5 fashion exhibitions to see this fall – from Downton Abbey looks to Chinese silk

Aug 30 , 2025

Kate Moss at the Ritz in Paris, in a Vogue photoshoot inspired by Marie Antoinette in 2012. Photo: Handout

From legendary film and TV costumes in London to the history of Chinese silk in Hong Kong, inspired exhibits abound this September

Fashion is taking centre stage in exhibitions worldwide this autumn. In New York, “Dress, Dreams and Desire: Fashion and Psychoanalysis”, curated by Valerie Steele, explores themes of the body and the unconscious. Meanwhile, “Glen Luchford. Atlas” in Milan highlights the British fashion photographer’s bold vision. London celebrates royal fashion and period costume design with “Marie Antoinette Style” and “Costume Couture: Sixty Years of Cosprop”. In Hong Kong, “A History of China in Silk: The Chris Hall Collection” traces the story of silk with pieces dating back centuries.

“Dress, Dreams and Desire: Fashion and Psychoanalysis” in New York

Russian avant-garde artist Alisa Gorshenina. Photo: Elizaveta Porodina

Fashion and psychoanalysis are the focus of an exhibition at The Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York. Curated by the museum’s director and chief curator Valerie Steele, “Dress, Dreams and Desire: Fashion and Psychoanalysis” looks at depictions of the body, sensuality and the unconscious through the work of designers such as Alexander McQueen and Elsa Schiaparelli. From September 10 to January 4, 2026.

“Glen Luchford. Atlas” in Milan

Through Glen Luchford’s lens: Malgosia Bela (left) for Self Service magazine in 2011, and Stella Tennant for Mirabella magazine in 1997. Photos: Handout

British fashion photographer Glen Luchford is the subject of “Glen Luchford. Atlas”, an exhibition at 10 Corso Como Gallery in Milan. Luchford’s cinematic work, which stands out for its raw glamour, has appeared in magazines like Vogue and in campaigns for brands such as Prada and Miu Miu. From September 25 to November 23, 2025.

“Marie Antoinette Style” in London

A still from Sofia Coppola’s •Marie Antoinette (2006). Photo: Handout

Few royals have been as admired, scrutinised and criticised as Marie Antoinette, the last Queen of France. London’s Victoria & Albert Museum is paying homage to the “most fashionable queen in history” with “Marie Antoinette Style”. Personal objects – some of them never seen outside her palace in Versailles – as well as creations from modern-day designers and costumes from the Sofia Coppola Oscar-winning film Marie Antoinette are part of the exhibit. From September 20 to March 22, 2026

Select Voice

Choose your listening speed

Get through articles 2x faster

1.25x

250 WPM

Slow

Average

Fast

00:0000:00