Schiaparelli's Surreal Fashion Show at V&A: A Dazzling Dive into Avant-Garde Artistry
The V&A South Kensington in London is hosting a lavish spring exhibition dedicated to Elsa Schiaparelli, the Italian designer renowned for her surreal and witty creations. Titled Schiaparelli: Fashion Becomes Art, the show runs from 28 March to 8 November 2026, offering visitors a wild and wonderful journey through fashion's house of surrealism.
A Surreal Cocktail Party in 1930s Paris
Stepping into the galleries feels less like admiring a traditional lineup of frocks and more like attending a vibrant 1930s Paris cocktail party with Schiaparelli and her artistic friends, including Salvador Dalí and Jean Cocteau. The exhibition is described as bracingly avant-garde and mildly unsettling, filled with visual puns and in-jokes that ensure never a dull moment. From a shoe transformed into a hat to bones protruding from a dress, the designs challenge conventional notions of beauty and function.
One highlight is the inclusion of Dalí's lobster telephone, displayed next to the famous lobster dress worn by Wallis Simpson, which Schiaparelli created in collaboration with Dalí. Notably, the dress predates the telephone by a year, underscoring her innovative influence. Another standout is the skeleton dress from 1938, another Dalí collaboration, featuring padded ribs and a spine of cotton wadding on black crepe. A letter from Dalí credits the bones on the outside idea to Schiaparelli, reinforcing her role as an artist in her own right.
Schiaparelli's Early Life and Career
Born in Rome in 1890 into a smart family, Schiaparelli seemed born with surrealism in her bones. In her memoir, she recounts a childhood attempt to plant flower seeds in her mouth, nose, and ears, hoping to bloom like a heavenly garden—an early sign of her unconventional thinking. After moving to London in her 20s and arriving in Paris in her 30s as a divorced mother, she launched her fashion career with trompe l'oeil sweaters featuring knitted optical illusions.
Within years, she employed a staff of 400 and was hailed by Vogue as the designer of the most exciting clothes in Paris. The exhibition opens with a photograph of her in a dark suit and brogues in her Place Vendôme studio, with Napoleon visible through the window, symbolizing her formidable presence.
Shocking Pink and Cultural Collaborations
Schiaparelli, known as Schiap to friends, loved to shock, famously adopting shocking pink as her signature colour. Her shop window once featured a taxidermied pink polar bear, and she was buried in pink upon her death in 1973. The show includes a coat made for Jane Clark for the 1937 coronation, fastened with a single button shaped like a naked mermaid, highlighting fashion as performance art long before modern trends.
She emerges as a prescient figure, collaborating across culture to explore creativity and promote her brand. Daniel Roseberry, the American designer leading the brand's revival since 2019, is credited with understanding her humour, glamour, and eroticism. His modern pieces, interspersed with the archive, include Bella Hadid's gilded brass breastplate worn at Cannes in 2021 and a robot baby made from old flip phones on a 2024 runway.
Legacy and Audience Appeal
Schiaparelli's reputation hinges on whether one believes fashion should mix with art. This exhibition may not appeal to those who prefer fashion to stay in its lane, but it delights those who appreciate outrageous, intelligent designs in conversation with culture. Younger audiences, familiar with Schiaparelli through TikTok and viral red carpet moments, will find joy in seeing iconic pieces up close. Ultimately, the show ensures that no visitor leaves bored, celebrating a designer who turned a polar bear pink and out-lobstered Dalí with her surreal goddess aesthetic.
