Max your summer in Melbourne

Did you know that Ballarat is home to thousands of begonias, including more than 600 unique varieties? In fact, the impressive collection is the rarest in the Southern Hemisphere, and they're all housed in the city's historic botanical gardens. To celebrate this floral feat, the city has hosted the Ballarat Begonia Festival annually since 1953 – yup, it's been held for more than 70 years.  When is the Ballarat Begonia Festival taking place?  If you're keen to see the colourful (and highly 'grammable) flower fest in full bloom, make your way to the Ballarat Botanical Gardens on the Labour Day long weekend from March 7-9, 2026. The floral festivities run across three days, so you'll have ample opportunity to explore the vibrant floral displays that fill these historic gardens.  What kinds of begonias will be on display? At the heart of it all is the stunning Robert Clark Conservatory, home to Ballarat’s renowned begonia collection. Each year, the Botanical Gardens team grows more than 600 begonia varieties, from heirlooms to unique hybrids cultivated exclusively for the festival. The result? A bountiful display of begonias that draws everyone from green thumbs and nature enthusiasts to families and interstate visitors. What else is on at the Ballarat Begonia Festival?  The 2026 program goes beyond the blooms. Making its debut is The Musical Plants by Playable Streets, an installation that turns living plants into musical instruments you can actually play on. The Begonia...

It's your last chance to power up, unlock that final level and beat the big boss, because ACMI's Game Worlds is about to be clocked (aka it's finishing up soon). So don't let it be game over before you get a chance to enter this immersive, fully playable exhibition. Perfect for fans of The Sims, Neopets or World of Warcraft, this blockbuster celebration of video games will transport you into the worlds of more than 30 iconic titles, including Final Fantasy XIV Online, Minecraft, Doom and Stardew Valley. Also featured are classics like Maze War and Zork, fan faves with cult followings like The Elder Scrolls Online, and new releases like Guardian Maia. Spanning games from the 1970s right through to this year, you'll be able to check out rare concept art, original design materials, early hands-on protoypes and so much more. There are 44 fully playable experiences (think Celeste speedruns on two huge screens), and four new microgames by emerging and established Aussie game developers have been specially commissioned for the exhibition.   “Our exhibition honours the real-life experiences that are made possible by and through videogames, highlighting the players and developers – and stories that bring videogame worlds to life,” said co-curators Bethan Johnson and Jini Maxwell. Want to take a part of the exhibition home with you? There's limited-edition merch and exclusive books available for purchase at the ACMI shop. Game Worlds is now on at ACMI until March 29. For more...

Pack a picnic rug and head to Narre Warren where the south east’s creative hub Bunjil Place is throwing its biggest outdoor event of all time.  Open Space is a free, evening festival running across seven Saturdays from February 7, packed with live music, an open-air cinema, food trucks (or BYO dinner), and family-friendly fun that’ll keep you going and coming back for more. Opening night sets the bar high with a stellar line-up of musical acts including the soulful Canisha, smooth reggae from Paulo Almeida and his band and then an ace team-up of two Aussie powerhouses as Kutcha Edwards takes the stage with Cash Savage and the Last Drinks. Highlights don’t stop there: cozy up for a Valentine’s Day screening of the sci-fi horror classic Tarantula!; catch a performance from the Hung Hing Lion Dance in action; relive the ‘80s with synth-pop legends Pseudo Echo; swoon to country ballads from Golden Guitar winner Andrew Swift; or get funky with Cookin’ On 3 Burners, Stella Angelico, and the GRID Series Launch Party featuring Kiid KODA, ACP Martha and Jordz. The finale? A full-on spectacle with Kerfew Collective, Hari Sivanesan, Studio J Dance, and Wild Gloriosa. Plus catch an exclusive first look at the new gallery exhibition The Offbeat Sari. Open Space Bunjil Place will run every Saturday from 6pm to 9.30pm from February 7 to March 21. Find the full program here. 

Haven't locked in plans for the Labour Day weekend yet? Make your way to the Moomba Festival from March 5-9 for five fun-filled days by the Yarra. As Australia’s largest free community festival, Moomba brings you carnival rides, live music, dance workshops, kids’ activities, food trucks, watersports, skate comps and plenty more. What's new this year? How about two Moomba Monarchs in the form of our favourite Melburnians, Caterina Mete (yep, she's the Red Wiggle) and the immensely talented comedian and broadcaster, Sammy J. Families will love the carnival precinct at Birrarung Marr with tons of thrilling rides, face painting and an inflatable maze. Feeling peckish? With 35 food trucks around, you don't have to choose between a dagwood dog or dumplings – have both! Palms Lawn is where you go for live music and high-energy dance workshops ranging from from K-Pop and Bollywood to line dancing. Nab a prime riverside viewing spot on the Yarra for the iconic Birdman Rally on March 8. From 11am, 13 brave (and bonkers) "pilots" – including Monarch Sammy J – will attempt to soar across the river in homemade flying machines, all in the name of charity. On March 9, the much-loved Moomba Parade kicks off at 11am from the Shrine of Remembrance, filling the streets with fantastic floats, giant puppets, marching bands, dance troupes and more than 1,800 people from different cultural groups. Other top-notch activities include the Moomba Masters water sports competition, and the Moomba...

From Cleopatra and Mark Antony's empire-toppling romance to Romeo and Juliet's family-defying affair, love has often been an act of rebellion. Rebel Heart: Love Letters and Other Declarations takes matters of the heart seriously in this sweeping, immersive new exhibition at the State Library, drawing on its extraordinary archives to trace how people have dared to love across centuries of Australian history. The exhibition runs for almost a year and brings together handwritten letters, private diaries, rare manuscripts and deeply personal objects to weave a tapestry of passion, heartbreak and devotion. You’ll encounter Victorian-era same-sex couples living together against the odds, a mid-century interracial marriage that challenged the White Australia policy, and the prison romance between bushrangers Captain Moonlight and James Nesbitt. Fragile keepsakes are also featured in the show, including a haunting 1853 mourning brooch woven from lovers’ hair, alongside letters that read like a late-night confessional. What makes Rebel Heart especially distinctive is how it bridges the past with the present. Historical stories are amplified by newly commissioned music from Australian artists Angie McMahon, Mindy Meng Wang, Mo’Ju and Amos Roach, each responding to real love stories held in the library’s collection.  The exhibition also explores how rebellion and romance play out today – from DMs and fandoms to fan fiction and even AI relationships. It’s set to be a smart,...

Melbourne, start your engines. F1: The Exhibition has zoomed into town, marking its first-ever appearance in the Asia-Pacific region. After sell-out runs in Madrid, London and Amsterdam, the globally acclaimed show has made a pit stop at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, transforming it into an adrenaline-fuelled hub for motorsport fans. Part museum, part immersive experience, the exhibition will trace Formula 1’s past, present and future through six expansive galleries, with a seventh new section devoted to Australia’s own racing legends. Expect everything from championship-winning cars and rare memorabilia to video interviews and archive footage that captures the sport’s greatest rivalries and most spectacular victories. Visitors begin their journey in 'Once Upon a Time in Formula 1', charting seven-plus decades of drama before stepping inside 'Design Lab', a behind-the-scenes look at the factories of Red Bull, Mercedes and McLaren. 'Drivers and Duels' pays tribute to legends like Ayrton Senna, Michael Schumacher and Lewis Hamilton, while 'Revolution by Design' explores how engineering innovation and human daring have continually pushed the limits. The exhibition’s emotional heart, 'Survival', displays the remains of Romain Grosjean’s scorched Haas car from his 2020 Bahrain crash, a stark reminder of the sport's danger. Visitors then arrive at 'The Pit Wall', a cinematic wrap-up that relives Formula 1’s most unforgettable moments. Melbourne’s edition adds...

From late-night espressos and crème caramels at Pellegrini’s to Rumi's signature Persian meatballs, Melbourne’s food culture is often celebrated at the table – but the labour behind it stays largely out of sight. Order Up: A City Fed by Many Cultures shifts the focus to the back of house, using the restaurant docket to tell a broader story about Melbourne’s culinary history as a living record of successive waves of migration and cross-cultural exchange. This immersive exhibition at the Immigration Museum centres on thousands of handwritten, food-stained order dockets suspended throughout the gallery, each pulled from the kitchens of 33 landmark Melbourne restaurants spanning cuisines and generations. Small and easily discarded, these scraps of paper have been collected to form a fluttering archive of service – capturing moments of pressure and human connection in a city whose food scene is inseparable from its stories of migration. As you move through Order Up, a layered soundscape and projected film will surround you: orders being called, cutlery clattering, extractor fans humming, languages overlapping. Audio excerpts from chefs, owners and staff reflect on journeys to Melbourne, overnight shifts, family recipes and the strange intimacy of feeding strangers night after night. The restaurants represented range from long-standing institutions to newer cult favourites, including France-Soir, Abla’s, Pellegrini’s Espresso Bar, Supper Inn, The Horn, Rumi and Pastuso. A...

Ever wanted to soar above a rainforest canopy or wander beneath the frozen surface of the polar seas? Melbourne Museum invites you to do just that with Our Wondrous Planet, a breathtaking, immersive exhibition celebrating the interconnected magic of life on Earth. Spanning reef, rainforest, ice and soil, this multisensory experience drops visitors into the planet’s most vital ecosystems. Room-sized projections, interactive moments and storytelling bring the natural world to life. More than 800 remarkable animals from across the globe take centre stage, appearing in environments that pulse, swirl and shimmer. Witness the beginnings of a coral reef, come face-to-face with rainforest icons, glide through icy waters and explore hidden root networks and organisms working quietly beneath our feet. The exhibition is anchored by distinct spaces: Our Family, showcasing animals from the much-loved Wild gallery and exploring the human place in the tree of life; Our Roots, a reflective First Peoples-led space centred on care, reciprocity and connection to Country; and Our Moment, an interactive zone encouraging visitors to work together on the planet’s biggest challenges. What sets Our Wondrous Planet apart is its blend of First Peoples and scientific knowledge, showing how everything on Earth is connected and how small human actions can make a difference. Family-friendly, visually spectacular and thought-provoking, this exhibition entertains while leaving plenty to reflect on. Our...

Born just a year apart, Vivienne Westwood and Rei Kawakubo (the visionary behind Comme des Garçons and Dover Street Market) couldn’t have come from more different worlds – but both knew how to tear up the fashion rulebook. Their designs dismantled ideas of beauty, gender and taste, and now Melbourne gets a world-first chance to see their radical vision side by side. Open now at the NGV, Westwood | Kawakubo is a showcase of more than 140 boundary-breaking designs. Many are drawn from the NGV’s own holdings – an extraordinary cache of 300-plus Kawakubo pieces and more than 100 by Westwood – making this one of the most important showcases of their work anywhere in the world.  The exhibition is arranged thematically, moving from punk’s anarchic spirit in the 1970s to the avant-garde silhouettes of today. Expect explorations of their shared obsessions with historical dress, radical cutting techniques and subversions of gender norms, alongside rare runway footage, archival photography and film. There are plenty of highlights: punk ensembles once worn by the Sex Pistols and Siouxsie Sioux; the tartan Anglomania gown famously modelled by Kate Moss; Sarah Jessica Parker’s wedding dress from Sex and the City: The Movie; Rihanna’s sculptural ‘petal dress’ from the Met Gala; and key Comme des Garçons collections like Body Meets Dress – Dress Meets Body (SS97) and Uncertain Future (SS25). A centrepiece gallery pits Westwood’s sweeping 18th-century ballgowns against Kawakubo’s...

Step into a garden of ideas at the Potter Museum of Art, where three familiar figures from nature – a velvet ant, a flower and a bird – will encourage you to rethink what intelligence really means.  A velvet ant, a flower, and a bird is a new exhibition curated by the internationally renowned curator Chus Martínez that draws on works from the University of Melbourne's art, biology and classics collections, alongside contemporary commissions and performances, to propose a radical rethinking of how knowledge is made and distributed across species and materials.  Structured around the velvet ant, the flower and the bird, each 'being' carries a symbolism: the velvet ant, inspired by recent scientific research into its light-absorbing body, represents radical adaptation and material intelligence; the flower is there to embody renewal and creative transformation; and the bird, drawing on studies of flocking behaviour, points to the power of collective intelligence. Historic artefacts and contemporary artworks sit side by side, forgoing the usual exhibition hierarchies between disciplines, objects and media. Visitors to the exhibit will move through an environment and let their imagination take the lead. Rather than presenting knowledge as fixed or linear, Martínez invites audiences to think relationally – to consider intelligence as something shared across living systems, environments and technologies. The exhibition features work by a wide-ranging group of Australian and...

Did you know that Ballarat is home to thousands of begonias, including more than 600 unique varieties? In fact, the impressive collection is the rarest in the Southern Hemisphere, and they're all housed in the city's historic botanical gardens. To celebrate this floral feat, the city has hosted the Ballarat Begonia Festival annually since 1953 – yup, it's been held for more than 70 years.  When is the Ballarat Begonia Festival taking place?  If you're keen to see the colourful (and highly 'grammable) flower fest in full bloom, make your way to the Ballarat Botanical Gardens on the Labour Day long weekend from March 7-9, 2026. The floral festivities run across three days, so you'll have ample opportunity to explore the vibrant floral displays that fill these historic gardens.  What kinds of begonias will be on display? At the heart of it all is the stunning Robert Clark Conservatory, home to Ballarat’s renowned begonia collection. Each year, the Botanical Gardens team grows more than 600 begonia varieties, from heirlooms to unique hybrids cultivated exclusively for the festival. The result? A bountiful display of begonias that draws everyone from green thumbs and nature enthusiasts to families and interstate visitors. What else is on at the Ballarat Begonia Festival?  The 2026 program goes beyond the blooms. Making its debut is The Musical Plants by Playable Streets, an installation that turns living plants into musical instruments you can actually play on. The Begonia...

It's your last chance to power up, unlock that final level and beat the big boss, because ACMI's Game Worlds is about to be clocked (aka it's finishing up soon). So don't let it be game over before you get a chance to enter this immersive, fully playable exhibition. Perfect for fans of The Sims, Neopets or World of Warcraft, this blockbuster celebration of video games will transport you into the worlds of more than 30 iconic titles, including Final Fantasy XIV Online, Minecraft, Doom and Stardew Valley. Also featured are classics like Maze War and Zork, fan faves with cult followings like The Elder Scrolls Online, and new releases like Guardian Maia. Spanning games from the 1970s right through to this year, you'll be able to check out rare concept art, original design materials, early hands-on protoypes and so much more. There are 44 fully playable experiences (think Celeste speedruns on two huge screens), and four new microgames by emerging and established Aussie game developers have been specially commissioned for the exhibition.   “Our exhibition honours the real-life experiences that are made possible by and through videogames, highlighting the players and developers – and stories that bring videogame worlds to life,” said co-curators Bethan Johnson and Jini Maxwell. Want to take a part of the exhibition home with you? There's limited-edition merch and exclusive books available for purchase at the ACMI shop. Game Worlds is now on at ACMI until March 29. For more...

Pack a picnic rug and head to Narre Warren where the south east’s creative hub Bunjil Place is throwing its biggest outdoor event of all time.  Open Space is a free, evening festival running across seven Saturdays from February 7, packed with live music, an open-air cinema, food trucks (or BYO dinner), and family-friendly fun that’ll keep you going and coming back for more. Opening night sets the bar high with a stellar line-up of musical acts including the soulful Canisha, smooth reggae from Paulo Almeida and his band and then an ace team-up of two Aussie powerhouses as Kutcha Edwards takes the stage with Cash Savage and the Last Drinks. Highlights don’t stop there: cozy up for a Valentine’s Day screening of the sci-fi horror classic Tarantula!; catch a performance from the Hung Hing Lion Dance in action; relive the ‘80s with synth-pop legends Pseudo Echo; swoon to country ballads from Golden Guitar winner Andrew Swift; or get funky with Cookin’ On 3 Burners, Stella Angelico, and the GRID Series Launch Party featuring Kiid KODA, ACP Martha and Jordz. The finale? A full-on spectacle with Kerfew Collective, Hari Sivanesan, Studio J Dance, and Wild Gloriosa. Plus catch an exclusive first look at the new gallery exhibition The Offbeat Sari. Open Space Bunjil Place will run every Saturday from 6pm to 9.30pm from February 7 to March 21. Find the full program here. 

Don't let the end of summer get you down – there's still time for one last hurrah as St Kilda bar Captain Baxter stretches out the season with a champagne-soaked send-off.  Across eight weeks, the beachfront bar will host Veuve Clicquot Sun Club – a sunset celebration of champagne and seafood set against uninterrupted golden-hour views from its rooftop, patio bar and floor-to-ceiling indoor dining room perched above the St Kilda Sea Baths. Head down from February 13 to April 5 where you can while away long afternoons at the Veuve Clicquot Sun Club, where cruisy DJ sets soundtrack the arvo and build in tempo as the sun dips. Snack on a Clicquot-inspired menu of shareable bites that pairs perfectly with a glass of champers. The ocean-centric offering includes a glass of Veuve Clicquot with three oysters for $35, or caviar to share for $50. Entry is free with the option to book a table for casual dining or a bungalow if you’re bringing your whole crew and want a cosy place to kick back. Bungalows are yours for three hours. Just a heads up: if you book a bungalow after 1 pm on a weekend, you'll need a package upgrade, which starts at $550. This covers up to 10 guests and includes glasses of Veuve Clicquot when you arrive, plus some beach-themed snacks to share. Veuve Clicquot Sun Club kicked off on February 13 with a sunset performance from Melbourne-based electronic duo SXNCELLO, who'll return to the deck to wrap up the affair with a final sunset set on Sunday, February...

Haven't locked in plans for the Labour Day weekend yet? Make your way to the Moomba Festival from March 5-9 for five fun-filled days by the Yarra. As Australia’s largest free community festival, Moomba brings you carnival rides, live music, dance workshops, kids’ activities, food trucks, watersports, skate comps and plenty more. What's new this year? How about two Moomba Monarchs in the form of our favourite Melburnians, Caterina Mete (yep, she's the Red Wiggle) and the immensely talented comedian and broadcaster, Sammy J. Families will love the carnival precinct at Birrarung Marr with tons of thrilling rides, face painting and an inflatable maze. Feeling peckish? With 35 food trucks around, you don't have to choose between a dagwood dog or dumplings – have both! Palms Lawn is where you go for live music and high-energy dance workshops ranging from from K-Pop and Bollywood to line dancing. Nab a prime riverside viewing spot on the Yarra for the iconic Birdman Rally on March 8. From 11am, 13 brave (and bonkers) "pilots" – including Monarch Sammy J – will attempt to soar across the river in homemade flying machines, all in the name of charity. On March 9, the much-loved Moomba Parade kicks off at 11am from the Shrine of Remembrance, filling the streets with fantastic floats, giant puppets, marching bands, dance troupes and more than 1,800 people from different cultural groups. Other top-notch activities include the Moomba Masters water sports competition, and the Moomba...

From Cleopatra and Mark Antony's empire-toppling romance to Romeo and Juliet's family-defying affair, love has often been an act of rebellion. Rebel Heart: Love Letters and Other Declarations takes matters of the heart seriously in this sweeping, immersive new exhibition at the State Library, drawing on its extraordinary archives to trace how people have dared to love across centuries of Australian history. The exhibition runs for almost a year and brings together handwritten letters, private diaries, rare manuscripts and deeply personal objects to weave a tapestry of passion, heartbreak and devotion. You’ll encounter Victorian-era same-sex couples living together against the odds, a mid-century interracial marriage that challenged the White Australia policy, and the prison romance between bushrangers Captain Moonlight and James Nesbitt. Fragile keepsakes are also featured in the show, including a haunting 1853 mourning brooch woven from lovers’ hair, alongside letters that read like a late-night confessional. What makes Rebel Heart especially distinctive is how it bridges the past with the present. Historical stories are amplified by newly commissioned music from Australian artists Angie McMahon, Mindy Meng Wang, Mo’Ju and Amos Roach, each responding to real love stories held in the library’s collection.  The exhibition also explores how rebellion and romance play out today – from DMs and fandoms to fan fiction and even AI relationships. It’s set to be a smart,...

Melbourne, start your engines. F1: The Exhibition has zoomed into town, marking its first-ever appearance in the Asia-Pacific region. After sell-out runs in Madrid, London and Amsterdam, the globally acclaimed show has made a pit stop at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, transforming it into an adrenaline-fuelled hub for motorsport fans. Part museum, part immersive experience, the exhibition will trace Formula 1’s past, present and future through six expansive galleries, with a seventh new section devoted to Australia’s own racing legends. Expect everything from championship-winning cars and rare memorabilia to video interviews and archive footage that captures the sport’s greatest rivalries and most spectacular victories. Visitors begin their journey in 'Once Upon a Time in Formula 1', charting seven-plus decades of drama before stepping inside 'Design Lab', a behind-the-scenes look at the factories of Red Bull, Mercedes and McLaren. 'Drivers and Duels' pays tribute to legends like Ayrton Senna, Michael Schumacher and Lewis Hamilton, while 'Revolution by Design' explores how engineering innovation and human daring have continually pushed the limits. The exhibition’s emotional heart, 'Survival', displays the remains of Romain Grosjean’s scorched Haas car from his 2020 Bahrain crash, a stark reminder of the sport's danger. Visitors then arrive at 'The Pit Wall', a cinematic wrap-up that relives Formula 1’s most unforgettable moments. Melbourne’s edition adds...

From late-night espressos and crème caramels at Pellegrini’s to Rumi's signature Persian meatballs, Melbourne’s food culture is often celebrated at the table – but the labour behind it stays largely out of sight. Order Up: A City Fed by Many Cultures shifts the focus to the back of house, using the restaurant docket to tell a broader story about Melbourne’s culinary history as a living record of successive waves of migration and cross-cultural exchange. This immersive exhibition at the Immigration Museum centres on thousands of handwritten, food-stained order dockets suspended throughout the gallery, each pulled from the kitchens of 33 landmark Melbourne restaurants spanning cuisines and generations. Small and easily discarded, these scraps of paper have been collected to form a fluttering archive of service – capturing moments of pressure and human connection in a city whose food scene is inseparable from its stories of migration. As you move through Order Up, a layered soundscape and projected film will surround you: orders being called, cutlery clattering, extractor fans humming, languages overlapping. Audio excerpts from chefs, owners and staff reflect on journeys to Melbourne, overnight shifts, family recipes and the strange intimacy of feeding strangers night after night. The restaurants represented range from long-standing institutions to newer cult favourites, including France-Soir, Abla’s, Pellegrini’s Espresso Bar, Supper Inn, The Horn, Rumi and Pastuso. A...

Ever wanted to soar above a rainforest canopy or wander beneath the frozen surface of the polar seas? Melbourne Museum invites you to do just that with Our Wondrous Planet, a breathtaking, immersive exhibition celebrating the interconnected magic of life on Earth. Spanning reef, rainforest, ice and soil, this multisensory experience drops visitors into the planet’s most vital ecosystems. Room-sized projections, interactive moments and storytelling bring the natural world to life. More than 800 remarkable animals from across the globe take centre stage, appearing in environments that pulse, swirl and shimmer. Witness the beginnings of a coral reef, come face-to-face with rainforest icons, glide through icy waters and explore hidden root networks and organisms working quietly beneath our feet. The exhibition is anchored by distinct spaces: Our Family, showcasing animals from the much-loved Wild gallery and exploring the human place in the tree of life; Our Roots, a reflective First Peoples-led space centred on care, reciprocity and connection to Country; and Our Moment, an interactive zone encouraging visitors to work together on the planet’s biggest challenges. What sets Our Wondrous Planet apart is its blend of First Peoples and scientific knowledge, showing how everything on Earth is connected and how small human actions can make a difference. Family-friendly, visually spectacular and thought-provoking, this exhibition entertains while leaving plenty to reflect on. Our...

Born just a year apart, Vivienne Westwood and Rei Kawakubo (the visionary behind Comme des Garçons and Dover Street Market) couldn’t have come from more different worlds – but both knew how to tear up the fashion rulebook. Their designs dismantled ideas of beauty, gender and taste, and now Melbourne gets a world-first chance to see their radical vision side by side. Open now at the NGV, Westwood | Kawakubo is a showcase of more than 140 boundary-breaking designs. Many are drawn from the NGV’s own holdings – an extraordinary cache of 300-plus Kawakubo pieces and more than 100 by Westwood – making this one of the most important showcases of their work anywhere in the world.  The exhibition is arranged thematically, moving from punk’s anarchic spirit in the 1970s to the avant-garde silhouettes of today. Expect explorations of their shared obsessions with historical dress, radical cutting techniques and subversions of gender norms, alongside rare runway footage, archival photography and film. There are plenty of highlights: punk ensembles once worn by the Sex Pistols and Siouxsie Sioux; the tartan Anglomania gown famously modelled by Kate Moss; Sarah Jessica Parker’s wedding dress from Sex and the City: The Movie; Rihanna’s sculptural ‘petal dress’ from the Met Gala; and key Comme des Garçons collections like Body Meets Dress – Dress Meets Body (SS97) and Uncertain Future (SS25). A centrepiece gallery pits Westwood’s sweeping 18th-century ballgowns against Kawakubo’s...