Kunstmuseum Den Haag is home to the largest collection of fashion and costumes in the Netherlands. It’s an archive 75 years in the making, made up of items from across decades and styles, forming a vital archive of sartorial history throughout the decades. Reflections on Fashion, the latest exhibition at the gallery, is a celebration of this collection. The largescale showcase features pieces from iconic designers such as Iris van Herpen, Coco Chanel, Fong-Leng, Dior, Hubery de Givenchy, Viktor & Rolf, Frank Govers and Karim Adduchi. The display itself is as wide-ranging as the gallery’s repository, bringing together a diverse range of guest curators, including Jan Taminiau, Tass van Zalinge, Ronald van der Kep, Lisa Konno, Janice Deul and KledingCast. The result is a peek behind the curtain at fashion history, allowing audiences to engage with iconic items and gain an insight into how these fabrics are preserved for the next generation.
There’s a real sense of pride to this how, as Kunstmuseum Den Haag celebrates the loving attention that goes into its collection. Many of these pieces are part of an archive that’s rarely open to public view, each one a testament to the institution’s desire to maintain items for the sake of preservation, not just to feature in a display. Madelief Hohé, Fashion and Costume Curator, says: “For 75 years, so many people have put so much love into working on this collection: gathering, restoring and displaying it and telling its stories. Their efforts have been based on a variety of visions, modes and perspectives, with the collection itself as a constant factor. There has been real positive energy in the collaboration with all our enthusiastic co-curators. This is evidence that our fashion collection is beloved by many and that it continues to inspire and offer new perspectives, generation after generation. I’m quite proud of that.”
The show is split up into several gallery, with each one boasting a different interior, all based on the visions of the co-curators and drawing on different aspects of the collection. Tess van Zalinge’s Open Depot section makes the invisible visible, giving visitors the opportunity to observe restorations up close and personal. The section features pieces from the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries, which visitors can examine from the inside out – from crinolines and corsets to the hidden interior of a gown. Meanwhile, other sections boast a pale pink Chanel dress from 1926, made famous by Dutch TV programme, Secrets of the Museum. The dress was an unexpected find, hidden in a collection of fabric scraps – a discovery that was met with great amazement. Following extensive in-house restoration, the object will now be displayed for the first time.
From 17th century statement pieces to recent creations, fresh off the catwalk, Kunstmuseum Den Haag’s exhibition reveals how fashion continues to evolve, and garments tell a story about identity, craftsmanship and the era in which they were worn. In 1951, the gallery opened as the Dutch Costume Museum, and over the past 75 years, has grown into the largest fashion and costume collection in the country, with over 50,000 pieces. Upon its opening, the gallery announced a desire to be “a living institution” that “mingles in the life of society.” Reflections on Fashion demonstrates exactly that sentiment.
Reflections on Fashion is at Kunstmuseum Den Haag until 3 January: kunstmuseum.nl
Words: Emma Jacob
Image Credits:
1. Joseph William Raidt, Ensemble, 2025, loan. Frans Molenaar, Circle cape, spring 1977, wool, Kunstmuseum Den Haag. Photo: Sabrina Bongiovanni / Kunstmuseum Den Haag, art direction: Maarten Spruyt, styling: Pablo Salvador Willemars, assistentie fotografie: Louis Oomes visagie: Katinka Gernant haar: Pascale den Dikkenboer model: Martha G. @ The Fashion Composers.
2. Hubert de Givenchy, cocktail dress and coat, worn by Audrey Hepburn in the movie Breakfast at Tiffany’s (1961), fall 1960, Kunstmuseum Den Haag. Lisa Konno, Coat, 2019, loan. Photo: Sabrina Bongiovanni / Kunstmuseum Den Haag art direction: Maarten Spruyt, styling: Pablo Salvador Willemars, assistentie fotografie: Louis Oomes, visagie: Katinka, Gernant haar: Pascale den Dikkenboer, model: Martha G. @ The Fashion Composers.
3. AkgulDemir @ SabrinaBongiovanni.
4. Denzel Veerkamp, Outfit inspired by koto and traditional dress Suriname, 2023, loan Koto and angisa, Suriname, ca. 1900, Kunstmuseum Den Haag. Sabrina Bongiovanni / Kunstmuseum Den Haag art direction: Maarten Spruyt, styling: Pablo Salvador Willemars, assistentie fotografie: Louis Oomes, visagie: Katinka Gernant, haar: Pascale den Dikkenboer, model: Osayi @ The Fashion Composers.
5. Erik Bosman, Devastator, Transformer Suit from dance performance Scratch, Sample & Rewind, 2024, loan Theater Rotterdam Doublet, Italian cut silk velvet, early 17th century, in current state remade 18th century, trousers reconstruction, Kunstmuseum Den Haag. Sabrina Bongiovanni / Kunstmuseum Den Haag art direction: Maarten Spruyt, styling: Pablo Salvador Willemars, assistentie fotografie: Louis Oomes, visagie: Katinka Gernant, haar: Pascale den Dikkenboer, model: Osayi @ The Fashion Composers.
6. Ronald van der Kemp, Dress, Wardrobe 12, loan Bill Blass, Coctaildress, 1980s, Kunstmuseum Den Haag. Sabrina Bongiovanni / Kunstmuseum Den Haag art direction: Maarten Spruyt, styling: Pablo Salvador Willemars, assistentie fotografie: Louis Oomes visagie: Katinka Gernant haar: Pascale den Dikkenboer.
7. Robe à la française, silk, ca. 1760-1770 (made from dress ca. 1750-1760) in collectie since 1951, Kunstmuseum Den Haag. Tess van Zalinge, Ensemble with crinoline, 2022. Photo: Sabrina Bongiovanni / Kunstmuseum Den Haag art direction: Maarten Spruyt, styling: Pablo Salvador Willemars, assistentie fotografie: Louis Oomes, visagie: Katinka, Gernant haar: Pascale den Dikkenboer, model: Yulia @ The Fashion Composers.
