Freddie Mercury’s wardrobe is getting a museum-wide edit at the V&A. Opening on 24 October 2026, Splendid Things collects eight career-spanning looks loaned by Mary Austin. Music videos and live performances supply the references, including Made in Heaven, in Mercury’s 80th anniversary year.
The V&A will place the looks across its South Kensington galleries as a free trail. That gives each outfit space to land individually and turns the museum visit into a closer reading of Mercury’s visual language. The appeal lies in the details: fabric, cut and construction reveal how carefully he built an image that could reach the back row of an arena. Visitors need no ticket, making this one of London’s easiest cultural additions for autumn.
