The Best Luxury Fashion and Design Events this May

The Dandelion Chandelier Luxury Calendar for Fashion and Design highlights notable events in the world of auctions, antiques, art fairs, gallery shows, design shows, fashion and beauty around the globe in May 2018. For the rest of the Luxury Calendar, click here. And don’t forget to check out our list of the best luxury items to shop for in the month of May, here.

May’s Fashion and Design calendar reads like a love letter to the industry.  From retrospectives to books to vintage sales and auctions, this month celebrates many of the great and classic names in fashion and design including the likes of Azzedine Alaïa, Roger Vivier and Chanel to name a few.  May also builds on the momentum of last month’s focus of industry transparency and sustainability with a number of exhibitions and conferences continuing the conversation.  If you need any further inspiration, from New York to Lisbon to Tokyo to Buenos Aires there are also plenty of art and design shows to explore and bringing you to all corners of the world. And the bellweather spring auctions in New York have some stunning offerings this year.

Fashion

House of Nutter: The Rebel Tailor of Savile Row is the true story of Tommy Nutter, the Savile Row tailor who changed the silhouette of men’s fashion – and his rock photographer brother, David, who captured it all on film – May 1

Discover the career journey of designer, Kiren Passi at the Fashion and Textiles: A Designers Story at the Fashion & Textile Museum in London – May 3

Celebrate ‘couture’s rebellious outsider’, Azzedine Alaïa, in the first UK solo exhibition titled Azzedine Alaïa: The Couturier at the London Design Museum – May 10 – Oct 7

After lots of anticipation, the Costume Institute’s spring 2018 exhibition opens this month.  Heavenly Bodies – Fashion and the Catholic Imagination will feature a dialogue between fashion and medieval art from The Met collection to examine fashion’s ongoing engagement with the devotional practices and traditions of Catholicism – May 10 – Oct 8

Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Australia is Australia’s premier fashion and lifestyle event and showcases the resort collections of Australia’s leading designer brands – May 13 – 17

The sixth edition of the world’s most important event on sustainability in fashion, Copenhagen Fashion Summit, will take place at Copenhagen Concert Hall. As a meeting platform for the industries decision-makers, leading NGOs, experts, policy makers and academia, the Summit aims to create a common understanding and gain industry-wide commitment on the most critical issues facing our industry and planet – May 16

In Dressing The Soul|Ageless Beauty by Birgitta de Vos, the artist, designer, photographer and passionate traveller captures the beauty of ageing in broken, imperfect, weathered and derelict objects.  Through thought provoking photography, she encourages seeing mundane objects and ordinary places in a different light – May 16

Uniqlo drops its spring collaboration with Bottega Veneta creative director Tomas Maier – May 17

Venice hosts FT’s Business of Luxury Summit.  The Summit will discuss topics like: How can the traditional luxury fashion houses innovate in order to keep ahead of the industry disruptors and remain competitive in the market? What does the millennial luxury consumer want and how is the way they are shopping changing the face of retail? How is Gen Z impacting the market and media landscape? And what can we learn from them? – May 20 – 22

For decades, Roger Vivier has created visionary shoes and bags that, over time, have become icons of fashion.  #Love Vivier tells the story of this achievement and offers a fresh take on the designer’s legendary accessories, as seen through the eyes of young enterprising fashion bloggers and tastemakers – May 22

Fashion Unraveled at FIT in New York is not your typical fashion exhibition. Rather than feature pristine clothes that exemplify a theme, a time period, or a designer’s aesthetic, it explores the roles of memory and imperfection in fashion. The exhibition also highlights the aberrant beauty in awed objects, giving precedence to garments that have been altered, left unfinished, or deconstructed – May 25 – Nov 17

Miami Fashion Week kicks off May 30th – May 30 – June 3

From Azzedine Alaïa, Cristóbal Balenciaga and Coco Chanel to Alexander McQueen, Yves Saint Laurent and Vivienne Westwood, a century’s worth of fashion greats from the permanent collection of The Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City are celebrated in this fresh edition of Fashion Designers A–Z – May 31

Art and Decor Shows

The 46th annual Kips Bay Decorator Show House opens to the public, showcasing the work of celebrated interior designers who transform a luxury Manhattan home into an elegant exhibition of fine furnishings, art and technology; all proceeds benefit the Kips Bay Boys and Girls Club – May 1-31

Frieze New York offers the opportunity to encounter an exceptional quality and range of artwork, featuring the world’s most exciting emerging talents together with iconic names in modern and contemporary art. Visitors can also experience a dynamic series of talks, new artist commissions and the city’s most talked about restaurants – all in a bespoke structure, designed for the experience of art and overlooking the East River in Randall’s Island Park, Manhattan – May 2 – 6

Art New York, presented by Art Miami, returns to Pier 94 offering noteworthy and fresh works by important artists from the contemporary, modern, post war and pop eras featuring paintings, photography, prints, drawings, design and sculpture – May 3 – 6

Taking place at the Park Avenue Armory TEFAF New York Spring focuses on modern and contemporary art & design – May 4 – 8

The 4th edition of the 1-54 New York Contemporary African Art Fair will be held at Pioneer Works in Brooklyn, featuring 21 international exhibitors, the artworks of over 60 artists from Africa and its diaspora, and an extensive experiential program of Special Projects and the 1-54 FORUM program of talks curated by Omar Berrada – May 4 – 6

ARCO Lisboa returns to Lisbon.  Attended by 40 international galleries, the event will showcase artists, either exclusively or as part of their program, who could establish an open and constructive dialogue with the Portuguese creative scene – May 17 – 20

Photo London has established itself as a world-class photography fair and as a catalyst for London’s dynamic photography community – May 17 – 20

For nearly 26 years ArtBA has been one of the most important contemporary art fairs in the South America, promoting Argentinian and Latin American art – May 24 – 27

Design Conferences and Events

The legendary TEFAF returns to New York’s Park Avenue Armory with its spring edition, exhibiting a mix of modern and contemporary art and design. Participating galleries include Gagosian, Carpenters Workshop Gallery, Paul Kasmin Gallery and more – May 4 – 8

The 10th edition of Designmonat Graz will transform the Austrian city of Graz into a destination for design with 117 events. This year’s theme: tolerance and what it means in the world of design – May 5 – June 3

Los Angeles’ La Cienega Design Quarter plays host to dozens of events, discussions and launches during its annual three-day event, LCDQ Legends. This year’s theme is Tomorrow’s Home, so expect ample talk about the future of design – May 8 – 10

The 3rd edition of London Craft Week takes up residence in the capital and showcases the very best international and British creativity and craftsmanship through a ‘beyond luxury’ journey of discovery. The program brings together over 230 events from all corners of the globe fusing making, design, fashion, art, luxury, food, culture and shopping. The aim is to experience beautiful things not just as static objects but in the full context in which they were created, highlighting how imagination and talent combine with the very best materials and techniques – May 9 – 13

NYCxDESIGN takes place across the city’s five boroughs and showcases over a dozen design disciplines through a mix of installations, trade shows, panels, product launches and open studios; highlights include Tribeca Design Night (the 17th) and SoHo Design Night (the 19th) – May 11 – 23

One of the most important fairs taking place during NYCxDesign is ICFF.  The event will gather 36,000 designers, architects, retailers, manufacturers, distributors and other design world insiders at Manhattan’s Javits Center – May 20 – 23

3 Days of Design is Denmark’s premier design event.   At the event over 90 brands host exhibitions, launches and events throughout Copenhagen – May 24 – 26

The 16th annual International Architecture Biennale takes place in Venice.  While the Biennale can have its academic side, there’s always a dazzling, spectacular component to the show, too: Uncanny structures, unheard of materials materials, and new technologies are sure to make it a must-see – May 26 – Nov 25

Interior Lifestyle Tokyo is an international trade fair with high end designs and products, proposing lifestyle concepts in interior design markets from around the world – May 30 – June 1

Auctions and Antiques

Christies will host the auction of The Collection of Peggy and David Rockefeller.  Ranging from jewelry and cuff links to furniture and lighting the sale encompasses the world of the collectors and offers a unique opportunity to understand the lifestyle of this famous couple – highly anticipated sales include works by Monet, Matisse and Picasso, and all proceeds will go to one of the 12 designated charities selected by the couple – May 1 – 11

This month will be the third and final auction from the estate of Audrey Hepburn by Christies. Audrey Hepburn: The Personal Collection, Part III includes over 200 including clothing, jewellery, photography and film memorabilia – May 2 – 9

Einstein and Family: Letters and Portraits includes a remarkable group of documents from Albert Einstein’s early years, amongst them an unpublished photograph of the future scientist as a five year-old and his only surviving letter to his father.  The auction is hosted by Christies – May 2 – 9

The Santa Monica Bay Woman’s Club will play host to a Vintage Spring Boutique by Vintage Blue Moon. Discover vintage clothing from the 1920’s to the 1980’s plus couture pieces from designers such as Halston, Dior, Ciel Chapman and more, along with costume and estate jewelry and vintage accessories – May 5

Sotheby’s will auction Amedeo Modigliani’s 1917 painting Nu couché (sur le côté gauche) at its May Impressionist and modern art evening sale in New York. The work is estimated to sell for more than $150 million, and even before it hits the block, it has already broken a record: according to Sotheby’s, the estimate is the highest one ever placed on a work at auction. The sale will also include works by Picasso, Giacometti and Monet – May 14

Christie’s Impressionist and Modern Art evening sale in New York will feature works by Picasso, Miro, Chagall and Matisse – May 15

At Christie’s Postwar and Contemporary Art evening sale, works on offer range from Warhol’s iconic Double Elvis (Ferus Type) to Picasso’s revealing wartime self-portrait Le Marin; the sale also features work from Bacon, Van Gogh, Diebenkorn, and Brancusi – May 15

Sotheby’s evening sale of contemporary art will offer Kerry James Marshall’s 1997 painting Past Times with an estimate of $8 million to $12 million; if the work reaches even the low end of that range, it will set a new record for the artist’s work at auction. The work was part of the 2016 mid-career retrospective Kerry James Marshall: Mastry exhibit – May 16

The Sotheby’s contemporary art sale will also include a landmark David Hockney painting, a colorful California landscape titled Pacific Coast Highway and Santa Monica (1990); with a $20-$30 million estimate, the sale could mark a record for the artist at auction – May 16

Soak in the atmosphere and chat to the experts when 55 plus top midcentury dealers head to Midcentury East. They will be selling a range of furniture, ceramics, glass, wooden, metal smalls, vintage posters, art, Danish silver jewellery, lighting, fabrics, rare Berber rugs as used by Aalto and Eames – as celebs and bloggers mix with design junkies, architects, developers, bankers, accountants and vintage pundits at this much-loved show spread throughout Haggerston School – May 20

See other May 2018 Events:

— Travel

— Food & Drink

— Planes, Yachts & Autos

— Fitness & Sports

— Entertainment

— The Arts

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