Organized by the Victoria & Albert Museum, London, Hollywood Costume explores the central role costume design plays in cinematic storytelling. Bringing together the most iconic costumes from a century of cinema, it is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see the clothes worn by unforgettable and beloved characters in films such as The Wizard of Oz, The Birds, My Fair Lady, Superman, Titanic, Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince and The Dark Knight Rises.

The exhibition includes cinema costumes from private and archival collections in California. Most have never been publicly displayed or seen beyond the secure walls of the studio archives. The exhibition explores in detail how the design and use of costume has been central to the creation of some of the most iconic characters in popular culture and is a key component in what is arguably the greatest art form of the 20th century: cinema.

In addition to premiering Hollywood Costume in the United States, VMFA is the only East Coast venue for the exhibition. 

VMFA teams up with the Virginia Film Festival .
See Tippi Hedren from Hitchcock’s The Birds at both VMFA and the VFF in Charlottesville, plus see some of Hollywood Costumes’ films at the VFF.

Step into the Role of a Lifetime: Present a Hollywood Costume.

Free for VMFA members, children 6 and under, and active-duty military personnel and their immediate families.

$20 for adults

$16 for adult groups of
10+ (please click here)

$16 for seniors 65+

$10 for youth (7 – 17) and
students with school ID

Tickets can also be purchased by calling 804.340.1405.

Kids Discover: Costume Jewelry & Mask Making (Sat, Oct 5, 1 – 4 pm)

3 in 30: Costumes Make the Character (Tue, Oct 8, 11 am & Thu Oct 10, 6:30 pm)

Friday Family Art Night: Wearable Art (Fri, Oct 11, 5 – 7 pm)

Celebrate Hollywood: Costume Party! (Sat, Oct 25, 1-4 pm)

3 in 30: The Dark Side (Tue, Nov 5, 11 am & Thu, Nov 7, 6:30 pm)

Member Preview: Hollywood Costume (Thu, Nov 7, 10 am – 9pm & Fri, Nov 8, 10 am – 9 pm)

Foundations in Art: Costume Construction (Thu, Nov 7, 14, 21, 4:15 pm)

SOLD OUT! The Birds, with Tippi Hedren in Person (Sat, Nov 9, 3 -6 pm)

VMFA Book Club: Edith Head’s Hollywood by Edith Head and Paddy Calistro (Fri, Nov 22, 6:30 pm)

The Making of Hollywood Costume (Fri, Nov 22, 6:30 pm)

60 Films/60 Days (Nov 29-Jan 31, Mon-Thu, Sat + Sun: 1:30 pm, Fri: 6:30 pm)

3 in 30: Ancient Vanity (Tue, Dec 3, 11 am & Thu, Dec 5, 6:30 pm)

Teen Drawing Club: Costume Illustration (Fri, Dec 6, 13, 5 – 6:30 pm)

Teen Stylin’ 2013: Costume Couture Runway Exhibition (Fri, Dec 6, 6 – 9 pm; Sat, Dec 7, 3-5:30 pm)

Behind the Seams: Hollywood Costume Burlesque (Thu, Jan 9, 7 – 8 pm)

Morocco

Morocco, 1930 ©Paramount/The Kobal Collection/E.R. Richee.

Gladiator

Gladiator, 2000 ©Dreamworks/Universal/The Kobal Collection/Jaap Buitendijk.

The Matrix

Matrix, 1999 ©Warner Bros/The Kobal Collection/Jasin Boland.

Brokeback Mountain

Brokeback Mountain, 2005 ©Focus Features/The Kobal Collection.

The Birds

The Birds, 1963 ©Universal/The Kobal Collection.

Costume Design: Cecil Beaton

My Fair Lady, 1964 ©Warner Bros/The Kobal Collection.

Taxi Driver

Taxi Driver, 1976 ©Columbia/The Kobal Collection.

102 Dalmatians

102 Dalmatians, 2000, ©Walt Disney/The Kobal Collection/Bob Marshak.

Moulin Rouge

Moulin Rouge, 2001 ©20th Century Fox/The Kobal Collection/Sue Adler.

Iron Lady

Iron Lady, 2011 ©Film 4/The Kobal Collection.

Fight Club

Fight Club, 1999 ©20th Century Fox/The Kobal Collection/Merrick Morton.

Kate Winslet as Rose DeWitt in 'Titanic'

Kate Winslet as Rose DeWitt in 'Titanic', 1997. ©20th Century Fox/Paramount/The Kobal Collection.

Dark Knight Rises

Dark Knight Rises, 2012, ©Warner Bros/The Kobal Collection

Superman

Superman ©Warner Bros/DC Comics/The Kobal Collection.