DRESSING FREDDIE
This autumn, the V&A opens the wardrobe of one of Britain's greatest showmen.
Freddie Mercury understood the assignment.
The voice mattered, obviously. So did the songs, the movement and his extraordinary ability to make thousands of people feel as though they were witnessing something extraordinary together. But before he had sung a note, Mercury loved the power of being seen.
On 24 October, the V&A South Kensington will open Freddie Mercury | Splendid Things, a free display celebrating what would have been the musician's 80th year. Eight looks from across Mercury's career will be brought together, with objects loaned by Mary Austin and clothes spanning music videos, tours and some of his most recognisable performances.
The title comes from Mercury himself. In 1978, he spoke of wanting to be surrounded by “splendid things” and living among exquisite clutter. It is difficult to imagine a better description of the aesthetic world he created.
CLOTHES AS PERFORMANCE
Mercury did not simply wear costumes. He understood how clothes changed the silhouette of a performer and how that silhouette might look from the back of an arena. His wardrobe could be theatrical, camp, masculine, feminine, regal and occasionally absurd, sometimes within the space of the same concert. There were sequins and skin tight leotards, military references, leather, enormous capes and eventually the deceptively simple white vest that became one of the most recognisable stage looks in popular music. There was intelligence beneath the extravagance. Mercury understood that a stage costume is not necessarily supposed to look sensible at lunch. It has another job entirely. The V&A display will include costumes associated with A Night at the Opera, Queen's Magic Tour and the extraordinary Made in Heaven video. The museum is also staging a talk immediately before the exhibition opens with designers Wendy de Smet and Diana Moseley, who created some of Mercury's celebrated looks.
THE CROWN
By the time Mercury appeared in a crown and enormous royal cloak during Queen's final tour with him in 1986, subtlety had rather wonderfully left the building. But the image works because Mercury was in on the joke. He could present himself as rock royalty without the slightest suggestion that he expected the audience to take the coronation literally. The grandeur and humour existed simultaneously. That ability is perhaps what separates great personal style from merely expensive clothes. Mercury could wear almost anything because the clothes never appeared to be wearing him. However extravagant the costume became, the personality inside it remained larger.
THE MAN BENEATH IT
There is also something moving about encountering performance clothes without the performer. A costume in a museum is suddenly quiet. The body that gave it movement has disappeared and details that would have been invisible from an auditorium can be examined closely. Stitching, fabric, construction and wear become evidence of the person who once inhabited it.This is where Splendid Things has the potential to become more than an exercise in rock nostalgia. Mercury's clothes allow us to look at the construction of an identity that appeared effortless from the audience but was, in reality, extraordinarily considered. Freddie Mercury knew that dressing up did not have to disguise the person underneath. Sometimes exaggeration could reveal them more clearly. For a man who once filled stadiums, eight outfits might sound rather small. Perhaps that is precisely why this exhibition is worth seeing. Rather than attempting to explain the entirety of Freddie Mercury, it gives us eight opportunities to look closely. He would surely have appreciated that they were splendid.
Freddie Mercury | Splendid Things opens at the V&A South Kensington on 24 October 2026. Admission is free.