Eight iconic costumes worn by Freddie Mercury - including the outfit from Queen's debut album cover and the catsuit from the Bohemian Rhapsody video - will grace the V&A in London this autumn, marking what would have been the singer's 80th birthday. Because if you're going to celebrate a man who wanted to be 'surrounded by splendid things,' you'd better bring the sequins.

Freddie Mercury | Splendid Things, a free trail developed with Mercury's former fiancée and close friend Mary Austin, runs from 24 October 2026 to 17 January 2027. Austin is lending seven of the looks, spanning Mercury's career from the 1970s to his final years. That's seven outfits that survived the '80s, which is a miracle in itself.

Among the treasures is a monochrome ensemble worn for an early Queen gig at Imperial College and featured on the cover of the band's debut album. Also on display: the 'Mercury Wing' catsuit, designed by Wendy de Smet and worn during the A Night at the Opera tour in 1975-76, as well as in the groundbreaking Bohemian Rhapsody video. Yes, that catsuit - the one that made 'scaramouche' look like a fashion statement.

Mercury's crown and cloak, designed by Diana Moseley and worn during Queen's 1986 Magic Tour, will also feature. He wore the outfit for the band's final live performance at Knebworth that year. Because nothing says 'farewell' like a crown and a cape. The display also includes a costume from the Made in Heaven music video, plus accessories and items from his personal wardrobe - because one cannot have too many sequined jackets.

The trail takes its name from a remark Mercury made in 1978: 'I like to be surrounded by splendid things. I want to lead a Victorian life surrounded by exquisite clutter.' Finally, a man after our own hearts - or at least after our cluttered desks.

Austin first met Mercury when she was 19 and he was 24, while they were both working around Kensington's Biba fashion scene. Mercury, born Farrokh Bulsara on 5 September 1946 in Zanzibar, was selling his artwork and vintage clothes from a stall in Kensington Market. They became engaged on Christmas Day 1973, the year Queen released their debut album. A match made in fashion heaven, clearly.

Their relationship ended in the mid-1970s, but they remained close for the rest of Mercury's life. When he died in 1991, he left Austin his Kensington home, Garden Lodge, and his possessions. Which, given his taste, were probably splendid indeed.

Austin has described Mercury's clothes as central to the image he created as a performer. 'The clothes were part of that exploration,' she said in A Life in Lyrics, due in September. 'Freddie understood early on that he wasn't just wearing clothes; he was providing an image to match the scale of the space and the vastness of the crowd.' Because when you're performing for 72,000 people, a t-shirt and jeans just won't cut it.

Austin said the clothes and costumes to be displayed at the V&A 'tell a hugely important part' of Mercury's story both on and off the stage: 'Never mere accoutrements, his costumes and clothes were essential to his performances, creative vision, and wider self-expression, carefully designed to create a lasting visual and emotional impact that has reached across the generations and still reverberates today.' Translation: They're not just clothes; they're a legacy with sequins.

The installations have been designed by Tom Piper, whose work includes productions for the Royal Shakespeare Company, the Tower of London poppies, and the V&A's Alice: Curiouser and Curiouser and Taylor Swift | Songbook Trail. So he's no stranger to turning pop culture into museum fodder.

Each of the trail's six stops will be staged differently, using sets, sound, and lighting to evoke moments from Mercury's career. Because why just look at a costume when you can feel like you're at a Queen concert, minus the ear-splitting volume?

Kate Bailey, the V&A's senior curator of theatre and performance, said the display would explore Mercury's 'love of splendid things' and his interest in art, design, and fashion. And we'll be there, marveling at the clutter.