Viktor & Rolf Stun at London's Barbican

Brutalist London landmark the Barbican lays out the welcome mat for The House of Viktor & Rolf this month. Charting the rise of the Dutch fashion royalty, the exhibition covers key moments in the pair's career from their V&R Are on Strike protest during a/w '96-97, followed by the launch of their fictitious scent Le Perfum, right through to their innovative use of projection and SFX for Bluescreen a/w '02-03, the explosive Flowerbomb for s/s '05 and their latest creation—the defiant NO, shown in all its anti-establishment glory last February. It's an incredible history that only seems to be amplified when brought together under one roof.

Keeping things simple curatorially, the exhibition is separated into viewing rooms showing the individual collections alongside key pieces to inspect close-up—each item dressed on a beautiful, albeit sinister, "cartoon" mannequin hand-crafted by Dutch artisans. But the centerpiece (quite literally) is the gigantic dolls' house. Rising up to the second floor, it features miniature recreations of their most celebrated outfits on delicate, expressionless dolls, which viewers are invited to view more closely through the mother-of-pearl opera glasses on hand.

This spectacular installation, designed by V&R themselves, transforms the fashion retrospective into a surrealist spectacle—the dolls' house becomes a microcosm of the world they've created. As it explores the delicate balance between the cerebral and the entertaining that underpins all of Viktor & Rolf's work, the Barbican's celebration of the V&R empire becomes yet another landmark in the duo's distinguished career.

The House of Viktor & Rolf runs through September 21, 2008 at the Barbican Art Gallery.

—Lena Dystant