Two collection types
National costume archives (Madrid Museo del Traje, V&A) trace fashion history broadly; design-house focused archives (Antwerp Royal Academy/MoMu, Paris Palais Galliera) document specific designers and movements. Each has its strengths.
Antwerp
Antwerp MoMu (Mode Museum). The Antwerp Six (Demeulemeester, Dries Van Noten, Van Beirendonck, Bikkembergs, Bos Van Saene, Yee) graduates of Royal Academy. MoMu rotating exhibitions plus Royal Academy archives. The fashion-design-school city.
Paris
Paris Palais Galliera (Musée de la Mode de la Ville de Paris) — French haute couture archives, 200,000+ pieces. Plus Musée des Arts Décoratifs fashion wing. Yves Saint Laurent Museum (Avenue Marceau). Le Marais base.
London
London V&A Museum fashion collection — 20th-century English fashion, McQueen, Westwood archives. V&A Dundee (Scotland branch). Fashion and Textile Museum (Bermondsey). Strong British heritage focus.
Florence
Florence Costume Gallery (Pitti Palace) — Italian fashion history including Florence's 1950s-1960s heritage. Plus Salvatore Ferragamo Museum (the family museum, Palazzo Spini Feroni). Florence's textile and shoe-making history.
Madrid
Madrid Museo del Traje (Museum of Costume) — Spanish costume history broad. Cristóbal Balenciaga Museum (Getaria, Basque Country) the design-specific Spanish destination.
Hasselt (Belgium)
Modemuseum Hasselt — secondary Belgian fashion museum, less famous than Antwerp's MoMu. Specialty exhibitions.
Strategy
Major fashion exhibitions sell timed entry — book 2–4 weeks ahead. Combined fashion-trip Antwerp + Paris + London weekend covers world-class archives. Fashion week for the runway-side counterpart.