Must-see fashion exhibitions around the world this summer

August is synonymous with holidays, travel and new experiences to discover. So, our regular feature dedicated to exhibitions worth visiting around the world is back, offering a journey through fashion, art and the history of costume. The summer 2026 exhibition calendar features events of major international appeal: from retrospectives dedicated to the great couturiers to exhibitions that explore fashion as an art form, a cultural language and a reflection of its time.
So, are you ready to take note and start planning your next trip?

If your destination is France – and more specifically Paris – there’s one unmissable stop in the heart of the Marais: the Fondation Azzedine Alaïa, which is hosting the exhibition "Azzedine Alaïa and Africa". Curated by Olivier Saillard, the exhibition takes visitors on a journey through the cultural roots of the Tunisian fashion designer and explores the deep connection between his creative world and the African continent. Through garments, documents and archive material, it reveals how diverse landscapes, traditions and cultures have influenced his vision of fashion: from references to ancient Egypt to inspirations drawn from Kenya, right through to the colours of the desert and the artisanal techniques that have helped define some of his most famous silhouettes.

Staying in Europe, the MoMu Fashion Museum in Antwerp is celebrating the 40th anniversary of the Antwerp Six, the collective of designers who revolutionised contemporary fashion in the 1980s by bringing a new vision of creativity, experimentation and independence to the international stage. The exhibition traces the history of a group that transformed Antwerp into one of the world’s most innovative centres for fashion design, chronicling the careers of designers such as Dries Van Noten, Ann Demeulemeester and Walter Van Beirendonck.

In London, meanwhile, the King’s Gallery at Buckingham Palace pays tribute to Queen Elizabeth II with "Queen Elizabeth II: Her Life in Style", an exhibition celebrating the centenary of the Queen’s birth through the language of fashion. Dresses, hats, jewellery and accessories illustrate the evolution of royal style and the role of clothing as a tool for communication, identity and diplomacy. Each creation thus becomes a testament to an era and to a way of representing power through elegance.
Also in the British capital, at the Victoria and Albert Museum, fashion enthusiasts must not miss the major retrospective dedicated to Elsa Schiaparelli. The exhibition celebrates the Italian designer’s extraordinary ability to transform a dress into a true work of art, highlighting her relationship with Surrealism and with artists such as Salvador Dalí. Amidst iconic creations, accessories and archive material, the visionary talent of a designer who anticipated many of the experiments of contemporary fashion shines through.

For those choosing the United States as their summer destination, the Brooklyn Museum in New York is hosting "Iris van Herpen: Sculpting the Senses", an exhibition dedicated to the Dutch designer who has redefined the boundaries of haute couture through a dialogue between fashion, technology and science. The approximately 140 creations on display depict a world in which traditional tailoring, 3D printing, innovative materials and scientific research coexist, giving rise to garments that resemble veritable sculptures in motion.

Italy, too, has some fascinating events on offer. In Rome, at the Centrale Montemartini, the exhibition “Moda in Luce 1955–1975. Rome: Between Glamour and Industrial Innovation” explores one of the most fascinating periods in the history of "Made in Italy": the years of "Hollywood on the Tiber", when the capital was one of the world’s centres of elegance. On display are over 150 items, including dresses, photographs and period film footage, which bear witness to the work of the great Italian fashion houses (from Valentino to Fendi, from the Fontana sisters to Roberto Capucci, right through to Gattinoni and Laura Biagiotti) and their relationships with stars of the calibre of Audrey Hepburn, Claudia Cardinale and Sophia Loren. An exhibition that celebrates the moment when Italian fashion began to win over the international public once and for all.

Moving on to Emilia-Romagna, Ferrara is also well worth a visit for the exhibition “Art Deco: The Triumph of Modernity”. Although not exclusively dedicated to fashion, the exhibition offers a unique insight into one of the most refined periods in the history of costume, through dresses, jewellery, accessories and posters from the 1920s and 1930s. A journey into the elegance of the Art Deco era, featuring sophisticated geometric designs, precious materials and a new ideal of modernity.

Ph: Donald McKague, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons