From Alaïa to Louboutin: Ten Must-See Fashion Expos from Across the Globe

The popularity of the fashion exhibition was cemented in 2011, when the Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty at New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art attracted over 600,000 visitors. This May the Met will place Italian designers Elsa Schiaparelli and Miuccia Prada in the limelight, while other designers including Marc Jacobs and Christian Louboutin are the focus of retrospectives in France and the UK respectively. Here is guide to ten not-to-be-missed fashion expos, currently on or coming soon, from across the world.

Azzedine Alaïa in the 21st Century
Until May 6
Groningen, NetherlandsThe Groninger Museum in The Netherlands stages a retrospective of the Tunisian-born couturier Azzedine Alaïa, who has dressed style icons of past and present including Greta Garbo and Michelle Obama. This expo looks at some of his lost iconic creations from the past decade.
http://www.groningermuseum.nl/en/exhibition/azzedine-ala%C3%AF-21st-century

Secret Archives
Until June 1
Florence, Italy

Italian label Salvatore Ferragamo hosts a special exhibition at its Florence museum unveiling its "Secret Archives." Showcasing patents, photographs, tools and shoes, the expo explores the fashion house's links with cinema icons and its influence in the arena of sky-high heels.
http://www.museoferragamo.it/en/eventi.php

Helmut Newton
Until June 17
Paris, France

Taking place at Paris's Grand Palais, this is the first French retrospective of fashion photographer Helmut Newton (1920-2004), bringing together some two hundred photographs from the provocateur whose work graced the pages of international style bibles, in particular French Vogue.
http://www.rmn.fr/spip.php?page=expo-maintenant-en

Yves Saint Laurent: The Retrospective
Until July 8
Colorado, USA

The internationally acclaimed exhibition Yves Saint Laurent: The Retrospective hits the US March 25, with the Denver Art Museum hosting the expo displaying work ranging from the creator's earlier days at Christian Dior to his final catwalk collection in 2002. Some 200 haute couture outfits will be on display along with photographs, drawings and films.
http://www.denverartmuseum.org/home

The Fashion World of Jean Paul Gaultier
Until August 19
San Francisco, USA

The De Young Museum in San Francisco, California, is honoring Jean Paul Gaultier with a retrospective devoted to his creations spanning from his 1976 ready-to-wear to his 2007 haute couture collections. Entitled From the Sidewalk to the Catwalk, it celebrates his avant-garde style and collaborations with Madonna, Lady Gaga, filmmaker Pedro Almodóvar, dance and theater with film clips of concerts, ballets, and fashion shows.
http://deyoung.famsf.org/

Louis Vuitton - Marc Jacobs
Until September 16
Paris, France

The Louis Vuitton - Marc Jacobs exhibition at the city's museum of Arts Décoratifs celebrates the luxury label's namesake and its current creative director by comparing and analyzing their achievements and contributions to the fashion industry during very different time periods.
http://www.lesartsdecoratifs.fr/english-439/exhibitions/forthcoming-events

Put in your diary:

Cartier, Jeweler of the Arts
April 3-21
Paris, France

Four artworks commissioned by French luxury jewelry house Cartier will be showcased together in Paris for the first time since their various appearances at events including Art Basel and Art Basel Miami. Made using precious and semi-precious stones no longer deemed suitable for Cartier jewelry, the pieces were made by Japanese filmmaker Takeshi Kitano, American filmmaker David Lynch, Italian architect Alessandro Mendini, and Brazilian artist Beatriz Milhazes.
http://www.fondation.cartier.com/cartier

Christian Louboutin
May 1-July 9
London, UK

In honor of Christian Louboutin's 20th anniversary, London's Design Museum presents the first UK retrospective of the acclaimed French shoe designer, showcasing his work and inspiration over the past two decades. The creator's design process will be at the core of the exhibition.
http://designmuseum.org/

Schiaparelli and Prada: Impossible Conversations
May 10-August 19
New York, USA

With film director Baz Luhrmann acting as creative consultant, New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art pays tribute to Italian designers Elsa Schiaparelli and Miuccia Prada, exhibiting about 80 designs by Schiaparelli from the 1920s-1950s and by Prada from the 1980s to the present day, drawn mainly from The Costume Institute's collection and the Prada archive.
http://www.metmuseum.org/exhibitions/listings/2012/impossible-conversations

Timeless Beauty
May 20-July 15
Shanghai, China

Taking place at Shanghai's Museum of Contemporary Art, luxury jewelry maison Van Cleef & Arpels presents a guide to its legacy, showcasing some 370 pieces of jewelry, watches and accessories and celebrating more than 100 years of high-end jewels.
http://www.mocashanghai.org/index.php?_function=exhibition