This October, the V&A celebrates the sartorial legacy of the dynamic Queen frontman Freddie Mercury.
What builds the mythos of a rock icon? For many, it is their songwriting, sex appeal, or personal lore. For Freddie Mercury, a lot of it was in the clothes. Mercury was particularly adept at translating the theatricality and camp of Queen’s music from the sonic to the aesthetic. But his costuming went beyond simply visualizing music; it spoke to the core of the man himself. As he once quipped in 1978, “I like to be surrounded by splendid things. I want to lead a Victorian life surrounded by exquisite clutter.” His warpaint, with its silvery fabrics, flared sleeves, and regal headpieces, was truly splendid.
This October, V&A South Kensington honors his powerful sartorial legacy with Freddie Mercury | Splendid Things, mapping the Queen frontman’s visual evolution across eight dazzling looks and pivotal career moments. Celebrating what would have been Mercury’s eightieth birthday, the free exhibition trail was designed by theater designer Tom Piper and developed with Mercury’s longtime friend Mary Austin, who lent seven of the archival pieces herself.
Austin saw the integral role Mercury’s wardrobe played in the development of his stage persona: “The clothes were part of that exploration. Freddie understood early on that he wasn’t just wearing clothes; he was providing an image to match the scale of the space and the vastness of the crowd.” Spanning the 1970s and 80s, Splendid Things intersects personal, pop-cultural, and fashion history. Displayed on bespoke mannequins throughout the V&A, looks such as Wendy de Smet’s ‘Mercury Wing’ catsuit, with its luminous, almost lunar sheen, chart the evolution of his visual language. Kate Bailey, the V&A’s Senior Curator of Theatre and Performance, believes the shoe fits just right: “Reflecting his love of ‘splendid things’ and his passion for art, design and fashion, Freddie will be very at home in the V&A galleries.”
Weaving throughout the V&A, the glitz, glam, and cheekiness of the costumes play against the stately architecture; Splendid Things, like the man it honors, refuses to be contained. The exhibition takes visitors from Mercury’s salad days with the band, exemplified by the monochrome ensemble worn on the cover of Queen’s 1973 debut, through Diana Moseley’s iconic crown and cloak, worn on the Magic Tour and at Mercury’s last stage appearance with the band, a fitting coronation for one of rock’s most dynamic frontmen. Additionally, items from his personal wardrobe offset the larger-than-life nature of the costumes, offering a glimpse of the man behind the flamboyant stage persona.
“The clothes and costumes […] tell a hugely important part of his story both on and off the stage,” Austin reflects. “Never mere accouterments, his costumes and clothes were essential to his performances, creative vision, and wider self-expression, carefully designed to create a lasting visual and emotional impact that has reached across the generations and still reverberates today.”
Freddie Mercury Splendid Things is on display at V&A South Kensington from 24 October 2026 through 17 January 2027. Homepage lead image photograph by Simon Fowler © Mercury Songs Ltd, homepage title page photograph by Denis O’Regan, inside image left by David TanShinko MusicGetty Images and right photograph by Simon Fowler © Mercury Songs Ltd.
