Eight iconic costumes worn by Freddie Mercury will go on display at London’s V&A this autumn, including the outfit featured on Queen’s debut album cover and the catsuit from the video for “Bohemian Rhapsody”.
Freddie Mercury | Splendid Things will run from 24 October 2026 to 17 January 2027, marking what would have been Mercury’s 80th birthday. The free trail has been developed with Mary Austin, Mercury’s former fiancée and lifelong close friend, who is lending seven of the costumes.
Freddie Mercury’s Queen costumes head to the V&A
The exhibition will trace Mercury’s evolving stage image from the 1970s through to his final years, bringing together costumes, accessories and pieces from his personal wardrobe.
One of the most recognisable outfits is a monochrome ensemble Mercury wore during an early Queen performance at Imperial College. The same look appeared on the cover of Queen, the band’s 1973 debut album.
Also featured will be the “Mercury Wing” catsuit, designed by Wendy de Smet and worn during Queen’s A Night At The Opera tour in 1975 and 1976.
Mercury also wore the catsuit in Queen’s groundbreaking promotional video for “Bohemian Rhapsody”.
Another highlight is Mercury’s crown and cloak, designed by Diana Moseley for Queen’s 1986 Magic Tour. The outfit was worn during the band’s final live performance at Knebworth in August 1986.
The display will also include a costume from the “Made In Heaven” music video, alongside accessories and clothing from Mercury’s personal collection.
Why the V&A display is called Splendid Things
The exhibition takes its title from one of Mercury’s comments about his approach to life and his surroundings.
“I like to be surrounded by splendid things. I want to lead a Victorian life surrounded by exquisite clutter.”
The remark, made in 1978, captures Mercury’s fascination with fashion, art, design and theatrical presentation, all of which became central to his identity as a performer.
The six-stop trail has been designed by Tom Piper, whose work includes productions for the Royal Shakespeare Company, the Tower of London poppies, and V&A exhibitions including Alice: Curiouser and Curiouser and Taylor Swift | Songbook Trail.
Each stop will have its own setting, with sets, lighting and sound used to evoke different periods and moments from Mercury’s career.
Mary Austin lends Freddie Mercury’s costumes
Austin first met Mercury when she was 19 and he was 24. They encountered each other while working around Kensington’s Biba fashion scene, with Mercury selling artwork and vintage clothes from a stall at Kensington Market.
The pair became engaged on Christmas Day in 1973, the same year Queen released its debut album.
Their romantic relationship ended during the 1970s, but Austin remained one of Mercury’s closest friends until his death in 1991.
Mercury left Austin his Kensington home, Garden Lodge, as well as his possessions.
Austin has long viewed Mercury’s clothing as an important part of the visual identity he developed as a performer. In A Life In Lyrics, an upcoming book based on Mercury’s personal archives and collections, she describes the role his clothes played in his performances.
“The clothes were part of that exploration.”
“Freddie understood early on that he wasn’t just wearing clothes; he was providing an image to match the scale of the space and the vastness of the crowd.”
Austin said the costumes being shown at the V&A provide an important insight into Mercury both on and off stage.
“Never mere accoutrements, his costumes and clothes were essential to his performances, creative vision, and wider self-expression, carefully designed to create a lasting visual and emotional impact that has reached across the generations and still reverberates today.”
Freddie Mercury’s 80th birthday marked at the V&A
Mercury was born Farrokh Bulsara on 5 September 1946, in Zanzibar. He would have turned 80 in 2026.
The V&A display will offer fans an opportunity to see some of the clothes that helped define his career, from Queen’s early years through to the band’s final concerts with Mercury.
Kate Bailey, the V&A’s senior curator of theatre and performance, said the trail would explore Mercury’s “love of ‘splendid things’” alongside his interest in art, design and fashion.
