Art-Smart Outfit: What to Wear in a Museum or Gallery

What to Wear in a Museum is not just a question of fashion; it’s about attitude. Whether you’re strolling through the Louvre, sipping champagne at an opening in Berlin, or posing in front of a Basquiat at Art Basel, your outfit should speak the same language as the art around you: confident, clever, and a little mysterious. Discover five Art-Smart Outfit ideas inspired by the coolest women of the contemporary art scene.

Street Style x Gallery Style

The 2000s were the golden era of street style, when photographers like Scott Schuman (The Sartorialist) and Tommy Ton darted like athletes outside fashion shows, capturing fashion’s most spontaneous moments. Their photos turned sidewalks into catwalks and inspired entire generations of outfit hunters.

But times have changed. Since the 2020s, the art scene has been giving fashion week a run for its money. The way gallerists, collectors, and artists dress for art fairs and exhibitions has become a new kind of inspiration, more refined, more intellectual, and, of course, more niche. And yes, we love anything niche.

So, whether you’re in Paris or Berlin, and planning a cultural weekend surrounded by sculptures and canvases, here’s your Notorious guide to dressing for the occasion, so you’ll look even more mysterious than the Mona Lisa herself.

1. Black Bow Premier

Actress Laetitia Cast wearing Dior at the Gala of Art Basel Paris 25

Opening nights are for collectors, museum patrons, sponsors, and artists, all networking under soft lighting and Champagne bubbles. At Art Basel Paris 2025, French actress Laetitia Casta wore a stunning look from Dior by Jonathan Anderson that perfectly captured that mood.
Laettia is telling us to play with volume and lightness. Go for a balloon skirt or dress and tie a large black bow as a choker, allowing the ribbon to fall down your back. Pair it with classic pumps and a sleek chignon or ponytail. Effortless sophistication with a hint of mystery. But this Rotate dress with a huge bow is a serious option.

2. Art in Leather

Opening of the Loewe Store in Vienna

Art, like fashion, is all about layers. So ditch the obvious. Pair a cut-out leather jacket with tailored trousers and a simple white tee, minimalism with an artistic twist. Think of the guest spotted at the opening of Loewe’s first Vienna boutique, whose geometric accessories made her outfit a walking tribute to Mondrian modernism.

3. The Muse in a Pencil Skirt

Camille, in Future Mummy Vibes, Is Our Muse

French-American actress Camille Rowe, glowing at Miu Miu’s event during Art Basel Paris, nailed the season’s silhouette. Her toffee-brown pencil skirt paired with a baby-pink top was both feminine and confident. The pencil skirt is the piece of this autumn, wear it with pumps, or make it edgier with ankle socks and slingback kitten heels.

4. A Suit Is Not Always Office-Look

Lou Doillon at 30 Blizzards. Vernissage in Paris

Lou Doillon, musician, model, and daughter of Jane Birkin, attended Miu Miu’s 30 Blizzards. installation for artist Helen Marten, wearing a brown corduroy suit with camel piping and a moss-green knit top. Autumn in one outfit. Earth tones, soft textures, and a pinch of intellectual cool, proving a suit can be poetic too.

5. Make Art, Not War

Suzanne Lindon, French actress and director from a legendary artistic family, has mastered the quintessential Parisian art-girl look. Her go-to for a vernissage? Relaxed tailored trousers, a vintage pattern top, a men’s belt, and a short leather jacket. Add a pointed-toe shoe, red lipstick, and a matching bag, and you’ve got French chic at its purest.

Final Brushstroke

Between Miu Miu, Loewe, and Dior, you get what to wear in a museum and the palette of what’s trending in art and fashion: the return of the pencil skirt, the rise of the cropped bomber, and the timeless power of a pump. Mix in a vintage floral or check shirt, play freely with colour — matching or not — and for evening events, embrace volume, asymmetry, and fluidity.

You don’t need to overhaul your wardrobe. Just like in art, a few clever strokes can make a masterpiece. Save on fashion. Invest in art.