13 Must-See Fashion Exhibits Around the US

Do you love fashion? Do you love art? Do you love those two things together at the same time? If you answered yes then this is the list for you.

Below, FN rounds up fashion exhibits on view now (or coming soon) around the nation. Read on to see what’s in store at a museum near you or be inspired to travel for a dose of avant-garde artistry.

East Coast

heavenly bodies, metropolitan museum of art, costume exhibit, met gala
Designs on display at the Metropolitian Museum of Art Costume Institute’s spring 2018 exhibition ‘Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination.’
CREDIT: JUSTIN LANE/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock

Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination (expiring soon)

WHAT: This year, the Costume Institute’s annual exhibition explores the intersection of fashion and medieval art with the practices of the Catholic region.

WHEN: May 10 – Oct. 8, 2018

WHERE: The Metropolitan Museum of Art

1000 Fifth Avenue
New York, NY 10028
Phone: 212-535-7710

(Galleries 300–306, 955, and 980–981)

Watch on FN

The Met Cloisters

99 Margaret Corbin Drive
Fort Tryon Park
New York, NY 10040

(Galleries 1–10, and 13–20)

More Information: metmuseum.org

eckhaus latta, possessed, whitney museum of american art
From the exhibition Eckhaus Latta: Possessed at the Whitney Museum of American Art.
CREDIT: Charlotte Wales

Eckhaus Latta: Possessed (expiring soon)

WHAT: Highlighting the works of New York and Los Angeles-Based fashion label Eckhaus Latta, which is known for its innovative use of materials, texture and performance art. The brand was founded by Mike Eckhaus and Zoe Latta in 2011.

WHEN: Aug. 3 – Oct. 18, 2018

WHERE: Whitney Museum of American Art
99 Gansevoort Street
New York, NY 10014

More information: whitney.org

comme des garçons, pink exhibit, fit
Puma x Fenty, ensemble, Spring 2017, Germany, Gift of Puma.
CREDIT: Eileen Costa/The Museum at FIT

PINK: The History of a Punk, Pretty, Powerful Color

WHAT: The exhibit houses approximately 80 pink ensembles from designers including Christian Dior, Yves Saint Laurent, Alessandro Michele of Gucci, Jeremy Scott of Moschino and more in order to examine the changing meaning of the color over the past three centuries.

WHEN: Sept. 7 – Jan. 5, 2019

WHERE: Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology

Seventh Avenue at 27 Street
New York City 10001

More information: fitnyc.edu

philadelphia museum of art, issey miyake, dress, fabulous fashions
Christian Lacroix, Woman’s catsuit fall 1990.
CREDIT: Tim Tiebout/Philadelphia Museum of Art

Fabulous Fashion: From Dior’s New Look to Now

WHAT: Seven decades of style will be displayed including haute couture, ready-to-wear and accessories, in order to spotlight the creativity of fashion through the ages.

WHEN: Oct. 16, 2018 – March 3, 2019

WHERE: Philadelphia Museum of Art

2600 Benjamin Franklin Parkway
Philadelphia, PA 19130

More information: philamuseum.org

Good as Gold: Fashioning Senegalese Women 

WHAT: A study on the stylish women of the West African nation of Senegal, who use jewelry as a key adornment in their manner of dress.

WHEN: October 24, 2018  – September 29, 2019

WHERE: National Museum of African Art

950 Independence Avenue, SW
Washington, DC 20560

More information: si.edu

West Coast

Icons of Style: A century of Fashion Photography, 1911- 2011

WHAT: This exhibit examines the depth of fashion photography, namely what it invokes both inside the frame and outside in the world surrounding it.

WHEN: June 26 – Oct. 21, 2018

WHERE: J. Paul Getty Museum

1200 Getty Center Drive
Los Angeles, CA 90049-1679

More information: getty.edu

Installation view of 69: Déjà Vu, August 4 – October 28, 2018 at MOCA Pacific Design Center.
CREDIT: Courtesy of The Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles/Brian Forrest

69: Déjà Vu

WHAT: Based on Los Angeles-based lifestyle brand 69, created by an anonymous designer, who focuses on non-gender and non-demographic fashion.

WHEN: Aug. 4 – Oct. 28, 2018

WHERE: The Museum of Contemporary Art

250 South Grand Avenue

Los Angeles, CA 90012

More information: moca.org

FIDM’s Art of Television Design exhibit feat. Emmy-nominated costumes (expiring soon)

WHAT: This annual exhibit showcases the best of television costume, including pieces from Emmy-nominated shows and new favorited from the last year.

WHEN: Aug. 21  – Oct. 6, 2018

WHERE: FIDM Museum

919 S. Grand Avenue

Los Angeles, CA 90015

More information: fidmmuseum.org

fine arts museum, san francisco, contemporary muslim fashion
Dian Pelangi (b. 1991, Indonesia)
CREDIT: Photograph by Sebastian Kim/Image courtesy of the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco

Contemporary Muslim Fashions

WHAT: The first major museum exhibition to highlight the diverse style and dress codes of Muslim women around the world.

WHEN: Sept. 22 – Jan. 6, 2019

WHERE: Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco
de Young Museum
50 Hagiwara Tea Garden Drive
San Francisco, CA 94118

More information: deyoung.famsf.org 

Midwest and South

‘PIERRE CARDIN: PURSUIT OF THE FUTURE’ EXHIBITION

WHAT: A retrospective exhibition of legendary designer Pierre Cardin, now 95 years old, who is most known for his ’60s futuristic style.

WHEN: On view now – Sept. 30, 2018

WHERE: SCAD Fash Museum of Fashion and Film

1600 Peachtree St. NW
Atlanta, GA 30309

More information: scadfash.org

Ultracontemporary

WHAT: A collection including works by Comme des Garçons, Yeohlee and Iris van Herpen among others, which represents both avant-garde design, as well as the current zeitgeist.

WHEN: Oct. 27, 2018 – March 24, 2019

WHERE: Phoenix Museum of Art

More information: phxart.org

Virgil Abloh

WHAT: The first-ever retrospective for Africa-American designer and multifaceted creative Virgil Abloh, which chronicles his work with Kanye West, studies in architecture, luxury label Off-White and many other media under his belt including music, furniture and graphic design.

WHEN: June 11, 2019 – Sept. 22, 2019

WHERE: Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago

220 E Chicago Ave
Chicago, IL 60611

More information: mcachicago.org

Women + Design: New Works

WHAT: An exhibition spotlighting seven contemporary female designers (Katie Collins, Carrie Dickens, Iris van Herpen, Genevieve Howard, Katie Stout, Faye Toogood, Najla El Zein) that work across a broad range of media and reflect various messages in their work.

WHEN: Oct. 28, 2018 – Feb. 17, 2019

WHERE: Dallas Museum of Art
1717 North Harwood
Dallas, Texas 75201

More information: dma.org

Want more?

Pyer Moss Celebrates African-American Culture, Art and Design at Historic Brooklyn Space

Why Pharrell Is Doing Everything He Can to Save the Arts

Art and Sole: 5 Best Women’s Graffiti Shoes to Shop For Now

Access exclusive content

\