With the spring/summer 2027 shows over, the fashion conversation has moved from the runway to the gallery. Two major exhibitions opened in North America this month, one tracing more than a century of couture from Paris and the other exploring the meaning of dressing in your “best”. Both are built around a simple idea: clothes can tell history as well as any painting.
Paris Couture arrives in Minneapolis
On 4 October the Minneapolis Institute of Art (Mia) opened Paris Couture, more than 80 haute couture pieces lent by the Palais Galliera, the fashion museum of the City of Paris. According to the Galliera, the show runs from the late 19th century to the present and includes work by Christian Dior, Cristóbal Balenciaga, Elsa Schiaparelli and Madeleine Vionnet.
Highlights named by the museums include Schiaparelli’s shocking pink evening cape of 1938, embroidered by Maison Lesage with sequins and gold thread in a sunburst design for Daisy Fellowes, then Paris editor of Harper’s Bazaar. There is also Dior’s 1952 “Palmyre” dress, worn by Wallis Simpson and covered in sequins, pearls and crystals, a sculptural 1967 Balenciaga ensemble in his favourite gazar, and a recent look from Matthieu Blazy’s spring 2026 Chanel couture collection. Mia’s director, Katie Luber, described couture as “one of the defining art forms of the modern era”. The exhibition is on until 17 January 2027 and will then travel to the Saint Louis Art Museum (6 March to 13 June 2027).
Sunday Best in Toronto
In Canada, the Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO) gave members a first look at Sunday Best: The Power & The Glory of Black Style on 7 October, ahead of its public opening on 13 October. Organised with the Philadelphia Museum of Art and making its world debut in Toronto, it follows Black self-fashioning from the 1880s to today. The AGO says it brings together more than 50 garments with photography, paintings, accessories and film from collections in North America, the UK, Europe and the Caribbean.
The show is curated by Dr Julie Crooks of the AGO and Dr Jason Cyrus of London College of Fashion, with Amanda Bock and Clare Sauro. A one-night runway show by Canadian label Greta Constantine is planned for 16 October, and the exhibition runs until 28 February 2027.
Exhibitions like these are a reminder that details matter, from a hand-sewn sequin to the right finishing touch. If the shocking pink cape appeals, our morganite rings bring a softer pink, while our pendant necklaces and coordinated jewellery sets suit a special-occasion outfit.
Sources: Palais Galliera, “Paris Couture” exhibition page (Minneapolis Institute of Art, 4 October 2026 to 17 January 2027); Art Gallery of Ontario, press release “Sunday Best: The Power & The Glory of Black Style opens October 7 at the Art Gallery of Ontario” and exhibition page.
