Freddie Mercury’s costumes span Queen’s rise and solo career
The V&A will trace Freddie Mercury’s evolving stage persona through eight costumes and personal accessories, placing the Queen frontman’s wardrobe across its South Kensington galleries from October 24th, 2026, to January 17th, 2027. Freddie Mercury | Splendid Things is developed with Mary Austin, Mercury’s former fiancée, close friend, and confidante of 20 years, who is lending seven of the looks for the display.
The free trail places the clothes within the V&A’s permanent galleries, architecture, and collections. Each of the six stops focuses on a different moment in Mercury’s career, creating connections between his performances and the museum’s holdings in fashion, design, decorative arts, theater, and performance.
The exhibition takes its title from Mercury’s 1978 remark: ‘I like to be surrounded by splendid things. I want to lead a Victorian life surrounded by exquisite clutter.‘ The phrase points toward the importance of objects and clothing within his public identity. His costumes were carefully considered components of his performances, helping translate his persona across increasingly large venues and audiences.
Freddie Mercury in the Made in Heaven music video | image by Simon Fowler © Mercury Songs Ltd
from the ‘mercury wing’ catsuit to the magic tour crown
The selection spans the 1970s and 80s, beginning with a monochrome ensemble worn for an early Queen gig at Imperial College and later featured on the cover of the band’s 1973 debut album.
Another key piece is the ‘Mercury Wing’ catsuit, designed by Wendy de Smet and worn during the A Night at the Opera tour in 1975–76. The costume also appeared in Queen’s groundbreaking Bohemian Rhapsody video, connecting Mercury’s stage wardrobe with the increasingly visual language of music performance during the period.
The exhibition continues through the later years of Queen with Mercury’s signature crown and cloak, designed by Diana Moseley for the 1986 Magic Tour, an ensemble worn for Mercury’s final stage appearance with Queen at Knebworth.
The trail also moves into Mercury’s solo career with the costume worn in the Made in Heaven music video. Accessories and pieces from his personal wardrobe provide a quieter counterpoint to the theatrical costumes, offering glimpses of the person behind the stage persona.
Freddie Mercury in the Made in Heaven music video | image by Simon Fowler © Mercury Songs Ltd
tom piper stages the costumes across the V&A
The installations are designed by Tom Piper, whose work spans theater, opera, and exhibition design. His previous projects include productions for the Royal Shakespeare Company, the V&A exhibition Alice: Curiouser and Curiouser, the Taylor Swift | Songbook Trail, and the Tower of London poppies. Piper has designed each intervention as a distinct setting. Costumes are presented alongside set dressing and, in some spaces, sound and light. Specially made mannequins are dynamically posed to evoke Mercury’s stage presence, making the body and its gestures part of the display.
The approach emphasizes the relationship between costume and performance. Mercury’s clothes did not simply decorate his appearances; they helped establish scale, movement, character, and atmosphere. As Mary Austin explains, he understood that he was ‘providing an image to match the scale of the space and the vastness of the crowd.’
Opening in what would have been Mercury’s 80th year, Freddie Mercury | Splendid Things also highlights the continuing cultural relevance of his visual legacy. His costumes remain recognizable because they were never separate from the performance and helped turn Mercury into a figure whose image could carry across music, fashion, film, photography, and popular culture.
Freddie Mercury performs wearing a ‘Flash’ t-shirt at Sports Arena in San Diego, California, United States, 5th July 1980 | image by David TanShinko Music Getty Images
Freddie Mercury, Magic Tour 1986 | image by Denis O’Regan
project info:
name: Freddie Mercury | Splendid Things
artist / performer: Freddie Mercury
designer: Tom Piper
location: Victoria & Albert Museum (V&A) | @vamuseum South Kensington, London, UK
dates: October 24th, 2026 – January 17th, 2027
curatorial development: Mary Austin