Fashion, at its most daring, becomes an instrument of thought, a compelling medium that negotiates between material, imagination and culture.聽Schiaparelli: Fashion Becomes Art聽explores this premise fully, presenting the work of Elsa Schiaparelli as a fusion of couture, Surrealism and performance. The exhibition situates her visionary designs alongside the artworks, stage costumes and collaborations that made the House of Schiaparelli one of the most radical forces of the 20th century. Over 400 objects, including 100 ensembles, 50 artworks, accessories, jewellery and archive material, trace the trajectory from her first Paris boutique to the present-day creations of Daniel Roseberry. 鈥淔or me, dress designing is not a profession but an art,鈥 Schiaparelli asserted, a principle that underpins every aspect of the show. The exhibition ultimately reframes the role of fashion in both historical and contemporary cultural contexts.
The House of Schiaparelli emerges as a laboratory for creative experimentation, a place where fabric and form converse with art, performance and social commentary.聽Designing the Modern Wardrobe, the first section, charts Elsa Schiaparelli鈥檚 early Paris career, from the boutique Schiaparelli. Pour Le Sport in 1927 to her establishment as a leading couturier by 1934. Early works such as a trompe l鈥檕eil bow-knot sweater illustrate her inventive approach, while tailored skirt suits and trouser ensembles demonstrate her vision for the modern urban woman. Eveningwear from this period, including a gold lam茅 gown and circus horse appliqu茅d dinner suit, speaks to the performative aspect of dress. Accessories, from plaited-hair hats to striped shoes, convey her playful inventiveness. Immediately , there is a sense that the House of Schiaparelli鈥檚 work is not about simple elegance but a deliberate, audacious rewriting of conventions.
滨苍听Creative Constellations,聽the exhibition highlights the House of Schiaparelli鈥檚 enduring and dynamic dialogue with the visual arts, presenting garments alongside works by Salvador Dal铆, Pablo Picasso, Jean Cocteau and Man Ray. The 1937 Lobster dress appears next to Dal铆鈥檚 Lobster Telephone, exemplifying the conversation between Surrealist art and couture. Collaborative works with Cocteau, Alberto Giacometti, Meret Oppenheim and Jean Schlumberger illustrate further the cross-disciplinary energy of the House, reinforcing the notion that fashion is a creative practice which is fully engaged with the avant-garde. Delphine Bellini, CEO of Schiaparelli, says, 鈥淭his exhibition celebrates her enduring influence through iconic collaborations with 20th聽century masters and a pioneering fusion of creativity and commerce.鈥 The curatorial approach emphasises process as much as product, revealing how experimentation, innovation and artistic dialogue continually defined the House of Schiaparelli鈥檚 distinctive oeuvre.
The international reach of the House of Schiaparelli is central to the exhibition鈥檚 narrative.聽Beyond Parisfocuses on the London salon in Mayfair, a site that cemented her global influence and connected her to the British surrealist movement. Rarely seen London garments, including a burgundy velvet suit embroidered in gold and a wedding dress in oyster-coloured crinkled rayon, showcase both her tailoring mastery and her understanding of local taste. Portraits of clients and press materials reveal Schiaparelli鈥檚 skill as a self-promoter, positioning her not only as a designer but as a cultural entrepreneur. Stage and screen costumes, including Mae West鈥檚 ensembles and Marlene Dietrich鈥檚 sharply tailored suits, situate the House at the nexus of fashion, performance, and media. The exhibition demonstrates how the House of Schiaparelli鈥檚 creativity operated on multiple levels, simultaneously aesthetic, social, and performative.
A Golden Thread, the final section, brings the story into the present through Daniel Roseberry鈥檚 designs. Since 2019, he has interpreted the House of Schiaparelli鈥檚 heritage through sculptural silhouettes, bold shapes, and inventive techniques, creating pieces worn by Ariana Grande and Dua Lipa. Draping, embroidery, and intricate embellishment honour Parisian haute couture traditions while reimagining the House鈥檚 subversive spirit for a modern audience. The modern Skeleton dress, a nod to the 1938 original, exemplifies the dialogue between past and present, linking historical experimentation with contemporary creativity. Roseberry鈥檚 work demonstrates how couture can be both homage and invention, carrying forward Elsa Schiaparelli鈥檚 vision while asserting its relevance today. The section underscores the enduring capacity of the House of Schiaparelli to inspire, provoke, and challenge conventional ideas of fashion.
The V&A has a distinguished record of fashion exhibitions that shape the understanding of clothing as cultural and artistic expression. Over the past decade, presentations including聽Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty,听Christian Dior: Designer of Dreams,听Gabrielle Chanel. Fashion Manifesto听补苍诲听The Glamour of Italian Fashion: 1945鈥2014聽have cemented the museum鈥檚 position as a global arbiter of sartorial scholarship. Each exhibition combined research, innovative display and immersive environments, positioning designers as both creative practitioners and cultural commentators.聽Schiaparelli: Fashion Becomes Artextends this trajectory, situating the House of Schiaparelli within the historical canon while emphasising its ongoing relevance. Sir Tristram Hunt, Director of the V&A, says, 鈥淪chiaparelli’s collaboration with artists and with the world of performance make the Maison and its founder an ideal subject for a spectacular exhibition at the V&A,鈥 reaffirming the museums commitment to showing fashion in dialogue with culture and history.
At the core of the exhibition is the idea of art as a process, a principle evident in the House of Schiaparelli鈥檚 collaborations and Roseberry鈥檚 contemporary designs. Man Ray鈥檚 portraits, Cocteau鈥檚 mirrored motifs and Dal铆鈥檚 Surrealist interventions show how visual art informed the creative imagination of the House. At the same time, the technical mastery of couture – embroidery, tailoring and millinery – is foregrounded, demonstrating that conceptual innovation and artisanal skill are inseparable. What unfolds in front of you is a better appreciation into the iterative, experimental nature of design, observing how sketches, maquettes and archival material transform into garments that both provoke and delight. In this way, the exhibition challenges conventional distinctions between art and fashion, presenting the House of Schiaparelli as a space where ideas are realised materially, socially and performatively.
In fashion, as in art, imagination is the engine that propels innovation across time. The House of Schiaparelli embodies this principle, revealing how ideas conceived nearly a century ago continue to resonate in contemporary design. The exhibition traces the evolution of a vision that embraces risk, play and collaboration, showing that couture can be both a material and intellectual medium. There are garments that are at once surreal, sculptural and performative, and each piece is a testament to the dialogue between creativity and craft. By connecting Schiaparelli鈥檚 radical experiments with Roseberry鈥檚 contemporary reinterpretations, the show illuminates fashion鈥檚 capacity to shape culture, provoke thought, and inspire new ways of seeing. The House of Schiaparelli stands as an archive of imagination, a reminder that clothing can transform fabric into a language of ideas and remain alive across generations.
Schiaparelli: Fashion Becomes Art is at V&A, London until 8 November:
Words: Anna M眉ller
Image Credits:
1. Model Awar Odhiang in Schiaparelli haute couture autumn/winter 2024.
2. Portrait of Elsa Schiaparelli, by Man Ray, 1933.
3. Schiaparelli Haute Couture autumn/winter 2024.
4. Designer Elsa Schiaparelli wearing black silk dress with crocheted collar of her own design and a turban, photograph by Fredrich Baker, Vogue, 1940
5. Schiaparelli Haute Couture autumn/winter 2024.
