With the current round of European fashion weeks at an end, where’s a girl to look for fashion inspiration? Well put your copy of Vogue down and stop trawling the street style blogs; fashion is currently in situ at a host of museums across Europe.

These days fashion may be an ever more dizzying whirl of sources and opportunities, with a plethora of blogs to consult and the high street churning out copycat pieces faster than you can say ‘Prada’. However, whether you look at Mr McQueen’s medieval-inspired monumental last show, or the fifties-style silhouettes at Louis Vuitton, history’s influence on fashion is indeniable. In order to move forward, designers must look back. So this month, make like the masters of fashion and seek inspiration from the past.

A Givenchy couture creation worn by Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany's

Voici Paris! – The Hague

Political hotspot The Hague may seem like an unusual place to host an exhibition on high fashion. Voici Paris! is a very select show focusing on the history of haute couture and showcasing garments by some of the world’s top couturiers. An élite group of designers belong to the Chambre syndicale de la haute couture and their creations are subject to strict rules and regulations. Skilled craftsmanship is required to produce the exceptional items that we see at the couture shows, and this exhibition offer visitors a chance to see the rich fabrics and detailing up close. Gemeentemuseum Den Haag has one of the largest fashion collections in Europe at its disposal and draws on this for the Voici Paris! exhibition.

Household names including Christian Dior, Jean Paul Gaultier and Chanel are amongst the chosen few and their couture creations make up part of this exhibition, alongside drawings, accessories and video footage. Voici Paris! also considers the forerunners of the great couturiers, such as Worth, Vionnet and Poiret. There’s a focus on Dutch designers too, including great couturiers such as Frans Molenaar and Frank Govers, as well as young, new talent like Jan Taminiau.

At Gemeentemuseum Den Haag until June 6th 2010.

www.gemeentemuseum.nl

Yves Saint Laurent – Paris

It’s a tribute on a grand scale for one of the grandest designers of the twentieth century: Yves Saint Laurent. The retrospective exhibition at the Petit Palais has more than 300 of the designer’s creations on show, taking visitors on a spectacular journey across YSL’s career which spanned over 40 years. Yves Saint Laurent revolutionised womenswear, drawing on a range of diverse influences: from art and culture to imaginary voyages and menswear.

The show is divided into 15 rooms, each with a particular theme. We visit YSL’s studio, explore his unique relationship with women (there’s a whole room dedicated to Catherine Deneuve), revisit the amazing ‘Le Smoking’  and consider YSL’s use of colour. There’s music, films, photographs, drawings and of course, Saint Laurent’s astounding pret-a-porter and couture creations. The show admirably proves Saint Laurent’s maxim that “fashions fade, style is eternal.”

At the Petit Palais until August 29th 2010.

www.yslretrospective.com

Mariano Fortuny's famous Delphos robe

Mariano Fortuny – Madrid

Mariano Fortuny is an important reference when it comes to couture and the development of fashion technology. The artistic Spanish fashion designer is the subject of an exhibition at Madrid’s Museo del Traje combining paintings, engravings and photographs as well as over 130 of Fortuny’s creations. In addition to his fashion designs, the multi-talented Fortuny also excelled in interior and stage design, photography, painting and lighting!

The son of a painter, Fortuny was inspired by a wealth of cultural influences; in particular a ‘classical’ Greco-Roman aesthetic. However, he also used more modern techniques to create his garments; he is perhaps best known for his ‘Delphos’ robe which was made by pleating silk over heated cylinders. Fortuny actually patented his invention although its influence can certainly be seen in Issey Miyake’s Pleats Please collections. His garments often use opulent prints and sumptuous fabrics, so you can be sure that this exhibition will be a feast for the eyes.

At the Museo del Traje until June 27th 2010.

http://museodeltraje.mcu.es

Greta Garbo: The Mystery of Style  – Milan

Italy’s fashion capital plays host to an exhibition all about one of Hollywood’s most revered style icons: Greta Garbo. The actress is a visual reference for anyone interested in fashion or cinema and yet Garbo was a recluse who shied away from the limelight. She refused interviews and steered clear of the public exposure connected with the Hollywood stars of today. This is the lady who declared “I want to be alone”, after all!

Greta Garbo: The Mystery of Style at the Triennale in Milan offers a fascinating insight into Garbo’s wardrobe and clues to who the very private filmstar really was. The show is the result of a collaboration with another fashion great: Salvatore Ferragamo. The Italian shoemaker hand-crafted many pairs of sumptuous shoes for Garbo throughout her career. The show is enriched with loans from museums, costume institutes and private collections, and in addition to items worn every day by the screen legend, there are film clips, photographs and screen costumes. In some ways Garbo will remain a mystery forever, but not when it comes to her wardrobe!

At the Triennale until April 4th 2010.

www.triennale.it

Coming Up

Don’t miss BLACK. Masters of Black in Fashion & Costume which opens at Antwerp’s MOMU on March 25th. The exhibition explores fashion’s favourite non-colour and has garments on show from designers including Gareth Pugh, Chanel, Givenchy and Ann Demeulemeester.

In London, the V&A has Grace Kelly: Style Icon from April 17th which will showcase more than 50 of Kelly’s outfits as well as accessories, and the original Hermès Kelly bag.