3 unmissable fashion exhibitions in New York, Paris and Hong Kong: from classic Coco Chanel, Vivienne Westwood and Miuccia Prada pieces at MoMA, to the collection of an anonymous local connoisseur

Nov 23 , 2023

Three unmissable fashion exhibitions in New York, Paris and Hong Kong: women in fashion feature unite the trio, from legendary designers to a focus on Iris van Herpen’s work (pictured) and the collection of a Hong Kong connoisseur. Photos: Handout

From showcasing female designers in New York and Paris to a secret collector in Hong Kong, these exhibitions, in three of the world’s most vibrant cities, will delight fashion and jewellery lovers.

1. Female legends of fashion

Actress Joan Clement wearing a black taffeta gown designed by Lanvin. Photo: Handout

Seventy of the fashion world’s most influential female designers are celebrated in “Women Dressing Women”, an exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute in New York. The work of industry legends like Coco Chanel, Vivienne Westwood and Miuccia Prada will be on display next to the creations of lesser-known talents such as Ann Lowe, who designed Jackie Kennedy’s wedding dress, and Adèle Henriette Nigrin Fortuny, the creator of the classically inspired Delphos gown. The show sheds light on fashion as seen through a woman’s lens, and as a powerful tool for women’s social, financial and creative autonomy. On display until March 3, 2024.

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2. Iris van Herpen retrospective

If you’ve been to any of Iris van Herpen’s otherworldly haute couture shows or seen her mesmerising work in a video, you know that she’s more than just a fashion designer. The Dutch couturier often uses technology in her one-of-a-kind creations, such as when she used 3D printing to completely reimagine the human body.

Iris van Herpen exoskeleton. Photo: Handout

The Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris is paying homage to her remarkable oeuvre with “Iris van Herpen: Sculpting the Senses”, an exhibition featuring more than one hundred haute couture pieces by her, alongside inspiring works by contemporary artists like Wim Delvoye and a diverse assortment of related objects including skeletons and fossils. On display until April 28, 2024.

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3. Treasures of a Hong Kong collector

A piece from the “An Eye for Beauty, the Illuminata Jewelry Collection”, showing at K11 Musea, Hong Kong. Photo: Handout

As part of its Through the Eyes of a Connoisseur series, which highlights private collections, L’Ecole, School of Jewelry Arts, at K11 Musea in Hong Kong’s Tsim Sha Tsui area has recently unveiled “An Eye for Beauty, the Illuminata Jewelry Collection”.

The three-part exhibition will delight fashion and jewellery lovers by juxtaposing rare examples of Ming furniture with jewels from the 18th and 19th century, offering contemporary creations from jewellers such as Jar and Carnet, and pairing a stunning John Galliano dress with a 19th-century jewellery set.

A true clotheshorse and renaissance woman, the Hong Kong-based collector behind the exhibition wishes to stay anonymous though we can’t help but speculate … On display until March 31, 2024.

Fashion

Paris’ Musée des Arts Décoratifs pays tribute with ‘Iris van Herpen: Sculpting the Senses’, while the blockbuster ‘Women Dressing Women’ is staged by the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute
Women in fashion unite the trio of exhibitions, with ‘An Eye for Beauty, the Illuminata Jewelry Collection’ at K11 Musea showcasing the historic collection of a renaissance woman we can only guess the true identity of