Fashion Museum Bath - Review
Posted on: 2016-10-06
Our rating:
The Fashion Museum is one of the most popular tourist attractions in Bath. First opened as The Museum of Costume in 1963 it welcomes 130,000 visitors each year. Find out what it’s really like inside, in our review below.
Although it could easily go unnoticed because it is just outside of the main shopping quarters, and up a few side streets, it’s easy to see why it is such an iconic building inside. The typical Roman feel to the architecture draws you in and compels you to take photographs as it’s so beautiful. You’re then guided down a flight of stairs to get to the lower ground floor, where the hundreds of years worth of fashion awaits.
I know what some of you are thinking. Looking at old clothes for an hour doesn’t sound like much fun, but trust me it’s a lot more than that. It’s an experience and an interesting one at that. The first set of clothes to come across are from the 1600s, so straight away I was in awe of how well-preserved such old items were. Ornate hand crafted gloves and dresses gave me a sense of what it might have been like to live in the 17th century.
It’s fascinating to see the fashion trends growing throughout hundreds of years right before your very eyes. The exhibition, running until 1st of January 2019, is a fabulous collection called ‘A History of Fashion in 100 Objects’. Featured is a silk and glittering metal thread waistcoat worn by an aristocratic woman from the time of Shakespeare, fashions from the time of Jane Austen and an embroidered jacket worn by Gone with the Wind actress Vivien Leigh.
Everyone is given the option of having what looks like a phone but is a personal audio tour of the museum. All you need to do is key in the number of the item you’re looking at in the museum and the lovely recorded voice tells you a bit more about who wore that outfit or what it's made from and other tidbits of information.
The fashion museum isn’t just a gallery of clothing, they even hold activities for children during the school holidays and have an area where the whole family can dress up in replica historic outfits for fun. It definitely deserves the 5 out of 5 rating!
There are lots of upcoming activities, talks and events at the Fashion Museum so to find out more and book click here. Find them on Facebook and Twitter.
Article by:
Born in Bath, Safia has lived on the outskirts of the city her whole life. After studying journalism in Bristol she now spends a lot of her time searching for new things to see in Bath and soaking up the beautiful culture. You're most likely to find her sipping a soya latte in a lovely little independent cafe! Call Safia on 07468 516375 or email editor@365Bath.com.
