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A Johnny Philip Morris costume
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John Wickham
Untitled design - 1
Fancy-dress gown
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John Wickham
Untitled design - 1
Flattus Maximus mask
The Valentine’s “FANCY: Costumes, Characters and the Richmond Masque,” opening May 10 and running through Jan. 25, 2026, marks the first fashion and textiles exhibition at the museum since 2020.
Nichol Gabor, the Nathalie L. Klaus Curator of Costume & Textiles, explains that the show presents the ways in which Richmonders through the years played dress-up. He notes that “fancy” is often associated with ostentatious formal wear, but “fancy dress is that transformative costume which we use for a temporary moment of play or frivolity.”
Presented in sections designated as Stage Performance, Festivals & Community, Fancy Dress Parties, and Politic, nearly 40 mannequins will display varied creative garb. The exhibition also includes a GWAR mask, Pam Reynolds’ Fabergé Ball outfit, a flowery “Midsommar”-inspired cone-shaped costume from the Carytown New Year’s Day parade, and the newspaper-themed party clothes of David Tennant and Mary Harkness Bryan.
Museum admission is $12 (free entry May 11 and every Thursday).
