TRAVEL FASHION MUSEUMS Gucci Museo Gucci90 More than nine decades of Gucci evening wear, handbags and suitcases can be viewed at the Gucci Museo in Florence !" Horizon September !#$" BACK IN STYLE Explore bygone trends and creative highlights with a stroll through the world’s top fashion museums /Text Josephine McKenna ashion history has been having a moment in the spotlight, with significant ensembles being put on display in major museums. Last year, London’s Victoria and Albert Museum sold more than David Bowie Is 300,000 tickets to the exhibition David Bowie Is, which displayed many of the flamboyant singer’s 302011 Fmemorable costumes. Similarly, in 2011 more Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty than 600,000 people lined up at New York’s Met- 60 ropolitan Museum of Art to see the retrospective Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty. The exhibi- tion was one of the museum’s most popular ever, highlighting fashion’s wide appeal. And around the world, galleries specialising in fashion show their best wares on a permanent basis, offering a look GUCCI MUSEO at some of the most elaborate and recognisable Gucci1921 outfits ever worn. Gucci Gucci Museo14 GUCCI MUSEO FLORENCE Palazzo della Mercanzia Gucci began as a small leather-saddle business in Florence in 1921. Today it is one of the world’s September !#$" Horizon !% TRAVEL FASHION MUSEUMS The Museum at FIT Impact: 50 Years of the CFDA The Museum at FIT’s Impact: 50 years of the CFDA, was the first exhibition to celebrate the American fashion trade organisation 90 Gucci Museo2011 Patrizio di Marco Gucci Hilary SwankNaomi Watts Gucci www.guccimuseo.com THE MUSEUM AT FIT Fashion Institute of Technology 50,000 18 2002London Fashion Alexander McQueenVivienne Westwood Costume Society of America Exposed: A History of Lingerie leading luxury brands and Gucci Museo celebrates 70 its more than nine decades of design, featuring day Juel Park1940 and evening wear, and bags, which fill three floors of the 14th-century Palazzo della Mercanzia. Dance & “Our aim has been to create a destination expe- Fashion rience where people can appreciate our history 100 and understand how innovative Gucci is today,” www.fitnyc.edu/museum said Patrizio di Marco, Chief Executive at Gucci, in 2011 when the museum opened. PALAIS GALLIERA The museum’s permanent collection includes Palais Galliera gowns worn by Hilary Swank and Naomi Watts, GallieraMarie Brignole-Sale as well as photos and video of stars such as Audrey 7,00030 Hepburn and Elizabeth Taylor sporting the brand. IMAGES. Snow boot: Zou Zheng – Xinhua Press/Corbis/IC. Palais Galliera: Getty Images Dior Chanel Saint Laurent www.guccimuseo.com Nast/Corbis/IC Photo Service/Condé IMAGES. Dresses: Fairchild !& Horizon September !#$" Palais Galliera7,000 The Palais Galliera in Paris offers temporary exhibitions from its more than 7,000-piece archive ACCESSORY SPECIALISTS SIMONE HANDBAG MUSEUM SEOUL BATA SHOE MUSEUM TORONTO Simone 300 1920 Sonja Bata Cartier Bata 13,000 Schiaparelli Paco Rabanne 1968 Sonja Bata, an architect and avid world traveller, The Simone Handbag Museum has a striking collection had such an incredible collection of shoes that of about 300 handbags. Visitors can see a jewelled Cartier it formed the basis for the Bata Shoe Muse- purse from the 1920s, a Schiaparelli bag owned by the um. Its 13,000 exhibits range from Chinese Duchess of Windsor and Paco Rabanne’s 1968 chain mail bound-foot shoes and ancient Egyptian handbag inspired by butchers’ metal aprons. sandals to old snow boots. www.simonehandbagmuseum.co.kr www.batashoemuseum.com IMAGES. Snow boot: Zou Zheng – Xinhua Press/Corbis/IC. Palais Galliera: Getty Images September !#$" Horizon !( TRAVEL FASHION MUSEUMS 1890 PaolaMode Museum Delvaux A corded silk wedding dress dating from 1890 (right) at London’s Victoria and Albert Museum Queen Paola of Belgium (below) visits the Mode Museum’s exhibition on Belgian luxury brand Delvaux ParisGrace Kelly 112Fashion in France, 1947-1957 Dior Bonbon www.palaisgalliera.paris.fr 17193020 Wedding Dresses 1775-20142015315 Gwen Stefani www.vam.ac.uk MODE MUSEUM MoMuMode Museum 200225,000 MoMu 925 MoMu Now 30 Dries Van Noten 2015213MoMu www.momu.be MUSEO DEL TRAJE Museo del Traje 16 10 2,500 Fadigati. Neri show: Fashion London. Museum, Albert and Victoria dress: Beige IMAGES. Queen Paola: Mark Renders – Getty Images. !) Horizon September !#$" THE MUSEUM AT FIT NEW YORK The museum at New York’s Fashion Institute of Technology is the city’s only facility dedicated solely to fashion exhibitions. Inside are 50,000 garments and accessories, the oldest of which date back to the 18th century. Through exhibitions, publications and public programmes, the museum aims to help the public learn about fashion. One of its most popular shows was London Fash- ion, which in 2002 showcased the best of British style with works by designer Alexander McQueen, as well as Vivienne Westwood, who strongly influ- enced punk and new-wave fashion. Hugely popular with the public, the show also scored the museum an award from the Costume Society of America. Among its current exhibitions is Exposed: A His- tory of Lingerie, which features more than 70 items and includes a 1940s nightgown by Juel Park, a Hollywood designer whose clients included Marilyn Monroe and Elizabeth Taylor. Meanwhile, Dance & Fashion explores the relationship between the two art forms with more than 100 pieces on show. www.fitnyc.edu/museum 1955 PALAIS GALLIERA PARIS Sala Bianca Pitti Palace Housed in the Palais Galliera – once the home A 1955 fashion show at the Sala Bianca Pitti Palace in Florence was revisited by the Victoria and Albert Museum of Marie Brignole-Sale, the Duchess of Galliera – this museum’s exhibitions are rotating displays of stunning pieces taken from its archive. In the vaults are more than 7,000 items from 30 Paris couture houses including Dior, Chanel and Saint Laurent Paris. STYLE FILES The New Zealand Fashion Museum is an online museum and charitable trust that New Zealand Fashion Museum shares stories and images related to the country’s fashion. The public is invited to upload photos to the archive, with the online exhibits ranging from historical swimwear to contemporary evening gowns. www.nzfashionmuseum.org.nz IMAGES. Beige dress: Victoria and Albert Museum, London. Fashion show: Neri Fadigati. Fadigati. Neri show: Fashion London. Museum, Albert and Victoria dress: Beige IMAGES. Queen Paola: Mark Renders – Getty Images. September !#$" Horizon !* TRAVEL FASHION MUSEUMS The museum also features outfits from Princess 20Paco Grace of Monaco and the Duchess of Windsor. RabanneCristóbal BalenciagaManuel Pertegaz Until 2 November, visitors can see Fashion in France, 1947-1957. The exhibition pays tribute to www.museodeltraje.mcu.es this exciting time, when Dior launched his brand’s first collection, ushering in a new era in fashion. THE COSTUME INSTITUTE Look out for his original Bonbon dress. Costume Institute 1937 www.palaisgalliera.paris.fr 35,000 15 VICTORIA AND ALBERT MUSEUM LONDON Jacqueline Kennedy: The White The fashion collection at London’s Victoria and House YearsPUNK: Chaos to Couture Albert Museum spans four centuries and includes 2011 rare 17th-century gowns, 1930s evening wear and Alexander McQueenAlexander couture from the late-20th century. McQueen: Savage Beauty Romantics won’t want to miss Wedding Dresses 1775-2014. Running until 15 March, 2015, the exhi- bition presents examples of this special-occasion www.metmuseum.org attire curated from the museum’s own collection, IMAGES. Mode Museum: Boy Kortekaas. Punk clothing: Birana E. Heard – Corbis/IC +# Horizon September !#$" Mode MuseumThe Birds of Paradise 2013 1970 The Birds of Paradise exhibition at Mode Museum in Antwerp (far left) celebrates the application of plumes and feathers in fashion The fashion of the 1970s punk movement was the focus for an exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 2013 (left) Noten is scheduled to begin on 13 February, 2015, in which he offers insight into his creative processes. www.momu.be NOW SHOWING THE MUSEUM AT FIT MUSEO DEL TRAJE MADRID Exposed: A History of Madrid’s costume museum, the Museo del Traje, Lingerie presents the history of Spanish traditional dress 20141115 from as far back as the 16th century. One of Until 15 November, 2014 Madrid’s lesser-known attractions, the museum is a 10-minute drive or a short metro ride from the Dance & Fashion centre of the city. 2014913 Its collection of historic clothing includes 2,500 201513 pieces, covering classic black mantillas and delicately 13 September, 2014- embroidered vests from Spain’s past. Also on display 3 January, 2015 are more modern works, made by Spanish fashion greats of the 20th century such as Paco Rabanne, PALAIS GALLIERA along with loans from designers and individuals. Cristóbal Balenciaga and Manuel Pertegaz. Fashion in France, On display, for example, is the silvery outfit worn museodeltraje.mcu.es 1947-1957 by Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, when she married 201411 2 Until 2 November, 2014 Prince Charles, and the wedding dress with a splash THE COSTUME INSTITUTE NEW YORK of hot pink worn by pop singer Gwen Stefani. Founded in 1937, the Costume Institute at the VICTORIA AND ALBERT www.vam.ac.uk Metropolitan Museum of Art has more than MUSEUM 35,000 pieces dating from the 15th century. Wedding Dresses Previous exhibitions have run the gamut from MODE MUSEUM ANTWERP 1775-2014 Nicknamed MoMu, the dynamic Mode Museum Jacqueline Kennedy: The White House Years to 2015315 in Antwerp opened in 2002. Starting on 25 Sep- PUNK: Chaos to Couture – themes that manage Until 15 March, 2015 tember, the museum showcases MoMu Now, an to get the public talking and queuing up outside. exhibition of newly added items to its 25,000-piece The 2011 exhibition Alexander McQueen: Savage MODE MUSEUM collection. While other fashion museums stress Beauty, staged shortly after the designer’s death, MoMu Now historic garments, MoMu focuses on contemporary saw the museum receive record-breaking numbers 2014925 Belgian designers.