Fashion Museums Around the World: The Best Places to Learn About the History of Style

Learning about our collective history and artistry as the human race shouldn’t be limited to the confines of a classroom. Say that you want to learn about living rituals like Christmas celebrations—there’s no better way to do it than throwing yourself into the festivities. You’ll want to ooh and ahh at the fantastic ice sculptures people put up in London, marvel at the holiday window displays in New York, and haggle good-naturedly in the Christmas markets of Copenhagen.

This need for experiential knowledge holds especially true if you want to discover fashion traditions. As a rule, this type of art is meant to be touched, felt, and worn. It’s only fitting that when you want to understand fashion better, you venture into a physical space. Considering where to go? Here are five fashion museums around the world that are the very best places to learn about the history of style.

Museum of Fine Arts and Lace, France

While the world has moved on from delicate, web-like lace being the ultimate status symbol, the gloriously intricate marvels of lace’s heyday are still certain to make you stare—and there’s no better place to view them than the Museum of Fine Arts and Lace in France. The buildings that house this prestigious institute have a storied history themselves, as they previously comprised the local town’s Jesuit School. Now, where you once might have heard the chattering of schoolboys and the hushed prayers of priests, you’ll see instead a jaw-dropping, hand-crafted art.

There are two other sections for Cambodian Art and Fine Arts, but if you’re here for the fashion, you’ll want to head to the lace exhibition rooms. There, you’ll find over 350 years of the history of Alençon lace. Its pièce de résistance: a 19th-century wedding veil made entirely of needlepoint lace that would’ve taken an entire year’s work by a hundred lacemakers. You won’t want to miss it!

British Optical Association Museum, England

If your eyes are the windows to your soul, this museum is a tribute to what keeps the window panes crystal-clear. In the British Optical Association Museum, you’ll browse a fascinating collection that includes antique diagnostic equipment, bone-chilling models of ocular diseases and, of course, historical vision aids. You’ll get the entire story about how eyeglasses evolved—starting from the 13th century, when spectacles were a funny-looking pair of attached lenses. In the 1960s section, you’ll see how glasses frames transformed from utilitarian spring clips and lenses to fashionable plastic frames, a vintage glasses style that could prioritise function and serve as a tool for self-expression. These delightfully artistic glasses leaned into vivid colours and playful shapes like cat-eye, browline, and horn-rimmed. The more modern 1990s frames, on the other hand, are where you’ll see the more common styles of today: edgy, sporty, and sleek. It’ll be quite an eye-opening adventure.

Simone Handbag Museum, South Korea

Want a truly immersive experience? Go to the Simone Handbag Museum, located in a building shaped like a handbag! The elaborateness of this fashion art space only gets better from there. The specially commissioned mannequins are decorated with clothes and hairstyles popular when the handbag they display was in vogue. From them, you’ll get a more holistic understanding of the various fashion scenes. Then, of course, are the handbags themselves—350 carriers of fashion history from the 1500s to the 21st century. You’ll find handbags with exceptional craftsmanship, created with highly durable materials to withstand time and its daily strifes, beautiful bags explicitly made for leisure activities and minute, lovely bags that are little more than an emblem of luxury. You’ll be stunned at the variety of the collection and the exquisite artwork of each piece.

Jakarta Textile Museum, Indonesia

The beautiful traditional textiles of Indonesia were once used in every kind of dress, from ritual costumes to everyday attire. Now, the Jakarta Textile Museum works to preserve these textiles and continue their innovation. Here, you’ll find the treasured fabrics—occasionally depicted on clothing but primarily spread out to show off their vibrant patterns and designs. You’ll even have the exciting chance to train under a master and create a textile yourself!

Bata Shoe Museum, Canada

A true fashionista knows that to truly be chic, you must be finely dressed from head to toe—and this museum celebrates the latter part. You’ll get to admire wonderful and historic footwear, from Elvis’ blue suede loafers to the sandals of an Ancient Egyptian. If you’re lucky, you can even be guided through the dazzling collections by stellar exhibits like the 2021 showcase of shoes from the Age of Enlightenment. These presentations will surprise you with how much human history they can reveal, from the gender politics hidden in high heels and indigenous resistance in the fine ribbon work of footwear.

You can learn much about fashion from books, photographs, and videos, but there’s nothing like entering a museum and stepping into fashion history. Check out these five breathtaking places next time you’re on an around-the-world style trip.

About the author
Niccola Silvers’ first and greatest love is world travel. If she’s not running around the globe exploring a new country, she’s writing about it. When she’s not abroad, you’ll find her enjoying time at home, where she lives with her sister and their five poodles.

Photo credits:
Godisable Jacob:
A picture of 2 fashionable women posing in front of a building
A picture of a stylish woman carrying a handbag
Dmitry Zvolskiy:
A picture of someone helping a bride zip up a lace wedding gown
Ihsan Adityawarman:
A picture of luxury shoes on white cloth