Fashion Museum

The Fashion Museum sits in Bath’s elegant Assembly Rooms, a Georgian building that once hosted balls and social gatherings. Its collection began with Doris Langley Moore’s gift of costumes to the city in 1963. The museum traces fashionable dress from the late 16th century to today, holding over 100,000 objects. Embroidered shirts and gloves from around 1600 form some of the earliest pieces. Each year an independent fashion expert selects a Dress of the Year for the collection. Designers like Mary Quant, Alexander McQueen and Donatella Versace are represented among these additions. The museum draws about 100,000 visitors annually to see its displays. In 2019 the National Trust, which owns the Assembly Rooms, ended the museum’s lease to make way for a new Georgian Bath exhibition. After leaving the Assembly Rooms in March 2023, the collection moved temporarily to Dents in Warminster. The Old Post Office in Bath now serves as the museum’s permanent new home. Visitors find rooms filled with garments spanning four centuries of style. The Dress of the Year gallery highlights contemporary fashion alongside historic pieces. Gloves, shirts and full outfits show how clothing changed with society. The museum’s new setting in the Old Post Office keeps the collection accessible while preserving Bath’s heritage.