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Characters of Fashion

— ,Art Gallery
Tilda swinton in big dress stars in Orlando

Set photograph of Tilda Swinton in Orlando, Sally Potter, 1992 © Adventure Pictures – photo courtesy of Adventure Pictures.

Exploring the poetic and prolific dialogue between fashion and literature, in which previously unexplored facets of the intimate lives of authors and their characters come to life.

Our new fashion exhibition explores how acclaimed authors have used clothing as a way of exploring interior worlds and developing characters, and as a tool for self-fashioning their own image.

Showcasing a wide array of literary voices from Jane Austen, Charlotte Brontë and Virginia Woolf to Kathy Acker, Sylvia Plath and James Baldwin, Characters of Fashion illuminates the inner worlds of writers and their characters through rarely seen garments and accessories, alongside intimate correspondence, diaries, manuscripts and photography. The exhibition also features key contemporary fashion collections inspired by literary characters, with designs by Dior, Erdem, Robert Wun, Prada, Comme des Garçons and more.

Expect to meet the most enduring ‘characters of fashion’: from Orlando and Frankenstein to Alice in Wonderland, Beloved and Dracula.

Tagged with: Art & design

Tickets on sale in Spring 2027.

Writers and Designers

Works and garments from: 

Kathy Acker, Jane Austen, James Baldwin, Charlotte Brontë, Lord Byron, Barbara Cartland, Eileen Chang, Colette, Joan Didion, George Eliot, Ottessa Moshfegh, Sylvia Plath, Jean Rhys, Arundhati Roy, George Sand, Mary Shelley, Zadie Smith, Virginia Woolf, Marguerite Yourcenar.

The final section of the exhibition will house a reading room, curated by writer and curator Lou Stoppard.  
 

Fashion: 

Aganovich, Veronique Branquinho, Comme des Garçons, Thom Browne, S.S. Daley, Dilara Findikoglu, Christian Dior, Dolce & Gabbana, Dries Van Noten, Erdem, House of Aama, Stephen Jones, Christian Lacroix, Alexander McQueen, Sebastien Meunier, Louis Gabriel Nouchi, Duro Olowu, Prada, Simone Rocha, Yves Saint Laurent, John Alexander Skelton, Valentino, Vaquera, Viktor & Rolf, Wales Bonner, Robert Wun.

Plus, installations by contemporary designers including Duro Olowu and Simone Rocha, and authors Ottessa Moshfegh and Arundhati Roy.

Art Gallery

Location
The Art Gallery is located on Level 3 and can be accessed by stairs and lifts from Level G or via the Sculpture Court if coming from outside. 

Address
Barbican Centre
Silk Street, London
EC2Y 8DS

Public transport
The Barbican is widely accessible by bus, tube, train and by foot or bicycle. Plan your journey and find more route information in ‘Your Visit’ or book your car parking space in advance.