Museums of Costume and Textiles

Evening dress of silk organza with an underdress of silk taffeta and organza
(by Jacques Heim Paris, France, 1959)
Victoria & Albert Museum Costume Collection

Evening Dress of Hand embroidered machine-made net Britian 1817-1818
Collection of the Victoria & Albert Museum


May 18th is International Museum Day! Change up your routine, absorb a little culture and visit your local museum this weekend.

Here is my list of favourite museums that have collections of couture, costumes and/or textiles. I can attest that these museums are worth visiting!!

Victoria and Albert Museum
South Kensington, London, England
(Admission is free!!)

Royal Ceremonial Dress Collection
Kensington Palace, London, England

Musee de la Mode et du Textile Les Art Decoratifs
108 Rue de Rivoli, 75001 Paris, France

The Costume Institute of the Metropolitan Museum of Art
Fifth Avenue, New York City, USA

Royal Ontario Museum
100 Queen's Park Circle, Toronto, Canada

Textile Museum of Canada
55 Centre Street, Toronto, Canada

Bata Shoe Museum
327 Bloor Street West, Toronto, Canada
(Technically this shouldn't be on the list because this museum is dedicated to footwear, but what is fashion without beautiful shoes? The Bata Museum is a gem and a definite must-see!)


And here is my "bucket" list of museums with fashion and costume collections that I have yet to see:

Kyoto Costume Institute
103 Shichi-jo
Goshonouchi Minamimachi
Kyoto, Japan
(The next best thing to going to Japan would be to buy a copy of "Fashion: A History from the 18th to the 20th Century" in either the 2 volume hardcover or paperback version. This book is filled with exquisite photos of the Kyoto Costume Institute's extensive fashion collection.)

Powerhouse Museum
500 Harris Street
Sydney, Australia

Museo del Trajo
Avenida Juan de Herrera, 2
Madrid, Spain

Musees des Tissus et des Arts Decoratifs de Lyon
34 rue de la Charite
Lyon, France

Musee de la Mode de la Ville de Paris
10 Avenue Pierre 1er de Serbie
75116 Paris, France

Musee Christian Dior
Villa Les Rhumbs
50400 Granville, France

National Museums of Scotland
Chambers Street, Edinburgh

Gallery of Costume
Platt Hall, Manchester, England

Bath Museum of Costume
Bennet Street, Bath, England

Brighton Museum and Art Gallery
Royal Pavilion Gardens, Brighton, England

Boston Museum of Fine Arts
Avenue of the Arts, 465 Huntington Avenue
Boston, Massachusetts, USA

Philadelphia Museum of Art
Benjamin Franklin Parkway, Philadelphia, USA

Phoenix Art Museum
1625 North Central Avenue, Phoenix, Arizona, USA

Kent State University Museum
Rockwell Hall, Kent, Ohio, USA

Los Angeles Country Museum of Art
5905 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles, California, USA