Fashion Museums and Exhibitions in London: A Planner by Interest

The short answer: what changed at the V&A

The V&A describes its fashion holdings as the largest and most comprehensive collection of dress in the world, spanning five centuries, with rare 17th-century gowns, 18th-century mantua dresses, 1930s eveningwear by Coco Chanel and Elsa Schiaparelli, 1960s daywear by Mary Quant and Barbara Hulanicki, and post-war couture by Christian Dior and Cristóbal Balenciaga. Its textiles page calls it the national collection of textiles and fashion, with more than 75,000 objects or sets of objects across more than 5,000 years.

The change to know about: the V&A's visit page says the Fashion Gallery (Room 40) at South Kensington is closed for a period of redevelopment and will reopen in autumn 2028. Wikipedia, a secondary source, gives an earlier reopening date, so rely on the V&A's own page and check it before you plan around the gallery. The museum itself remains open and free. The V&A's fashion collection page says some fashion objects are not on display at South Kensington and others can be viewed by appointment at V&A East Storehouse, so the rest of this guide is about where to see dress now.

V&A South Kensington is at Cromwell Road, SW7 2RL, open daily 10am–5.45pm with Friday opening until 10pm, though some galleries close after 5.45pm. Admission is free, and some exhibitions charge. The V&A gives South Kensington station as a five-minute walk, names Knightsbridge (0.6 miles) and Earl's Court (1.2 miles) as the nearest step-free tube stations, and says the Cromwell Road and Exhibition Road entrances are step-free and wheelchair accessible. It also says planned Piccadilly line upgrades in 2026 and 2027 may disrupt journeys, and that it is closed 24 to 26 December. Its jewellery page describes over 3,000 jewels in the collection and says a coronet of Queen Victoria's is on permanent public display in its Jewellery Galleries, and its textiles page marks pieces as on display at South Kensington, such as Elsa Schiaparelli's 1927 cravat and jumper and the Bullerswood Carpet.

• V&A South Kensingtonmuseum

  South Kensington, SW7 · Nearest: South Kensington (5-minute walk), as stated by the V&A

  Free admission; daily 10am–5.45pm and Friday until 10pm (some galleries close after 5.45pm); the Fashion Gallery (Room 40) is closed until autumn 2028 according to the V&A.

On now, with end dates

Time-limited shows change, so treat these as a snapshot from the V&A's what's-on page on 4 October 2026. Schiaparelli: Fashion Becomes Art at V&A South Kensington, which the V&A calls the UK's first exhibition on Elsa Schiaparelli, is ticketed, listed at £28.00 on weekdays and £30.00 at weekends, with advance booking recommended, and closes on Sunday 15 November 2026. Two free displays at South Kensington are The Burberry Trench: Crafting an Icon, which needs no booking and closes on Sunday 3 January 2027, and Golden Threads: Dress from Saudi Arabia, which the V&A's event page dates from Monday 5 October 2026 to Sunday 30 May 2027. If you are reading this after those dates, they will have ended.

Looking ahead, the V&A lists Punk to Pop, described as celebrating the creative explosion across music and fashion from 1972 to 1985, opening on Saturday 13 March 2027 at South Kensington, and South Asia Now: Fashion. Art. Design., described as over 200 works across art, fashion, architecture and design, opening on Saturday 24 April 2027 at V&A East Museum. On the check date both showed tickets as available soon, with no prices stated.

Seeing dress up close: V&A East Storehouse and East Bank

V&A East Storehouse, at 2 Parkes Street, E20 3AX, is described by the V&A as a working museum store with half a million works, curated mini displays across all three levels and a conservation studio you can watch from level 3. The V&A's V&A East page lists a 1990 Vivienne Westwood ensemble and a 1996 Alexander McQueen costume among its ‘What to See’ highlights. It is free and open daily 10am–6pm, with Thursday and Saturday until 10pm. The V&A gives Hackney Wick Overground as an eight-minute walk and says all the stations it names have step-free access. The entrance is step-free, there are lifts to all levels and assistance dogs are welcome. It also warns that the metal grid flooring is not suitable for stilettos or kitten heels.

One of the Storehouse's services is Order an Object: you pick stored objects to see, choose when to view them and book a free appointment online at least two weeks ahead. The V&A's Order an Object page says appointments range from 1 to 4 hours, that a member of staff explains at the start how to interact with the objects safely, and that you can bring one guest. The V&A's fashion collection page lists items such as an 18th-century mantua and a 1954 Balenciaga evening dress as viewable by appointment at the Storehouse. The Study Centre houses the Clothworkers' Centre for the Study and Conservation of Textiles and Fashion. As a pattern, an appointment two weeks out suits two people who already know they share the interest, not a spontaneous first meeting.

V&A East Museum, at 107 Carpenters Road, Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, Stratford, E20 2AR, is the V&A's second East site, with the same hours and free entry (special exhibitions may charge). Its entrances are step-free. The V&A gives separate addresses for its two East sites, and says the nearest step-free station to the Museum is Stratford, a 15 to 20 minute walk, so check the journey between them on TfL Journey Planner. London College of Fashion, which its page labels UAL, is at 105 Carpenter's Road, E20 2AR, at East Bank. Its page has a Shows link and open-day events, but we found no public gallery hours or current show there, so check before you go.

• V&A East Storehousemuseum

  Hackney Wick, E20 · Nearest: Hackney Wick (Overground, 8-minute walk), as stated by the V&A

  Free; daily 10am–6pm and Thursday and Saturday until 10pm; free Order an Object appointments booked at least two weeks ahead; step-free entrance and lifts to all levels.

• V&A East Museummuseum

  Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, Stratford, E20

  Free with the same hours as the Storehouse; special exhibitions may charge; South Asia Now: Fashion. Art. Design. opens there on 24 April 2027.

Design, pattern and textiles: the Design Museum and the William Morris Gallery

The Design Museum, at 224–238 Kensington High Street, W8 6AG, calls itself the world's leading museum devoted to contemporary design in every form. Its permanent display, Designer Maker User, on Level 2, is free and needs no ticket; paid exhibitions are best pre-booked. It is open 10am–5pm Monday to Thursday and 10am–6pm Friday to Sunday, and it lists closure dates, including 13 October 2026 and the Christmas period.

At the check date its three exhibitions were Es Devlin: Other Worlds (to 4 April 2027), LAIKA presents Wildwood (opening 15 October 2026) and The Nue Black Aesthetic (opening 6 November 2026). None is listed as fashion-specific, although the description of The Nue Black Aesthetic includes fashion among the disciplines of the Black designers it features, so treat the visit as a design visit with a free permanent gallery, not a fashion one. The museum says all areas are accessible by lift and the entrance is at street level, and it runs Relaxed Opening sessions on set dates. Its getting-here page names High Street Kensington as the nearest station, a ten-minute walk, with Holland Park and Kensington Olympia 15 minutes away.

The William Morris Gallery, in Lloyd Park, Forest Road, Walthamstow, E17 4PP, is free and open Tuesday to Sunday 10am–5pm. It says it holds the world's most significant collection of William Morris's work, including textiles, wallpapers and designs. Its access page says the entrance, toilets, shop, café and exhibition spaces are accessible by wheelchair, with lift access to the first and second floors, and that it has been certified a Dementia Friendly Venue by the Alzheimer's Society. Its visit page puts it a 12 to 15 minute walk from Walthamstow Central (Victoria line and National Rail). It is the option here that centres on pattern and textile design rather than clothing.

• Design Museummuseum

  Kensington High Street, W8 · Nearest: High Street Kensington (10-minute walk), as stated by the museum

  Designer Maker User on Level 2 is free with no ticket; open 10am–5pm Monday to Thursday and 10am–6pm Friday to Sunday; closed on 13 October 2026 among other listed dates.

• William Morris Gallerygallery

  Lloyd Park, Walthamstow, E17

  Free entry, Tuesday to Sunday 10am–5pm; collection includes wallpapers, textiles and designs by William Morris; wheelchair-accessible entrance and exhibition spaces, lifts to the first and second floors.

Student and archive collections: Central Saint Martins

Central Saint Martins' Museum & Study Collection, at 1 Granary Square, King's Cross, N1C 4AA, says it is open 10am–5pm Monday to Friday by appointment; the page states no admission price. Its online catalogue lists over 20,000 works, ranging from medieval manuscripts to contemporary digital artworks, and its collection pages list textiles by designers such as Marianne Straub, garments, shoes and accessories by graduates of the fashion programme, and jewellery by alumni. It offers a public study room by booking, with displays in the Museum Window Gallery at The Crossing and in the Lethaby Gallery.

The Lethaby Gallery's show at the check date, ‘process’, is described as a free exhibition and runs from 16 September to 25 October 2026. It is not about fashion, so it will have changed by the time you read this. As a pattern, appointment-only collections suit a deliberate plan rather than a drop-in.

• Central Saint Martins Museum & Study Collectionarchive

  Granary Square, King's Cross, N1C

  Open 10am–5pm Monday to Friday by appointment (no price stated on the page); online catalogue of over 20,000 works including textiles, fashion and jewellery.

Routes by interest

Dress history and couture, one afternoon: V&A South Kensington for the free displays, the Jewellery Galleries and, if you have booked, Schiaparelli, then the Design Museum for contemporary design. They are in different parts of Kensington, so check the journey on TfL Journey Planner. Friday is the V&A's late night, open until 10pm.

Fashion in storage and in the making, on the east side: V&A East Storehouse (open until 10pm on Thursdays and Saturdays), with an Order an Object booking if you plan ahead, then V&A East Museum, and a look at London College of Fashion's programme.

Pattern, textiles and design history: the William Morris Gallery in Walthamstow on a Tuesday to Sunday, and, on a weekday by appointment, the Central Saint Martins Museum & Study Collection.

If you can do only one free thing without booking, choose between the V&A's free dress displays at South Kensington (until 3 January 2027 and 30 May 2027) and the Design Museum's free permanent gallery.

Before you go

• Check each venue's own page on the day. The Design Museum lists closure dates, including 13 October 2026 and the Christmas period, and the V&A shows what is on and its Friday late hours.
• Ticketed exhibitions are booked separately: the V&A listed Schiaparelli at £28.00 on weekdays and £30.00 at weekends on 4 October 2026. The other venues listed here are free to enter or free for their permanent display, except the Central Saint Martins collection, whose page states no price.
• Order an Object needs a free appointment booked online at least two weeks ahead, and Central Saint Martins' collection is appointment-only on weekdays.
• Access, as stated: V&A South Kensington's Cromwell Road and Exhibition Road entrances are step-free, though the V&A names Knightsbridge and Earl's Court as the nearest step-free tube stations; V&A East Storehouse and V&A East Museum have step-free entrances, and the Storehouse has lifts to all levels; the Design Museum is accessible by lift throughout; the William Morris Gallery says its entrance, toilets and exhibition spaces are wheelchair accessible, with lifts to the first and second floors. Other pages gave no details.
• Time-limited shows listed here will have ended after their end dates. Permanent galleries can also close; the V&A Fashion Gallery is the example. The V&A's South Kensington and East sites list closures on 24 to 26 December.

Questions people ask

Is the V&A Fashion Gallery open?

No. The V&A's visit page says the Fashion Gallery (Room 40) at South Kensington is closed for redevelopment and will reopen in autumn 2028. The museum itself is open and free, and fashion can be seen in displays and, by appointment, at V&A East Storehouse.

Is the V&A free?

Admission to V&A South Kensington is free, though some exhibitions charge separately. On 4 October 2026 the V&A listed Schiaparelli: Fashion Becomes Art at £28.00 on weekdays and £30.00 at weekends until 15 November 2026, and listed The Burberry Trench and Golden Threads displays as free.

Where can I see fashion in London for free?

Free dress displays at V&A South Kensington, V&A East Storehouse, the Design Museum's free permanent display (design more broadly) and the William Morris Gallery (textile design). Central Saint Martins' Museum & Study Collection is by appointment and its page states no price. Check each page for hours.

What is Order an Object at V&A East Storehouse?

A free service in which you pick stored objects and book an appointment to see them. The V&A says to book online at least two weeks ahead, that appointments last 1 to 4 hours, and that you can bring one guest. It lists fashion pieces such as a 1954 Balenciaga evening dress as viewable by appointment.

Can the public go to London Fashion Week?

London Fashion Week's own site describes a digital platform that is freely accessible to everyone and lists 17 to 21 September 2026 for the latest edition, which has passed. The pages we read gave no next dates or public ticket details and include a Press & Buyers accreditation page, so check londonfashionweek.co.uk.