A hat in the shape of an upside-down shoe; a dress resembling an inside-out human body; embroidered jackets covered with gorgeous pink roses, sparkling zodiac symbols and vibrant vegetables. Elsa Schiaparelli made clothes that were as surprising as they were beautiful. The V&A has plundered the well of ingenuity that is Maison Schiaparelli in its latest landmark fashion exhibition – the first British exhibition dedicated to the Italian designer, who rose to fame in Paris between the World Wars – and there are some real treasures to be found.
With over 400 objects, including 100 ensembles and 50 artworks (by the likes of Salvador Dalí, Picasso and Man Ray), as well as accessories, jewellery, photographs, perfumes and an excellent collection of buttons, Schiaparelli: Fashion Becomes Art presents a deep dive into the fantastical and surreal world of the fashion house. Founded on Paris’ Place Vendôme in 1927, the exhibition spans the 1920s to the present day, showing glorious garments from Creative Director Daniel Roseberry, who has been at the helm since 2019.
Excitingly, many of Schiaparelli’s 20th-century creations appear astoundingly contemporary. Knits from 1927, some of the designer’s first works, are patterned with pretty bows that the TikTok girlies of today would die for. There’s also an incredible gold chainmail headdress which wouldn’t look amiss on Florence Pugh in Dune, or on a ‘medievalcore’ Pinterest board. A shirred form-fitting dress with a visible zip – a key Schiaparelli motif – from 1949 looks like it could have come from a 2026 runway.
The maudlin 1938 skeleton dress, designed in collaboration with Dalí, also looks like it could have arrived fresh from Paris Fashion Week in February . The V&A has got its hands on the only known surviving example of the frock, which features piping in the shape of human bones and is displayed alongside Roseberry’s A/W21 lung dress – a black gown with a plunging neckline that uses a necklace sporting a pair of gilded brass lungs to cover the wearer’s modesty. Gossip-column-loving visitors will recognise it as the dress donned by Bella Hadid on the Cannes red carpet (we’re talking pre-nudity ban here) in 2021.
Elsa Schiaparelli made clothes that were as surprising as they were beautiful
This show is about more than just pretty clothes (and they really are so, so pretty). Elsa Schiaparelli herself is portrayed as an impresario and true innovator. In with the Surrealists, she collaborated with, and inspired, Salvador Dalí, Man Ray, Leonor Fini and Jean Cocteau. Dali’s iconic lobster telephone is displayed alongside a lobster print dress designed in collaboration with the artist – Dalí apparently reckoned a smear of mayonnaise would have been the perfect finishing touch for the fabric, but Schiaparelli said no. Her clothes were captured in photographs by Cecil Beaton and Lee Miller, which are also shown here.
The exhibition tells us that Schiaparelli wasn’t just an ineffable design talent, but an expert in self-promotion (in 2026, no doubt she would have been on top of her social media game). Schiaparalli dressed celebrities like Greta Garbo and Josephine Baker, costumed Hollywood movies and West End productions, and made sure she was spotted at glamorous events wearing her own creations. Not afraid of chasing headlines, her most irreverent designs included a print featuring newspaper stories written about her, a trompe-l'œil dress designed to appear ripped, and a jaunty hat in the shape of a lambchop.
At times, the sections dedicated to the present day house felt a bit advert-y. But frankly, Roseberry’s creations speak for themselves. I let out an audible ‘wow’ when I entered the first room dedicated to his designs, which included a dinner jacket sprouting gold palm trees from its shoulders, and an undulating corseted bubble dress inspired by the layers of a mille-feuille. This is all displayed under a dramatic roving spotlight, soundtracked with celestial music.
Sadly, Kylie Jenner’s headline-making lion’s head dress – worn to the fashion house’s spring/summer show in 2023 – is nowhere to be seen, though sleb worshippers will be able to spot gowns worn by Ariana Grande and Dua Lipa. There’s also surprisingly very little mention of Schiaparelli’s signature shocking pink, but a section dedicated to perfume bottles, many coming in novelty shapes like champagne bottles and night lights, will stop you in your tracks.
Ultimately, the clothes truly are pieces of art. Reaching the end of Schiaparelli, I felt like I had experienced a real celebration of femininity and playfulness. Many of the garments on show elicited a smile, and even a laugh, including buttons in the shape of peanuts, acorns and buxom mermaids. If there’s anything to take away, it’s that haute couture could always do with a bit of humour. And take note: the devil is in the detail here – make sure to look closely unless you miss it.
