Victoria and Albert Museum

23/10/2026

This is an extremely rare example of a portrait featuring a garment that still survives.

In the 17th century, oil-painted portraits of high-status individuals had become increasingly common, often showcasing sitters in their finest attire.

This intricately embroidered linen jacket, once owned by Margaret Layton (1579–1641), represents the elegant formal daywear favoured by wealthy women of the era.

The jacket was made around 1610, but the portrait was painted over a decade later. By then, waistlines had risen, prompting Margaret to adapt her look by raising her petticoat to cover the lower half of the waistcoat.

Portrait of Margaret Layton (formerly Laton), probably by Marcus Gheeraerts (the Younger), Britain, ca. 1620

Margaret Layton’s waistcoat of linen, embroidered with coloured silks, silver and silver-gilt thread, made 1610-1615, altered 1620, England

21/10/2026

We have lots of fun bags in our collection 👜

Which one would you choose?

1. Handbag, leather, metal, Gianni Versace Couture, Italy, 1994.

2. Limited edition newsprint lambskin leather handbag, designed by Karl Lagerfeld for Chanel, 2015.

3. Limited edition ‘Eye Love’ monogram canvas handbag, designed by Takashi Murakami for Louis Vuitton, 2003.

4. Metallic red 'Lucent' tote bag designed by Bao Bao Issey Miyake.

5. "SCULPTURE" bag, designed by Virgil Abloh for IKEA, 2019.

20/10/2026

17/10/2026

A complete unknown.

This vivid portrait miniature is of an unknown man, with an open shirt, surrounded by flames, symbolising the fervour and passion that engulfs him.

His chest is bare as though consumed by the intensity of his emotions, and he holds a locket close to his heart, suggesting it contains a miniature of a cherished loved one.

Painted by Nicholas Hilliard (1547-1619), the most celebrated English miniaturist of the Elizabethan era, this intimate portrayal conveys a powerful sense of devotion and desire.

Visit V&A South Kensington, British Galleries, Room 57, to see this portrait on display.

Unknown man, portrait miniature, by Nicholas Hilliard, about 1600, England.

14/10/2026

Go behind-the-scenes in our Textile Conservation studio as Conservators Nora and Caterina perform an almost surgical-like operation on an extremely fragile silk dress designed by Elsa Schiaparelli.

Almost 100 years old, the dress is severely damaged and disintegrating in several areas, so it needs additional support and intervention before being displayed.

Watch the full painstaking process and see the conserved dress on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0KachdTx3mI

13/10/2026

Carrying family stories from one generation to the next.

Traditionally made for a bride’s dowry, suzanis are intricately embroidered textiles and one of Uzbekistan’s significant cultural traditions.

Artist Aziza Kadyri’s new commission for The Jameel Gallery, ‘Sender Unknown’, picks up that thread to tell her own story. Kadyri built a bespoke image-to-image model to investigate how AI interprets unfamiliar visuals and to reveal its gaps and biases.

Using this research and a layered design process, she developed a personal visual language of suzani-inspired symbols, which were then hand-embroidered by women artisans and her long-time collaborator Yulduz Mukhiddinova in Uzbekistan.

Responding to the V&A’s historic suzani collection, the work asks what happens when traditional knowledge is translated into new technologies. Can tools that often separate images from the people and histories behind them become a way of preserving those histories instead?

Watch the full film on our YouTube channel: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=u9qpLKG9mu4

Aziza Kadyri will be in conversation with V&A curator Carrie Chan at V&A South Kensington on 17 October. More info via the link in bio.

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This film is part of the V&A’s Jameel Programme, celebrating 20 years of The Jameel Gallery with Community Jameel.

With further support from the Sarikhani Family.

11/10/2026

This is the most expensive costume produced in Hollywood when it was made in 1944.

Worn by Ginger Rogers in Lady In The Dark, the dress cost $35,000 US dollars to make, which would be about $620,000 today.

As you can imagine, the dress was incredibly heavy to wear, so two versions were created - one for singing and static close-ups and another lighter version for dancing.

In the film, Rogers plays Liza Elliott, a successful fashion editor on the edge of a breakdown, daydreaming of glamour. According to the costume’s designer, the legendary Edith Head, “the dreams created a perfect plot excuse for fabulous gowns.”

💃🏻Film costume worn by Ginger Rogers as Liza Elliott in Lady in the Dark, designed by Edith Head and Mitchell Leisen, 1944

09/10/2026

What adorned the walls of your childhood bedroom?

In the early 19th century, British middle-class homes had, for the first time, enough room to dedicate spaces just for children, leading to the creation of nurseries.

For many years, parents were the ones who chose the nursery wallpaper, using it to reflect their taste, social class, and expectations for their children. For example, nursery rhyme-inspired wallpaper was favoured for its believed educational potential.

Increasingly, however, from about the mid-1900s, children have been allowed to choose their own decorations to reflect their interests - whether it’s space, films or sports, or personalising their rooms by pasting up newspaper and magazine cuttings illustrating their hobbies and ‘crushes’, they bring a piece of popular culture into their personal space.

-Portion of ‘The Sleeping Beauty’ wallpaper, designed by Walter Crane, manufactured by Jeffrey & Co., 1879, England

-Portion of ‘Nursery Rhymes’ nursery wallpaper, by Walter Crane, manufactured by Jeffrey & Co., 1876, England

-Portion of ‘Mickey Mouse’ border and frieze, produced by Arthur Sanderson & Sons Ltd., about 1930, England

-Wallpaper frieze with scenes from nursery tales, designed by Mabel Lucie Attwell, produced by C. & G. Potter, 1913, England

-Portion of ‘Quad Player 2’ wallpaper, featuring four players in the Manchester United football team, manufactured by Coloroll, 1995 – 96, England

08/10/2026

Longing by the sea 🌊

This evocative watercolour draws inspiration from Geoffrey Chaucer’s ‘Franklin’s Tale’ in ‘The Canterbury Tales’, highlighting artist Edward Burne-Jones’s fascination with medieval themes. In the tale, Dorigen anxiously awaits her husband’s return from a dangerous sea voyage, fearing that the treacherous rocks near the harbour will cause his ship to wreck.

Burne-Jones captures her longing and dread, portraying her in a moment of deep emotional turmoil. The ghostly figures adorning her portable organ suggest the reunion she desperately hopes for, yet cannot achieve alone, as the organ requires another person to pump the bellows. This detail underscores her profound loneliness. With arms outstretched, Dorigen opens the shutters to the view of a turbulent sea, symbolising her sense of despair and helplessness.

‘Dorigen of Bretagne longing for the safe return of her husband’, watercolour by Edward Burne-Jones, 1871

07/10/2026

Aṣọ-òkè a cloth woven with history.

Aṣọ-òkè is a handmade strip-woven cloth historically produced by the Yoruba in south-western Nigeria. Individual narrow strips of handwoven fabric are stitched together to create the finished cloth.

Worn by both men and women, aṣọ-òkè is typically striped, sometimes incorporating additional weft-float decoration. Certain pieces were reserved for special religious, communal and family occasions.

The tradition continues to evolve. Hand embroidery can also be incorporated, as seen in this sányán and àlàárì aṣọ-òkè ensemble created by Nigerian fashion designer Shade Thomas-Fahm, a notable advocate of Nigerian textiles.

Through its colours, materials and techniques, aṣọ-òkè carries generations of Yoruba knowledge, identity and craftsmanship into the present.

Get an up-close look at Bjay ensemble Bùbá, ìró, ìpèlé and gèlè, by Shade Thomas-Fahm through our ‘Order an Object’ service at V&A East Storehouse.