Everyone has their own unique relationship with museums. They might remind you of a time where you were hungry and bored (think a family vacation) or a few hours that provided inspiration and thrill (Alexander McQueen’s Savage Beauty). Whichever you identify with, the 2012 lineup of fashion exhibits (thanks to Fashionista.com) scheduled to display at major museums around the world promise as much education as they do taste and talent. While New York is promised Prada, London gets Louboutin, Marc Jacobs in Paris and YSL in Denver. Wherever you live or intend on traveling to, mark your calendars accordingly…fashion just got a whole lot wiser! 

What: “Elsa Schiaparelli and Miuccia Prada: On Fashion”
Where: The Costume Institute at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
When: May 10 – August 19

What: “Christian Louboutin,” a retrospective of the designer
Where: Design Museum, London
When: March 28 – July1

What: “IMPACT: 50 Years of the CFDA”
Where: The Museum at FIT, New York
When: February 10 – April 17, 2012

What: “Ballgowns: British Glamour Since 1950″
Where: Victoria and Albert Museum, London
When: May 19, 2012 – January 26, 2013

What: “Yves Saint Laurent — The Retrospective”
Where: Denver Art Museum, Denver, Colorado
When: Opens March 25

What: “Louis Vuitton Marc Jacobs,” a retrospective of Jacobs’ work at LV
Where: Les Arts Décoratifs, Paris
When: March 9 to September 16

What: Diana Vreeland
Where: Fortuny Museum, Venice, Italy
When: March 2012

What: “Fifty Years of James Bond Style” with pieces from Giorgio Armani, Prada, Oscar de la Renta and other designers
Where: The Barbican, London
When: April 2012