• An iconic red coat worn by Princess Diana when she announced she was pregnant with Prince William is going on show in a new exhibition at the Museum of London Docklands at West India Quay. Fashion City: How Jewish Londoners shaped global style – the first major exhibition in two decades centred on the museum’s extensive dress and textile collection – tells the story of Jewish designers, makers and retailers responsible for some of the most recognisable looks of the 20th century. As well as the David Sassoon-designed coat, it also features a newly acquired Alexon tweed coat worn by EastEnders character Dot Cotton, hats relating to the ‘milliner millionaire’, Otto Lucas, who changed the global reputation of British fashion in the mid-20th century, and garments designed by Mr Fish, a leading figure of the Peacock Revolution whose flamboyant menswear was worn by stars including Jimi Hendrix, David Bowie, and Muhammad Ali. The fashion items are joined by personal items from some of the 200,000 Jewish people who arrived in Britain between the late 19th and mid 20th century, such as a small travelling case used by a child arriving in London as part of the Kindertransport (the rescue effort of children from Nazi-controlled territory in 1938-1939), and a leather bag owned by a woman who fled from Vienna in 1938. Opens on Friday and runs until 14th April next year. Admission charges apply. For more, see www.museumoflondon.org.uk/museum-london-docklands/whats-on/exhibitions/fashion-city
• Drawing on everything from Hokusai to Pokémon and Studio Ghibli, the influence of Japanese folklore on Japan’s art and design is the subject of the first exhibition at the new Young V&A. Japan: Myths to Manga is divided into four sections – Sky, Sea, Forest, and City – and features more than 150 historic and contemporary objects along with hands-on activities for visitors of all ages ranging from manga-making to Taiko drumming and yōkai interactive. Highlights in the display include works by celebrated 19th century Japanese artists, such as Hokusai’s Great Wave (1831), Sylvanian families matched with historic netsuke (small sculptures), a stage model for the Royal Shakespeare Company’s production of My Neighbour Totoro, and a Hello Kitty rice cooker from 2014. An installation of 1,000 paper cranes, a symbol of remembrance from the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park in Japan, will also be present. The display, which opens at the Bethnal Green premises on Saturday, runs until 11th August next year. Admission charges apply. A series of events linked to the exhibition are also being run. For more, see www.vam.ac.uk/exhibitions/japan-myths-to-manga.
• Anti-racism activist and a ‘founding spirit’ of the Notting Hill Carnival, Claudia Jones, has been honoured with an English Heritage Blue Plaque in Vauxhall. The plaque marks the mid-19th century terraced house that was her home for almost four years during which she founded the West Indian Gazette and came up with the idea of bringing Caribbean carnival to London (the first carnival took place in It was during her time living in this shared dwelling that Jones founded the West Indian Gazette and came up with the idea of bringing Caribbean carnival to London (the first carnival took place in St Pancras Town Hall on 30th January, 1959; the Notting Hill Carnival, an outdoor event, came later). For more, see www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/blue-plaques/.
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