Fashion Museum Bath has announced that Tim Blanks, editor-at-large for The Business of Fashion, will select the Dress of the Year 2024. Each year, the Museum invites a leading figure from the fashion industry to choose an outfit that captures the spirit and style of the past year. The selected design is then added to the Museum’s exceptional Collection.
Established in 1963 by the Museum’s founder Doris Langley Moore, the Dress of the Year initiative has become a cornerstone of the Fashion Museum Bath Collection – and features pieces by designers such as Jean Muir, Ossie Clark, Karl Lagerfeld, Alexander McQueen, Donatella Versace, Vivienne Westwood, and Simone Rocha.
Blanks brings a wealth of experience and insight to this year’s selection. A leading voice in fashion journalism since 1985, he began his career as host of CBC’s globally syndicated Fashion File. He later served as editor-at-large for Style.com and has contributed to publications including Another, Interview, The New York Times, Fantastic Man, and System. His books include Dries Van Noten 1-50 (2017), The World of Anna Sui (2018), Versace Catwalk (2021), and Dior by Raf Simons (2023). In 2013, he received the Council of Fashion Designers of America’s Media Award, the industry’s highest honour for fashion journalism.
Speaking about his role as Dress of the Year selector, Tim Blanks said:
“There’s nothing quite like a Hall of Fame to set my pulse racing, so to be offered the opportunity to select something as significant as the Dress of the Year for the Fashion Museum is a glorious challenge, especially given the nature of the year in question.
2024 was tumultuous for all the right and wrong reasons and, given fashion’s innate ability – and responsibility – to reflect its time, anything I choose to embody the year will inevitably have a fascinating tale to tell. Well, here’s hoping, at least.”
Elaine Uttley, Collections Manager of Fashion Museum Bath, added:
“It’s a real pleasure to welcome Tim Blanks as our Dress of the Year selector for 2024. His deep knowledge of fashion and his ability to interpret its cultural significance make him the perfect person to capture the mood of the past year. As we look ahead to the Museum’s future, Dress of the Year continues to be a powerful way to document the story of fashion as it unfolds.”
Recognised globally as one of the most significant fashion collections, the Fashion Museum Bath Collection spans five centuries—from the late 16th century to the present day. From exquisite couture to everyday wear, the Collection celebrates clothing as a powerful expression of creativity, culture, and identity.
Although the Museum is currently closed to visitors while it undergoes an ambitious transformation and prepares to relocate to a new home in the heart of Bath, its work continues behind the scenes. The Collection is still growing and evolving, with the Dress of the Year remaining a vital way to document and reflect the changing face of contemporary fashion.
Councillor Paul Roper, Cabinet Member for Economic & Cultural Sustainable Development, Bath & North East Somerset Council, said:
“The Dress of the Year is a brilliant example of how Bath continues to play a leading role in celebrating global creativity and culture. Even while the Fashion Museum is closed to visitors, its work remains vibrant and internationally relevant. We’re absolutely thrilled that Tim Blanks will be making the 2024 selection—it’s a real honour for the city and a testament to the Museum’s global reputation.”
The Dress of the Year 2024 will be unveiled in October and added to the Museum’s permanent Collection, continuing a legacy that reflects the ever-evolving world of fashion.
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