Fashion exhibitions opening in London in 2026
In 2026, London will showcase major fashion displays highlighting style, history, and creativity. At The King’s Gallery, Buckingham Palace, over 200 items from the late Queen’s wardrobe, from childhood dresses to iconic Coronation gowns, will reveal how her choices shaped British fashion. At the V&A, the work of pioneering designer Elsa Schiaparelli, including her collaborations with artists like Salvador Dalí and Pablo Picasso, will illustrate her lasting influence on fashion as a form of art. Here is your guide to the must-see fashion exhibitions that will open in London in 2026.
Queen Elizabeth II: Her Life in Style
Portrait of Queen Elizabeth II by Baron, released to mark the Queen’s State Visit to France in April 1957. © Royal Collection Enterprises Limited 2025 | Royal Collection Trust.
#FLODown: Queen Elizabeth II: Her Life in Style, opening at The King’s Gallery, Buckingham Palace, will be the largest exhibition ever devoted to the late Queen’s fashion. Featuring approximately 200 items, including clothing, jewellery, hats, shoes, and accessories, with about half on display for the first time, the exhibition traces her wardrobe across all ten decades of her life. Highlights include her childhood bridesmaid dress by Edward Molyneux, iconic wedding and Coronation gowns by Norman Hartnell, and eveningwear by Hardy Amies and Ian Thomas. The show also reveals the Queen’s involvement in the design process through sketches, fabric samples, and correspondence, and examines her diplomatic and off duty style, demonstrating how her sartorial choices shaped British fashion and influenced designers worldwide.
Date: 10 April - 18 October 2026. Location: The King’s Gallery, Buckingham Palace, London SW1A 1AA. Price: from £22. Concessions available. Book now
Schiaparelli: Fashion Becomes Art
‘Tears’ Evening dress and head veil by Elsa Schiaparelli and Salvador Dali for the February 1938 Circus Collection. Image courtesy of Victoria and Albert Museum
#FLODown: The first UK exhibition devoted to the pioneering fashion designer Elsa Schiaparelli will open at the V&A in March 2026. Schiaparelli: Fashion Becomes Art will span the 1920s to the present day, tracing the origins and evolution of her house and highlighting her innovative collaborations with artists such as Salvador Dalí, Pablo Picasso, Jean Cocteau, and Man Ray. Featuring over 200 objects including garments, accessories, jewellery, paintings, photographs, and archival materials, the exhibition will showcase iconic designs like the ‘Skeleton’ and ‘Tears’ dresses and explore her influence on film, theatre, and performance. The show will also present the work of current creative director Daniel Roseberry, illustrating how the Maison continues to blend fashion and art in bold, sculptural designs.
Date: 21 March 2026 – 1 November 2026. Location: Victoria and Albert Museum, Cromwell Road, London SW7 2RL. Price: Weekday £28 / Weekend £30. Concessions available. Book now
90s
Juergen Teller, Young Pink Kate, London 1998 © Juergen Teller, All rights Reserved
#FLODown: In October 2026, Tate Britain will open The 90s, an exhibition celebrating a decade defined by bold creativity and rebellious spirit. Curated by Edward Enninful OBE, the show explores how the 1990s sparked a cultural revolution in Britain, where art, fashion, music, and design converged to reshape national identity. Featuring iconic photography by Juergen Teller, Nick Knight, David Sims, and Corinne Day, alongside works by Damien Hirst, Gillian Wearing, and Yinka Shonibare, the exhibition also showcases fashion by pioneering designers such as Vivienne Westwood, Alexander McQueen, and Hussein Chalayan. The 90s highlights a period of optimism and freedom that challenged conventions and continues to influence contemporary culture.
Date: 1 October 2026 – 14 February 2027. Location: Tate Britain, Millbank, London SW1P 4RG. Price: Tickets not on sale yet. Discover more
Paint! Pattern! Print!
Paint! Pattern! Print! will celebrate the work of pioneering designers Susan Collier and Sarah Campbell at the Fashion and Textile Museum in 2026.
#FLODown: Paint! Pattern! Print!, opening at the Fashion and Textile Museum in 2026, will celebrate the work of pioneering designers Susan Collier and Sarah Campbell. Drawing on the Collier Campbell Archive, the exhibition traces their creative process from initial sketches to finished textiles, showing how their painterly patterns transformed printed fabric, interiors, fashion, and homeware. Over a partnership spanning more than 50 years, the sisters broke new ground as designer-converters, maintaining control over their designs, colours, and production quality while collaborating with brands such as Liberty, Heals, and Jaeger. Their innovative approach brought British design to a global audience, and Sarah Campbell continues to carry forward this legacy with her independent practice.
Date: 27 March 2026 – 13 September 2026. Location: Fashion and Textile Museum, 83 Bermondsey Street, London SE1 3XF. Price: £12.65. Concessions available. Book now
Marilyn Monroe: A Portrait
Marilyn Monroe, by Cecil Beaton, gelatin silver print, 1956, Collection: National Portrait Gallery.
#FLODown: In the summer of 2026, the National Portrait Gallery in London will open Marilyn Monroe: A Portrait, celebrating the glamour and lasting influence of the Hollywood and fashion icon on what would have been her 100th birthday. Created in association with the Marilyn Monroe estate, the exhibition will explore her life, career, and cultural impact through portraits by leading artists and photographers, including Andy Warhol, Pauline Boty, Marlene Dumas, Cecil Beaton, Eve Arnold, and Richard Avedon. Personal items such as books, scripts, and clothing will offer insight into the woman behind the image. Tracing her journey from early pin-up photographs as Norma Jeane to her final sessions in 1962, the exhibition underscores Monroe’s enduring legacy as one of the most celebrated figures in modern visual and fashion culture.
Date: 4 June – 6 September 2026. Location: National Portrait Gallery, St Martin’s Place, London WC2H 0HE. Price: Tickets not on sale yet. Discover more
