{"id":481943,"date":"2026-06-04T02:42:08","date_gmt":"2026-06-04T02:42:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/481943\/"},"modified":"2026-06-04T02:42:08","modified_gmt":"2026-06-04T02:42:08","slug":"six-design-and-style-exhibitions-to-see-in-london-this-summer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/481943\/","title":{"rendered":"Six design and style exhibitions to see in London this summer"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Queen Elizabeth II: Her Life in Style showcases items from the closet of Britain\u2019s longest-reigning monarch. The exhibition has been extended until April, 2027.Todd-White Art Photography\/Ben Fitzpatrick\/Supplied<\/p>\n

There\u2019s no shortage of culture to take in this season in London.<\/p>\n

The annual Serpentine Pavilion showcase, which highlights emerging architectural talent, opens on June 6 in Kensington Garden. For this year\u2019s showcase, Mexico City-based LANZA Atelier unveils a curving brick wall \u2013 a riff on the English architectural feature known as a serpentine, or crinkle-crankle, wall (as well as the nearby Serpentine Lake). <\/p>\n

After checking out the experimental structure, visit these six must-see exhibitions around the British city.<\/p>\n

Tokyo rising<\/p>\n

Few can claim the lasting impact that the mononymous Nigo has had on style culture. <\/p>\n

The influential Japanese designer, record producer and DJ, who serves as artistic director of Kenzo, was a vanguard of the 1990s streetwear and luxury fashion scene. NIGO: From Japan With Love<\/a> (Design Museum, to Oct. 4) is the first major retrospective of the visionary figure abroad. <\/p>\n

A recreation of his teenage bedroom in Japan\u2019s Gunma prefecture distills Nigo\u2019s early interest in vintage AV equipment and ametora (the assimilation of the Ivy League look by Japanese youth), as well as prized thrift store finds (such as a McDonald\u2019s aloha shirt), retro toys and manga. <\/p>\n

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Jackets on display at NIGO: From Japan With Love.Luke Hayes\/Supplied<\/p>\n

The nearly 700 objects \u2013 most from Nigo\u2019s personal archive \u2013 include mixtapes, photos, sketches and rare T-shirt editions that trace the designer\u2019s fascination with heritage, Americana and irreverent branding. There are pieces from collaborations with university friend and fellow fashion designer Jun Takahashi (Nowhere), along with Pharrell Williams (Billionaire Boys Club, Human Made), KAWS, Levi\u2019s, Nike and Virgil Abloh. It\u2019s like stepping inside Nigo\u2019s creative mind, which, judging by the full-sized glass tea house in the final gallery, is currently focused on traditional Japanese craft. <\/p>\n

Prints charmingOpen this photo in gallery:<\/a><\/p>\n

Printed cotton suit in Liberty Fabric, Mary Quant for Ginger Group, circa 1965.Liberty\/William Morris Gallery\/Supplied<\/p>\n

Presented in partnership with Liberty Fabrics for its 150th anniversary, Women in Print<\/a> (William Morris Gallery, to June 21) surveys 150 years of women in textile design. <\/p>\n

Featured artists include Lucienne Day, Sonia Delaunay and Trinidad-born British designer Althea McNish (one of the first Afro-Caribbean designers to achieve international acclaim), as well as lesser-known names such as Jacqueline Groag, whose midcentury clients ranged from British Rail to Chanel, House of Worth and Lanvin. Previously overlooked pioneering 19th-century designers such as Kate Faulkner and May Morris also get their due. Morris, younger daughter of William Morris, helped shape the Arts and Crafts aesthetic and formed the Women\u2019s Guild of Arts in 1907.<\/p>\n

Reign of attire<\/p>\n

Having broken attendance records and sold out its initial run, Queen Elizabeth II: Her Life in Style<\/a> (The King\u2019s Gallery, Buckingham Palace) has been extended until April, 2027. <\/p>\n

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Queen Elizabeth II’s wedding gown on display at the exhibit.Todd-White Art Photography\/Ben Fitzpatrick\/Supplied<\/p>\n

Displaying more than 300 items from the closet of Britain\u2019s longest-reigning monarch, it\u2019s more a biographical survey through clothes rather than what you might call a \u201cfashion\u201d exhibition. The curation underscores how tasteful dressing and soft diplomacy took priority over setting trends, moving from the fit-and-flare frocks of the Queen\u2019s youth through her rainbow of day dresses and embellished formal gowns. Handwritten notations on swatches and sketches show how she was personally involved in all wardrobe preparation. <\/p>\n

Both the Queen\u2019s christening gown and wedding dress are on display, but the showstopper is Her Majesty\u2019s heavily encrusted 1953 Coronation gown<\/a>. There\u2019s plentiful CanCon, too: the diamond and platinum Asprey & Co. maple leaf brooch that King George VI gave Princess Elizabeth in 1939, worn on her first visit to Canada in 1951, and the appliqu\u00e9 poodle skirt donned for a night of carefree square dancing in Ottawa during the same Royal Tour. <\/p>\n

If not visiting London, take heart: The Royal Collection Trust has created a splendid virtual tour<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The surreal lifeOpen this photo in gallery:<\/a><\/p>\n

Schiaparelli’s Skeleton dress.Jamie Stoker\/Supplied<\/p>\n

The interplay between Italian designer Elsa Schiaparelli and the Surrealist artists in her social circle is the focus of Schiaparelli: Fashion Becomes Art<\/a> (Victoria & Albert South Kensington, to Nov. 8). <\/p>\n

The conceptual daring and unusual proportions of her couture, started in 1927, runs through the experimental wit of her 1930s \u201cshoe hat\u201d and unsettling Skeleton dress. Innovative packaging (such as object-shaped perfume bottles) convey the provocateur\u2019s sense of humour. <\/p>\n

It\u2019s a treat to see the whimsical buttons, exquisitely cut dresses and embroidered jackets with anatomical details and exposed zippers up close. Pieces such as the designer\u2019s infamous Lobster dress, worn by American socialite Wallis Simpson, still feel radical today. <\/p>\n

Sibling revelry<\/p>\n

Textile artists Susan Collier and Sarah Campbell began working together in the 1960s. Assembled from a 30,000-piece archive of notes, sketches and samples, Paint! Pattern! Print! The Textiles of Susan Collier and Sarah Campbell<\/a> (Fashion + Textile Museum, to Sept. 13) explores the sisters\u2019 creative partnership across more than five decades. <\/p>\n

After establishing their studio, Collier Campbell, in the 1970s, the duo found fame with commissions for Liberty, Jaeger and Habitat, as well as collaborations with designers such as Yves Saint Laurent, Jean Muir and Bill Gibb. In abstract geometric patterns and botanical motifs, their prolific output across textiles, interiors and homeware is defined by its hand-painted quality. The radiant skies and cheerful balconies of their C\u00f4te d\u2019Azur print (dubbed \u2018Matisse for the masses\u2019) is their best known, and features in the exhibition as an entire room set.<\/p>\n

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Hand-painted textiles by Sarah Campbell.Michael Cockerham\/Supplied<\/p>\n

Eastern promises<\/p>\n

After last year\u2019s unveiling of the Storehouse, the Victoria & Albert\u2019s open archive storage depot, the museum expands its footprint in the East Bank cultural quarter. <\/p>\n

Experiencing the chunky, angular structure of the new V&A East Museum<\/a> (by Irish firm O\u2019Donnell + Tuomey) would be reason enough to commute. But the permanent Why We Make galleries are a big draw, with objects from the V&A\u2019s collection organized not by geography or materials but by ideas, grouped together in thematic conversations around topics such as well-being and identity. <\/p>\n

Open this photo in gallery:<\/a><\/p>\n

Stormzy\u2019s 2019 Glastonbury stab-proof Union Jack vest is unveiled at V&A East Museum.David Parry\/PA Media Assignments\/Supplied<\/p>\n

Modernist Eileen Gray\u2019s \u201cS\u201d bend chair is featured, as is the sequined ballet costumes by performance artist Leigh Bowery that have inspired many a Drag Race challenge. Take in the panoramic third floor terrace views before visiting the engrossing inaugural special exhibition, The Music is Black: A British Story<\/a> (to Jan. 3). The social, historical and cultural context of Black music in Britain is explored in paintings, prints, playbills, posters, sculpture and clothing. <\/p>\n

Stormzy\u2019s 2019 Glastonbury stab-proof Union Jack vest, designed by Banksy, shares space with pieces worn by DJ Paulette, Shirley Bassey and Sade, Joan Armatrading\u2019s acoustic guitar and Grooverider\u2019s first turntable.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Open this photo in gallery: Queen Elizabeth II: Her Life in Style showcases items from the closet of…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":481944,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[307,304,305,306,308,93,61,60,19293],"class_list":["post-481943","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-arts-and-design","tag-arts","tag-arts-and-design","tag-artsanddesign","tag-artsdesign","tag-design","tag-entertainment","tag-ie","tag-ireland","tag-noastack"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/481943","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=481943"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/481943\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/481944"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=481943"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=481943"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=481943"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}