Ball gowns, corsets, silks, cute hats, elegant shoes… It's easy to touch history, breathe in the delicate smell of bygone eras – the Moscow Fashion Museum was created for true connoisseurs of vintage collections.
Fashion history is an interesting science
Fashion and costume museums operate in many European capitals. According to the fashion trends of the past, you can restore pictures of the customs, mores and values of life of all strata of society at different times.
There are many ways to study fashion. True connoisseurs of costume history know that you can still find unique pieces in private collections, among museum storerooms, and often the rarest things simply gather dust in the forgotten chests of old apartments. Combining everything found into one living collection, restoring and systematizing is not an easy task. Feedback from visitors reports that this is why the first and only Fashion Museum in Russia was opened in Moscow ten years ago.
How it all began
Reviews from visitors say that the idea of creating a fashion gallery arose after the fashion house Valentino donated one of its collections to Moscow. And a year later, through the efforts of the future artistic director and famous fashion designer Valentin Yudashkin, a new state budgetary institution was registered.
For ten years, the Fashion Museum in Moscow did not have its own premises - all events were held in guest mode at other sites. Despite the difficulties, from the first day of its foundation, the museum participated in all the fashionable cultural events of the capital, invariably arousing public interest with original collections. Feedback from visitors said that the museum celebrated the housewarming only at the end of 2015, when, after many years of wandering, it finally received a permanent residence in Gostiny Dvor. The opening of the first exposition took place on December 23, 2015, when more than 100 clothing models demonstrating the fashion of the early 20th century were shown in the new showrooms.
From museum to exhibition center - ten years and dozens of exhibitions
Reading the reviews of visitors, you can find out that today the Fashion Museum in Moscow is a modern cultural center where permanent exhibitions work, lectures, concerts, exhibitions are held. Master classes and non-standard programs such as "Night at the Museum" and "Night of the Arts" are very popular with visitors. And back in 2007, future employees and enthusiasts bit by bit collected the first exposition, starting to realize the idea of creating a museum.
Dresses, outerwear, shoes and jewelry from Russia, USA, England, France - today more than2000 exhibits. Here are collected different models - from designer exclusive to nameless and everyday. Many of the things, especially shoes and accessories, required serious restoration and careful maintenance. Feedback from visitors notes that thanks to the professionalism of staff and volunteers, all the exhibits are in excellent condition today.
How the museum lives
One never gets bored in museum halls. Thousands of visitors have already seen this, many of whom managed not only to see the collections, but also to participate in various gallery events.
Exhibitions and stationary expositions are far from all that the Fashion Museum pleases its guests with. Eminent fashion designers and fashion historians regularly give lectures here. "Symbols in Art", "Lace in a Modern Suit", "From Imperial Luxury to Soviet Chic" - the topics of the author's lectures are varied and exciting, and the presenters are real devotees of fashion history.
The museum and exhibition complex also provides shelter for young talents - with the help of employees, fashion shows are constantly held here, the authors of which are students of colleges and universities.
Exhibitions and expositions
Visitor reviews explain that expositions in exhibition halls are always themed. The themes here are selected unique, nothing similar is shown anywhere else in the capital. For example, the permanent exhibition "Anthology of the Long Dress" shows how women's fashion changed at the turn of the XIX-XXcenturies. And the exhibition “Man in Uniform. A look through the screen acquaints viewers with how historical military costumes for filming movies are created. One of the latest projects of the museum is the exhibition "On the noisy streets of Moscow" - a retrospective display of the fashion of three historical periods: the end of the 19th century, the 40s of the last century and Soviet fashion from 1950 to 1970.
Additional entourage to all shows adds a demonstration of films and documentaries about the history of fashion, which accompany each exhibition.
Working hours in the new house
In 2016, one of the largest trade and exhibition centers in Moscow called "Gostiny Dvor" has a new permanent resident - the Fashion Museum. Address of the institution today: Moscow, st. Ilyinka, 4, entrance 1, second floor. On Tuesday, Wednesday, Sunday the exhibition halls are open from 11:00 to 19:00, Friday and Saturday from 12:00 to 20:00, and on Thursday from 12:00 to 19:00. On Monday, the Fashion Museum, like most museums in the world, is closed to the public.
Full ticket price is 150 rubles, for preferential categories (children, students, pensioners and disabled people) - 30 rubles. Here you can also book individual or group tours, the cost of which depends on the number of guests and the duration of the show.
A new point on the tourist map of Moscow - the Fashion Museum. How to get to the museum?
Visitor reviews lead tothe fact that it is not difficult to find the museum and exhibition center. The most convenient way is to use the metro. Having reached the station "Revolution Square", you need to go along Bogoyavlensky Lane in the direction of GUM and Ilyinka Street. From the metro station "Kitay-Gorod" you need to walk two blocks along Ilyinka to Red Square. Tickets are sold only at the museum box office, there are no online sales.
