Give yourself a pat on the back: You’ve almost made it through the January slog. (The only way is up!) And with fashion and art exhibitions left, right and centre this coming month, you’ll have a job not finding joy in February.

Begin proceedings as you mean to go on with the Victoria and Albert Museum’s gargantuan retrospective of Dior couture and objets d’art; make your way to the Fashion and Textile Museum as Swinging London opens on 8 February, and delve into the culture and politics of the notorious epoch; segue over to The Design Museum on that very same weekend to explore the concept of contemporary luxury at Luxury Cave; then, round up the month with a trip to the Hayward Gallery to see activist and visual artist Kader Attia’s extraordinary and extensive body of work.

Christian Dior: Designer of Dreams 
The retrospective of the year, Christian Dior: Designer of Dreams marks the largest and most comprehensive Dior exhibition to ever grace British soil – and the largest fashion exhibition at the Victoria and Albert Museum, since the sell-out Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty showcase.

Spanning 11 sections, including ‘The New Look’ and ‘Dior in Britain’, the exhibition sees a curation of some 500 objects – including couture, accessories, personal possessions, makeup and illustrations – with highlights including an intricate gown designed for Princess Margaret’s 21st birthday, and items once donned by novelist Nancy Mitford and ballerina Margot Fonteyn. Prepare to be awe-inspired!

Christian Dior: Designer of Dreams runs from 2 February until 14 July, 2019 at The Victoria and Albert Museum, Cromwell Road, Knightsbridge, SW7 2RL. Main image Christian Dior by John Galliano (b.1960), Haute Couture, Autumn/Winter 2004, photo © Laziz Hamani.


Photo by Joe Santoro. Image taken from Conran/Quant: Swinging London: A Lifestyle Revolution, published by ACC Art Books.

Swinging London: A Lifestyle Revolution / Terence Conran – Mary Quant
Any talk of London’s Swingin’ Sixties wouldn’t be complete without mentions of Dame Mary Quant – the iconic designer most fabled for creating the ‘mini’ skirt – and designer, retailer and restauranteur, Terence Conran.

Celebrating and shining a light on the impact that these visionaries had – along with the other radical young architects, designers, photographers and artists of the ‘Chelsea Set’, such as Bernard and Laura Ashley – Swinging London: A Lifestyle Revolution is taking over the Fashion and Textile Museum for the first half of 2019. With garments, furniture, lighting, homewares, ceramics and ephemera from the years 1952 to 1977, the show can be considered both a history lesson and source of inspiration for your home and your wardrobe.

Swinging London: A Lifestyle Revolution / Terence Conran until Mary Quant runs from 8 February until 2 June, 2019 at Fashion and Textile Museum, 83 Bermondsey Street, SE1 3XF.


Luxury Cave.

Luxury Cave: Curation of the Finest
A curation of the finest examples of fashion, beauty and lifestyle that’s “designed to surpass the expectations of the most discerning, globe-trotting aesthete and connoisseur”, Luxury Cave is the newest online destination to note right now.

To mark its exciting launch, a multi-day exhibition will pop up at the Design Museum to explore the concept of contemporary luxury – championing craftsmanship, emotion and investment in time (as opposed to branding and ‘bling’). With limited editorials, capsule collections and rare luxury items for purchase, the offering spans haute couture, including pieces from Mary Katrantzou, collectable design and art, bespoke travel and hospitality, rare jewellery, and performance cars like the first electric Aston Martin.

Luxury Cave: Curation of the Finest runs Friday 8, Monday 11 and Tuesday 12 February, 2019 at The Design Museum,224-238 Kensington High Street, Kensington, W8 6AG.


Kader Attia, La Piste d’Atterrissage (The Landing Strip), 2000. 

Kader Attia: The Museum of Emotion
An activist and visual artist, Kader Attia has spent the past twenty years creating artworks through myriad mediums, provoking important dialogue about the world we inhabit – and engaging our capacity for thinking and feeling.

Harnessing the power of sculptures, installations, collages, videos and photographs, Kader offers a critique of modern Western systems of control through translating his detailed research into visual codes – and now, The Museum of Emotion sees a culmination of this work from the past two decades. Prepare to feel.

Kader Attia: The Museum of Emotion runs from 13 February until 6 May, 2019 at The Hayward Gallery, Southbank Centre, Belvedere Road, SE1 8XX.

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