To mark the 60th anniversary of the movement dubbed the New Look, the Victoria and Albert Museum in London is to mount an exhibition on this golden age of couture. The show will feature more than 100 dresses, including some thought long lost, to explore the extraordinary world of the fashion houses who dressed the ladies of society.

Alongside Dior, the exhibition will feature work by his contemporaries including Cristobal Balenciaga, Hubert de Givenchy and Pierre Balmain in Paris and Norman Hartnell and Hardy Amies, the royal dressmakers of London - firmly establishing the right of high fashion to be categorised as art. From 1947 to 1957 was 'Dior's decade', according to curator, Claire Wilcox. "He created a commercial model and a creative model that dominated the decade. This was the zenith of couture, " she said. Couture accounted for about 5% of French exports, but was eventually superseded by the quick availability of ready-to-wear in the sixties.

The Golden Age of Couture: Paris and London 1947-1957 will run from 22 September to 6 January with full-price admission �9 giving you plenty of time to book a cheap flight.