May 2023's must-sees

The Queen's Gallery at Buckingham Palace is hosting an exhibition that echoes the pomp and pageantry of this month's coronation, cleverly refracted through the lens of an earlier age. Dressing the Georgians focuses on the fabulous fashions of 18th-century Britain, when men vied with women for the most colourful costumes. Drawing on the vast treasure-house of the Royal Collections, the show includes original outfits as well as magnificent paintings, jewellery and accessories, from snuff-boxes to ceremonial swords. To 8 October.

Getting dressed up to the nines might not be as popular now as it was in Georgian times, but a select group of contemporary dandies and their dandizette friends keep the tradition alive - and on Sunday 14 May they will be gathering in St James's for their annual Grand Flaneur Walk. Organised by Chap magazine, this 'saunter sans purpose' starts at 12 noon in Jermyn Street, by the statue of Beau Brummel, the father of British dandydom, so dress to impress!

Verdi's pharaonic opera, Aida, returns to the Royal Opera House from 5 to 27 May in a thought-provoking new production by director Robert Carsen. Set in the present day, it reimagines the story in the context of a repressive totalitarian state, against which the tragic love story of Aida and Radames stands out in high relief. Grammy Award-winning American soprano Angel Blue sings the title role of the Ethiopian princess Aida, with Verdi's magnificent music conducted by Sir Mark Elder.

Over the last decade, the British artist Peter Doig has emerged as one of the most admired painters of our time, and this is the last chance to catch a much-lauded exhibition of his latest work at the Courtauld Gallery. Doig's colourful, figurative paintings owe a debt to Gaugin and Van Gogh, some of whose greatest works hang in the Courtauld's permanent collection next door, so this is a perfect opportunity to enjoy the links between them. To 29 May.