Feast your eyes on this! There’s an amazing exhibition of Chinese Imperial robes through the 27th of February at London’s V&A Museum…

The show spans three centuries of Chinese emperors and the royal family’s clothing, and includes more than 50 clothing items, plus accessories and textiles to complete the look!

Because the textile weaving and embroidery were so incredibly complex, some of these robes took years of work to be completed, so we’re thrilled for the opportunity to see this wonderful craftsmanship up close and in real life!

On loan from Beijing’s Palace Museum in the Forbidden City, these robes have never left China, and for the most part haven’t even been displayed there, either! For the Imperial Museum curators, the number-one objective is conservation, and the V&A has finally stepped in with a show dedicated to preserving these fragile garments in their current perfect condition.

Although the Chinese rulers were fashion trend setters in their day, strict rules of Imperial Chinese society dictated that only certain members of the royal family could wear this shade of yellow (such as above) and dragon embroidery (below, one of the most famous dragon robes), and it was actually against the law for others to wear it, not that they could have afforded it anyway!

Photos © Victoria & Albert Museum

Back to modern times, specifically the Spring 2011 shows…hmm, look familiar?

Louis Vuitton, Carolina Herrera

L’Wren Scott

L’Wren Scott

Louis Vuitton

L’Wren Scott, Louis Vuitton

Photos – All Rights Reserved