Chanel and Diva Exhibitions at the V&A Museum

First time visit to this museum.... who knew how fabulous this would be. As soon as you walk in through the door it took your breath away... Simply stunning and as you wander around you look in awe at the collections recognising the amount of time and commitment it must take to pull all this together. Around every corner is something amazing to see and it is free admission.Food and drinks were reasonably priced (for London) and it was lovely to sit out in the courtyard in the sun.I would certainly recommend to anyone, young or old, to visit - certainly worth the hours spent and the achy feet.

In all the years we've been visiting London the V&A Museum has never figured on our itinerary. We've always gone to The Natural History Museum which is just across the way, and, having a background and interest in Earth Sciences and Palaeontology, made dinosaurs and ancient life a massive draw for me.However, on a recent trip to London, we planned to go to The V&A after seeing friends post photos on social media, and, well, social media is awash with people clamouring for the Chanel tote bag that is forever sold out, and my better half wanted in.We arrived bright and early to a long(ish) queue, however, we met a lovely couple from Pennsylvania whilst waiting who were making The V&A their last big venue visit before their flight that day. Anyway, once through the door we were greeted by cheery security, and, well, immediately we were struck by how grand the entrance/main hall was.Straight away my wife made a beeline to shop staff to enquire about this Chanel tote bag (Chanel merch being on offer thanks to the Chanel exhibit on show - for those who can look beyond the Nazi connection). However, it was sold out and staff had no idea when more were coming, if at all. In fact throughout the day, and dotting in and out of the gift shops, we show countless people asking staff about these bags, and one member of staff was visibly getting more and more exasperated and highly annoyed. Honestly, I think she needs a different job if this was her attitude...Anyway, the museum is nothing short of amazing, and I cannot believe this was my first time there. Is it packed with artefacts from across the world (sadly, some probably acquired through underhanded means like The British Museum...), one of the best pieces was Michelangelo's David (replica), I had no idea it was so big - settle down you lot, I meant the height of the statue. Another artefact that stuck in the mind was a giant carpet in the Islamic section encased in case, on which they turn on subdued lights every 30 minutes for 10 minutes in order to preserve it.There are some incredible, ancient, pieces in there, and it was a joy to walk around. There was also a nice section for movies and the stage with costumes and props from The Lion King, Frozen, Edward Scissorhands, Star Wars, and Charlie Chaplin's suit.The Chanel exhibit is an additional cost, but tickets seem to be eternally sold out too, however, there is more than enough other and better things going on to keep you occupied.During our visit we stopped by the Gamble Room for some food and drink. This is one amazing looking venue to have a spot of lunch in, as is the John Madejski Garden, but this was full of people doing TikTok dance videos, which was mildly annoying, but they aren't hurting anyone in the end.The V&A is a fantastic museum and I wished I had visited sooner. I'll be back next time I'm in London.

I found the restaurant staff abrupt and rude - the guy on the till had attitude, and told us for for queueing the wrong way. The food counter woman dished out small protions of cold quiche and salad and practically threw the food at us. The Diva exhibition was incredibly hot, not air-conditioned just a couple of fans blowing. Shame really as the frocks were pretty.

Went to diva exhibition haven’t been there for years and was blown away how beautiful this place is so lovely diva was brill and audio commentary which was complimentary was essential will def be back as there’s so much amazing art etc to discover and also lovely food in cafes and outside spaces 5 stars

I am a huge fan of the V&A and when I lived in London used it at least twice a week. The building has so much to offer and even if I had the rest of my life I still wouldn’t see everything in the musuem.The exhibitions are legendary and I have seen them all. Yesterday we my first visit to the Chanel show and it was outstanding. Didn’t have enough time to see it all so going back next week to go round at a slower pace to see all the amazing clothes and see how Gabrielle Chanel made her life in design. The building is outstanding and has a wonderful cafe, garden. The gift shop is one of the best that I have seen in a museum around the world and has so much to offer from in expensive items to beautiful unique pieces of jewellery and clothing. To miss this when visiting London would be a shame.

I visited the V&A primarily to see the DIVA exhibition. WOW! A truly spectacular exhibition!You are given headsets so you can listen to the Divas as you pass their costumes. The lower level features the history of Divas and the Divas of the past, from opera stars to movie stars. Upstairs is devoted to contemporary Divas, including a few male Divas such as Elton John and Freddie Mercury. The costumes and accessories were amazing and the variety of artists featured means that there is something for everyone. I highly recommend this exhibition.