Schiaparelli at the V&A: The Exhibition That Reclaims Fashion as Art
Fluxx Review: A Landmark Exhibition in Fashion and Art
There are exhibitions that document history, and then there are those that quietly remind us how far creativity can go when it is truly unbound. Schiaparelli: Fashion Becomes Art, now open at the V&A, belongs firmly to the latter.
Elsa Schiaparelli in her boutique at 21 Place Vendôme, Harper's Bazaar, October 1935. Photograph by François Kollar © GrandPalaisRmn - Gestion droit d'auteur François Kollary.
Walking through the Sainsbury Gallery, I was struck not only by the beauty of the work, but by the clarity of Elsa Schiaparelli’s vision. She was, quite simply, ahead of her time. Even now, nearly a century later, her influence is unmistakable. Today’s most culturally defining figures, from Lady Gaga to Dua Lipa and Beyoncé, continue to gravitate towards the house she built, drawn to its theatricality, its daring, and its refusal to conform. This exhibition, the first of its kind in the UK devoted to the Maison, feels long overdue.
A Radical Vision of Creativity
“For me, dress designing is not a profession but an art.” Elsa Schiaparelli’s words resonate throughout the exhibition, not as a statement of intent, but as a lived philosophy.
Spanning the 1920s to the present day, the show brings together over 400 objects, from couture garments and accessories to paintings, photography and archival material. Yet it is not the scale that defines it, but the spirit. Schiaparelli’s work exists in a space untouched by the constraints that often define contemporary creativity. There is no sense of designing to please, to follow a cycle, or to conform to expectation. Instead, there is risk, intelligence and an almost otherworldly imagination.
In an era shaped by branding, accelerated fashion cycles and the pressure to appeal to the mass consumer, her work feels radically free.
Photography, Schiaparelli, Fashion Becomes Art at V&A South Kensington (c) Victoria and Albert Museum,London.
Photography, Schiaparelli, Fashion Becomes Art at V&A South Kensington (c) Victoria and Albert Museum,London.
Where Fashion Meets the Surreal
Photography, Schiaparelli, Fashion Becomes Art at V&A South Kensington (c) Victoria and Albert Museum, London.
Photography, Schiaparelli_ Fashion Becomes Art at V&A South Kensington (c) Victoria and Albert Museum, London.
One of the most compelling aspects of the exhibition lies in Schiaparelli’s instinctive relationship with art. Her collaborations with Salvador Dalí and Man Ray are among the most striking moments within the show, not simply as historical artefacts, but as evidence of what becomes possible when creative minds meet without limitation.
The now-iconic Skeleton dress and Tears dress sit in dialogue with artworks that expand their meaning, while unexpected pieces by Dalí and Man Ray offer some of the exhibition’s most surprising and memorable encounters. These works are not just complementary, they are integral, revealing a moment in time when fashion, art and performance were part of a shared cultural language.
Theatre, Performance and Presence
Photography, Schiaparelli, Fashion Becomes Art at V&A South Kensington (c) Victoria and Albert Museum, London.
Photography, behind the scenes of Schiaparelli_ Fashion Becomes Art at V&A South Kensington (c) Jamie Stoker.
Equally fascinating is Schiaparelli’s relationship with theatre and performance. Her designs were never static; they were conceived to be seen, experienced and inhabited.
Costumes designed for stage and film, alongside garments worn by figures such as Marlene Dietrich, reveal a designer deeply attuned to presence, character and narrative. This theatrical instinct continues to define the house today. Under the direction of Daniel Roseberry, Schiaparelli has re-emerged as a powerful cultural force, dressing a new generation of artists and performers.
His sculptural, often surreal creations bring the exhibition to a dramatic and fitting close, creating a dialogue between past and present that feels both respectful and refreshingly forward-looking.
A Legacy Without Comparison
Left, Behind the scenes of Schiaparelli_ Fashion Becomes Art at V&A South Kensington (c) Jamie Stoker (20). Right, print Le Cirque Berard, 11×14, £15.
There are few women in the history of fashion whose influence is as profound as Elsa Schiaparelli’s. She was not only a couturier, but an artist, a thinker and an entrepreneur who reshaped how we understand beauty, identity and expression.
This exhibition does more than celebrate her legacy. It reframes it, placing her firmly within the wider context of modern art and performance, and recognising the intellectual and creative depth that defined her work.
An Exhibition to Experience Fully
Photography, Behind the scenes of Schiaparelli_ Fashion Becomes Art at V&A South Kensington (c) Jamie Stoker.
It is also, quite simply, a pleasure to walk through. The exhibition unfolds with a rhythm that allows each piece to breathe, encouraging visitors to slow down and take everything in.It rewards time and attention. This is not a show to rush. If anything, it invites a second viewing, revealing new details and connections with each return.
The accompanying books, prints and objects available within the exhibition feel equally considered. They are not fleeting souvenirs, but lasting pieces, small extensions of a much larger creative story.
A Celebration of Creative Freedom
Schiaparelli: Fashion Becomes Art is not simply an exhibition about fashion. It is a celebration of what creativity can be when it is allowed to exist without compromise.
For those working within design, fashion or the wider creative industries, it offers something more profound. A reminder that true innovation rarely comes from following systems, but from stepping beyond them entirely.
Schiaparelli: Fashion Becomes Art
Sainsbury Gallery, Victoria and Albert Museum
28 March – 8 November 2026
vam.ac.uk
More Art & Craft
