution of design style and the founding of the House of Chanel, from her first millinery boutique in Paris in 1910 to the display of her last collection in 1971.
"Gabrielle Chanel. Fashion Manifesto" will run from September 16, 2023 to February 25, 2024. Exploring Chanel's pioneering approach to fashion design, it will include jewellery, accessories, cosmetics and perfumes, as well as more than 180 looks seen together for the first time.
Based on the Chanel exhibition hosted by the City of Paris Fashion Museum Palais Galliera, the exhibition will be redesigned for the V&A and will include "rare pieces" from the V&A collection, along with looks from the Parisian fashion house's heritage collections, the Palais Galliera and Patrimoine de Chanel.
Museum of Lace and Fashion: 'Yves Saint Laurent: Transparencies'
The Museum of Lace and Fashion in Calais, France, will host an exhibition dedicated to French designer Yves Saint Laurent's work examining how fabrics use the effects of transparency to propose a "new and powerful female figure."
Running from June 24 to November 12, 'Yves Saint Laurent: Transparencies' will highlight how well it has managed to "destroy the codes of revealing the female body".
The outfits will span more than four decades of the designer's time, along with accessories, illustrations, photographs and videos, including the designer's short dresses from the summer of 1966, her first see-through blouse and the 'Nude dress' made entirely of sheer chiffon.
Musée des Arts Décoratifs: 'Iris van Herpen'
The Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris pays homage to Iris van Herpen, who recognizes the Dutch designer as one of the most avant-garde figures of her generation, with "an immersive and sensual exploration into the designer's universe."
Running from November 29, 2023 to April 28, 2024, the 'Iris van Herpen' retrospective will combine fashion, contemporary art, design and science and revolve around eight themes that define the "essence" of van Herpen's work.
The exhibition questions "the place of the body in space in a rapidly changing world, its relationship with clothing and the environment, and its future". Alongside a hundred dresses designed by Iris van Herpen, it presents a selection of contemporary art, installations, videos, photographs and works from natural history. The Paris museum will also recreate the designer's Amsterdam studio and a space dedicated to fashion shows.
The Fashion and Textile Museum: 'Andy Warhol: The Textiles'
For its spring 2023 exhibition, the London Fashion and Textile Museum will host an exhibition that explores the "beautiful and captivating textile designs" of influential pop artist and icon Andy Warhol.
'Andy Warhol: The Textiles' will run from March 31 to September 10. It will feature more than 45 textile patterns by Warhol from the 1950s and early 1960s and feature a range of colorful objects, including ice creams, toffee apples, colored buttons, cut lemons, pretzels and jumping clowns, in both fabric lengths and some will display in more than one color group.
The museum explains that the exhibition will highlight "the unknown and almost unrecorded world of textile designs by the influential pop artist".
Qatar Museums: 'Forever Valentino'
Maison Valentino presents its first presentation in the Middle East and its biggest exhibition to date with 'Forever Valentino', which pays homage to its founder Valentino Garavani, at the Qatar Museums until April 1.
The exhibition is curated by Massimiliano Gioni, artistic director of New York's New Museum, fashion critic and writer Alexander Fury, and Valentino creative director Pierpaolo Piccioli. In addition to accessories and fashion objects highlighting the Maison's 60-year history, there are more than 200 Valentino Haute Couture pieces and ready-to-wear products.
Highlights include rarely seen outfits designed for names like Elizabeth Taylor, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis and, more recently, Zendaya.
Groninger Museum: 'Gianni Versace Retrospective'
Described as one of fashion's "most influential designers" by the Groninger Museum in Amsterdam, Gianni Versace is the focus of the 'Gianni Versace Retrospective' exhibition, which will run until 7 May 2023.
The exhibition is a "colourful, daring, emotional exhibition" into the world of the eccentric Italian fashion designer, showcasing the groundbreaking designs and flamboyant runway shows of their heyday between 1989 and 1997.
Curated by Versace experts Karl von der Ahé and Saskia Lubnow, the exhibition showcases clothing, accessories, fabrics, drawings and interior designs. He highlights how Versace connects fashion with music, photography and graphic design, and leads fashion shows and advertising campaigns into works of art.
Highlights include the 1991 Versace Freedom collection that made supermodels Cindy Crawford, Naomi Campbell, Linda Evangelista and Christy Turlington a global sensation, and the light black dress with giant gold safety pins on the sides, worn by Liz Hurley.
Museum of Contemporary Art in Tokyo: 'Christian Dior: Designer of Dreams'
Successful in Paris, London and New York, the major Dior retrospective has been reworked for Japanese fans by curator Florence Müller, with a new scenographic narrative created by architect Shohei Shigematsu of the OMA agency in New York.
'Christian Dior: Designer of Dreams' runs until 28 May and celebrates the "deep friendship" between Dior and Japan, exploring the history and influence of the great designer and the art directors who replaced him, including letters, sketches and pieces from Dior. explores with archival documents.
Highlights of Dior with its Japanese aesthetics include an enchanted garden with pieces of paperwork by artist Ayumi Shibata, while creations designed by different art directors of Dior are displayed alongside photographs by Yuriko Takagi, which were created specifically for the exhibition.
Florence Müller, curator of the exhibition, said: "Christian Dior was fascinated by the Japanese capacity to "merge modernism and tradition". A story of mutual and deep admiration that unites Japan, the land of tradition and innovation, with the House, which revolutionized retro style post-war fashion. 1953' The first agreements signed between Dior and Japanese prestigious textile companies at the same time were the beginning of a fruitful cultural and artistic dialogue that lives on today with Maria Grazia Chiuri and this exhibition at the Tokyo Museum of Contemporary Art.”
Yves Saint Laurent Museum: 'Gold by Yves Saint Laurent'
The Yves Saint Laurent Museum in Paris celebrates the 60th anniversary of the designer's first collection with an exhibition of more than 40 haute couture and ready-to-wear dresses, accessories and jewelry that examines the role gold plays in his work.
Open until May 14, 2022, the 'Gold by Yves Saint Laurent' exhibition highlights the designer's love for sparkle and gold and reveals how gold has become indispensable for the Yves Saint Laurent silhouette.
Curated by Elsa Janssen, the exhibition highlights Saint Laurent's use of gold on a chrono-thematic journey through ornaments, fabrics and elegant materials. Highlights include the jeweled dress designed and photographed by David Bailey from the fall-winter 1966 collection, the molten metal effect evening dress from the 1981 spring/summer haute couture collection, and the Gipsy dress with sheer details from the spring-summer 2000 haute couture collection.