Schiaparelli: Fashion Becomes Art at the V&A
Victoria and Albert Museum opens Schiaparelli: Fashion Becomes Art on 28 March 2026, the UK’s first major exhibition dedicated to the visionary Italian couturier Elsa Schiaparelli. Presented in collaboration with the house of Schiaparelli, the show traces the designer’s ground-breaking work from the 1920s to the present day, exploring her role in shaping the dialogue between fashion and art.
A Century of Surrealism and Style
When Elsa Schiaparelli opened her Paris atelier in 1927, she approached fashion as an act of imagination rather than ornament. Known for her sharp wit and collaborations with leading artists of her time, she challenged conventions by transforming clothing into living art. Nearly a century later, the Victoria and Albert Museum honours her legacy with Schiaparelli: Fashion Becomes Art, the first major UK exhibition dedicated to her work.
Opening on 28 March 2026, the show spans the designer’s radical beginnings in the 1920s to the house’s current renaissance under Daniel Roseberry. It traces the evolution of a brand that has continuously blurred the boundaries between art, design and theatre.
The Vision of Elsa Schiaparelli
“Fashion is always outrageous,” Schiaparelli once said. For her, clothes were not simply worn; they were statements about modern life, shaped by humour, intellect and rebellion. She collaborated with some of the 20th century’s greatest artists, including Salvador Dalí, Jean Cocteau, Pablo Picasso, Leonor Fini and Man Ray.
Curator Sonnet Stanfill describes Schiaparelli as “a cultural omnivore,” an active participant in the Surrealist movement rather than a mere observer. She invited artists into her world, creating garments that spoke the language of modern art. Pieces like the Skeleton Dress and Tears Dress, both made with Dalí in 1938, exemplify her approach: the body as canvas, imagination as armour.
A Dialogue Between Eras
The exhibition, held in the museum’s Sainsbury Gallery, brings together over 400 objects. Historic pieces sit alongside Roseberry’s haute couture and ready-to-wear designs, illustrating how the house’s identity has evolved while remaining faithful to its founder’s spirit.
Among the archival highlights are a 1937 evening coat embroidered with two faces by Cocteau, the Shoe Hat by Dalí, and Cecil Beaton’s photographs of Schiaparelli gowns for Vogue. These are joined by paintings, sketches and stage costumes, including designs created for Zsa Zsa Gabor in Moulin Rouge. Personal photographs shared by Schiaparelli’s granddaughter, the model and actor Marisa Berenson, offer a more intimate glimpse into her world.
Daniel Roseberry and the House Reborn
When Daniel Roseberry took over the maison in 2019, he faced a formidable task: to translate Schiaparelli’s surrealist vision for a digital century. In his hands, the label has become a cultural phenomenon once more, merging historical codes with pop-era spectacle.
His sculptural couture - from Kim Kardashian’s gold breastplate to Lady Gaga’s presidential ensemble - continues Schiaparelli’s fascination with the intersection of body, art and identity. Yet beneath the viral moments lies a genuine reverence for craftsmanship. As Roseberry puts it, “Every fitting, every product, every detail carries a sense of heritage and a disregard for propriety. That tension brings it back to Elsa.”
The V&A exhibition presents twenty-four of his couture creations, including the gilded brass lung bodice from Autumn/Winter 2021 and the Surrealist Lips choker in gold-plated brass. Displayed alongside Schiaparelli’s originals, they feel less like homage and more like a conversation across time.
The Art of Provocation
Throughout her career, Schiaparelli used fashion to challenge conformity. She redefined femininity as intellect and irony, not submission or ornament. Her atelier was a meeting point for artists, actors and intellectuals who sought liberation through imagination.
The exhibition captures that restless energy. From her signature “shocking pink” to her playful approach to proportion and texture, Schiaparelli’s designs continue to provoke questions about where art ends and fashion begins. As the exhibition title suggests, she made no distinction between the two.
For Roseberry, the legacy is clear. “Why would we collaborate with artists?” he asks. “I’m already in collaboration with Elsa.” The dialogue between past and present is the heartbeat of this exhibition is an ongoing conversation about creation, identity and the power of beauty in defiant times.
Information
Venue: The Sainsbury Gallery, Victoria and Albert Museum
Dates: Opens 28 March 2026
Tickets: £28 weekdays / £30 weekends (concessions available)
Members: Free entry