Earlier this year armed with my V&A membership card I headed to see the Dior exhibition. I wasn’t there for opening and had to queue 30 minutes to get in, which was totally my own fault (I treated myself to a birthday lie in!) The busyness of the exhibition totally ruined my experience and I vowed to head back to the exhibition at a quieter time. When I saw the offer for members to visit before the museum opened to the general public I thought this was the best opportunity to get a much better experience. Although I decided not to take them up on the offer of an 08:00 Sunday morning visit, the 09:30 start time was perfect both in terms of sleep and being able to see the exhibits.

What I could do this time was get closer to the gowns and see the exquisite craft that goes into the construction and the embellishment. Below are some of my favourite items and potential sources of inspiration (I can never resist some gorgeous beading!)