By Jessica Ye (Jessica Yap)
The Skeleton dress. The Tears dress. A hat shaped like an upside-down shoe. Just the thought of these creations is enough to make my heart race. Elsa Schiaparelli was never content with ordinary. She transformed fashion into a daring playground where surrealism, art, and couture collided in ways that were provocative, playful, and unforgettable. And now, for the first time in the United Kingdom, the Victoria and Albert Museum is celebrating her genius in Schiaparelli: Fashion Becomes Art (from now till 8 November 2026).
Schiaparelli’s imagination is electric. Her collaborations with Salvador Dalí, Jean Cocteau, Man Ray, and Pablo Picasso pushed the boundaries of what fashion could be. Ordinary objects became extraordinary, whimsy became elegance, and each creation carried the unmistakable stamp of audacity. The Skeleton dress, with its playful yet haunting structure, and the Tears dress, stitched with emotion, are just glimpses of a house that made fashion a form of art, theatre, and intellectual provocation all at once.
The exhibition spans more than 200 objects, from garments, accessories, and jewellery to photographs, sculptures, and archival material, highlighting Schiaparelli’s fearless creativity from the 1920s through her retirement in 1954. It also shines a light on the London branch of her house, her independent clients, and her pioneering role as a female entrepreneur who redefined the very notion of style. This is fashion with a mind of its own, challenging conventions while celebrating individuality.
Even today, under Daniel Roseberry, Schiaparelli’s legacy pulses through the house. Roseberry’s designs carry forward the surrealist energy while sculpting it into new forms for the contemporary world, proving that audacity and elegance can coexist, decades apart. It’s a dialogue between past and present, a bridge from the radical imagination of Elsa Schiaparelli to the daring visions of today.
For anyone like me who adores fashion that shocks, delights, and lingers in your mind long after you’ve seen it, Schiaparelli: Fashion Becomes Art is an irresistible celebration. It reminds us why couture can still provoke thought, inspire creativity, and thrill in ways no ordinary dress ever could.
Schiaparelli: Fashion Becomes Art runs at the Victoria and Albert Museum UK from 28 March – 8 November 2026.
