The V&A is no stranger to hosting blockbuster fashion exhibitions – who can forget the Alexander McQueen and Christian Dior shows? – and now Chanel is being added to that list, with Gabrielle Chanel: Fashion Manifesto opening at the museum in September 2023. Based on a show of the same name held in Paris, the V&A exhibition will feature over 180 looks (including pieces from the V&A’s own archive plus outfits worn by Lauren Bacall and Marlene Dietrich) as well as perfume, cosmetics, jewellery and accessories, and cover Gabrielle ‘Coco’ Chanel’s career from the opening of her first millinery boutique in 1910 to her final collection in 1971.
The exhibition will explore Chanel’s approach to dressing women and the way that she redefined fashion – she created clothes for the modern woman, with tweed jackets and trousers offering a chic and practical alternative to the traditional corseted silhouettes of the day – as well as looking at her personal style and her legacy. Sounds like it’s going to be a must-visit for all fashion fans.

STAY IN THE LOOP. SIGN UP TO OUR DROPS

Opens September 2023
Cromwell Road, London SW7 2RL
vam.ac.uk