From Dior to Alaïa: 5 Fashion exhibitions to see this 2018

From Dior to Alaïa: 5 Fashion exhibitions you shouldn’t miss this 2018

Sarah Khan

17 Jul 2018

1/5
Azzedine Alaia: The Couturier
The illustrious legacy of this late French-Tunisian designer lives on through this exhibition. Curated by Monsieur Alaia himself before his passing in November 2017, the exhibition showcases the sculptor-turned-couturier's riveting celebration of the female form with over 60 of his works spanning his 35-year career. The exhibition weaves in personal tales from his life and career alongside selected couture pieces, which range from his rarest creations to the most high-profile ones.

Where: 10 May to 7 October
When: The Design Museum, London (tickets available here)
Photo: The Design Museum
2/5
Dior: From Paris to the World
At the heart of Denver Art Museum's 'Dior: From Paris to the World' exhibition is an exploration of the fashion house's enduring legacy. Feast your eyes on the 150 couture dresses dating back to Dior's founding in 1947, as well as accessories, photographs, sketches and runway videos. It also charts the history of its founder, Christian Dior, as well as the subsequent artistic directors (like Yves-Saint Laurent, Marc Bohan, and John Galliano) who succeeded him at the helm of the iconic haute couture fashion house.

Where: Denver Art Museum, Colorado
When: 10 November 2018 to 3 March 2019 (tickets available here)
Photo: Denver Art Museum
3/5
PINK: The History of a Punk, Pretty, Powerful Colour
It's a whole exhibition dedicated to pink at The Fashion Insitute of Technology's new exhibition. Officially opening this September, the vibrant collection traces this shade throughout fashion history by featuring dresses from esteemed designers like Christian Dior, Yves Saint Laurent, Gucci, Elsa Schiaparelli, Moschino and more. From Schiaparelli's 1930 'Shocking Pink' dress to YSL cocktail dresses, it's an exploration of how pink has evolved from being coded as the traditionally 'feminine' colour in the 18th and 19th century.

Where: The Fashion Institute of Technology
When: September 7 to January 5, 2019

Photo: FIT NYC
4/5
Orla Kiely: A Life in Pattern
This exhibition at the Fashion and Textile Museum will be the first-ever exhibition dedicated to the Irish designer. Featuring her iconic bag from the mid-60s to her collection of hats that showed at London Fashion Week in 1994, it's a riveting insight into her 20-year body of work.

Where: The Fashion and Textile Museum
When: September 2018
5/5
Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination
Religion and design: you might not think it, but the two unlikely worlds have often collided throughout history. For its 2018 exhibition, the MET turns to Catholic and Christian imagery in fashion. It's a fascinating curation of over 150 pieces that illustrate the powerful connection between faith and fashion. These include delicate, byzantine-inspired Chanel dresses to Balenciaga's interpretation of a cardinal's cloak.

When: May 10 to October 8 2018
Where: Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York

Photo: MET

KIV for your fashion fix.

Just earlier this month, London’s Victoria and Albert Museum broke the news of its largest and most comprehensive Christian Dior exhibition ever. Happening next February 2019, the “Christian Dior: Designer of Dreams” is a showcase of the iconic designer’s history and influence on fashion from 1947 to today.

The rise of fashion exhibitions and even fully dedicated museums like the Yves Saint Laurent Museum Marrakech is telling of a deeper, intimate and intellectual interest behind the riveting couture and designer pieces we see on the runway.

It’s unsurprising, considering how much fashion has imitated life, and vice versa – even in unlikely ways. The Met Gala’s riveting Heavenly Bodies exhibition, for one, illustrates how the two unlike worlds of fashion and faith have often collided throughout history.

From Azzedine Alaia to Christian Dior, check out 5 must-see fashion exhibitions happening this 2018!

Sarah Khan

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