Skip to main content

Costume

Rooms 103 – 106

Our Theatre and Performance collections include over 3,500 stage costumes and accessories dating from the mid-18th century to today. From complete outfits to individual headdresses, they are a tribute to the creativity and skills of designers and costume makers working in every kind of performance: drama, opera, dance, musicals, pantomime, rock and pop, music hall, film, cabaret and circus.

Where to find this collection

Rooms 103 – 106
Search the Collections

Share

Navy blue tailcoat worn by Fred Astaire in the film 'Shall We Dance'. — Shall We Dance, film costume worn by Fred Astaire, made by Anderson & Sheppard Ltd, 1936, UK

theatre costume — Music-hall costume worn by May Moore Duprez, about 1910, England

theatre costume — Costume for 'Prince's Mother' in Swan Lake designed by Alexandre Golovine for the Bolshoi, Moscow, 1901

theatre costume — Headdress, theatre costume worn by Ram Gopal, maker unknown, mid-20th century, UK

Costume — Costume for The Chinese Conjurer in Massine's ballet 'Parade', designed by Pablo Picasso, 1917

theatre Costume — Theatre costume from 'The Lion King', designed by Julie Taymor, 1994, US

costume — Brexit Dress, pantomime costume, designed by Lotte Collett, 2016, UK

costume — Lady in the Dark, film costume, designed by Edith Head, 1944, Hollywood, US

theatre costume — Hat worn by Idina Menzel as Elphaba in the original 2003 New York production of Wicked, by Rodney Gordon, 2003, New York, US

costume — Dame Edna's Breakfast Dress, costume, designed by Stephen Adnitt, 1997, London, England

rock and pop costume — Rock and pop costume worn by Mick Jagger, designed by Ossie Clark, 1972, UK

rock and pop costume — Rear view, 'Bicycle John', rock and pop costume worn by Sir Elton John, designed by Bill Whitten, about 1974, UK

Design — Design for the costume of Le Buffoon in the ballet 'Chout', by Mikhail Larionov, 1915, Lausanne, Switzerland

Costume design — Costume design for 'Le Coq d'Or', by Natalia Goncharova, about 1914

costume — Black satin floral patterned shoes worn by Prince, costume, about 1994, USA

theatre costume — Theatre costume, designed by Philip Prowse, made by Bonn & Mackenzie, 1981, London, England

prop — Film prop and costume from 'The Bride of Frankenstein', designed by Vera West for Universal Pictures, 1935, US

Conserving a clown costume

See the processes involved in conserving a sequinned clown costume

Léon Bakst – design for the ballet

Discover Léon Bakst's revolutionary costume designs for the legendary Ballets Russes

Shoes formerly worn by Prince

Shoes worn by the best-selling musical artist Prince have been acquired for the V&A's National Collection of Performing Arts

ASMR at the museum

Get closer to our objects than ever before

The story of The Supremes

Mary Wilson, co-founder of The Supremes, talks about her extraordinary career and the heyday of Motown

Designing Hollywood costume

Delve into Hollywood's extraordinary legacy of costume design

Gender, performance and transformation: Sonja Harms

Hear how costume maker Sonja Harms crafts alternative identities through clothing

Conserving a ballet tutu

Watch as Belinda Wright's tutu is humidified

Handling Ian McKellen's Shakespeare costume

Find out about the importance of handling theatre costumes with care

Background image: Costume for The Chinese Conjurer in Massine's ballet 'Parade', designed by Pablo Picasso, 1917