Schiaparelli: Fashion Becomes Art Exhibition to Debut at London's V&A in March 2026

The Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A) in London has announced a monumental upcoming exhibition titled "Schiaparelli: Fashion Becomes Art," which is scheduled to run from March 28 through November 1, 2026. This landmark event represents the first-ever retrospective dedicated to the legendary Elsa Schiaparelli to be held in the United Kingdom. While the primary focus of the display is her prolific creative output during the interwar years, the exhibition will offer a comprehensive journey from the 1920s through to the modern era, tracing the fashion house’s evolution from its historical roots to its contemporary resurgence.

Elsa Schiaparelli stood as a titan of European fashion during the period between the world wars, often positioned as the primary creative rival to the formidable Coco Chanel. Unlike many of her contemporaries who focused on traditional elegance, Schiaparelli viewed clothing as a meticulously constructed artistic statement rather than mere attire. Her design philosophy was deeply rooted in the avant-garde movements of the early 20th century, specifically Dadaism and Surrealism. This radical approach famously led Chanel to dismissively refer to her as "that Italian artist who makes clothes," yet Schiaparelli remained undeterred, successfully translating the "language of the unconscious" into the tangible medium of high fashion.

The upcoming exhibition will feature an extensive collection of over 200 items, ranging from sculpture and photography to fine art and surrealist haute couture. A significant portion of the display highlights Schiaparelli’s legendary collaborations with iconic artists like Salvador Dalí and Man Ray, showcasing how fine art and fashion can merge seamlessly. Visitors can expect to see the provocative skeleton dress from 1938 and the whimsical shoe hat designed between 1937 and 1938—pieces that effectively mapped the existential anxieties and playful irony of the era onto the human form. Additionally, the exhibition showcases her work with Jean Cocteau, including the 1937 evening coat featuring double profiles that create the optical illusion of a vase of roses. Her innovative spirit even extended to the world of perfumery; the 1936 fragrance Shocking! was famously presented in a bottle modeled after the torso of actress Mae West.

Following the closure of the fashion house in 1954—a time when post-war Europe increasingly favored traditional stability and pragmatism over Schiaparelli's signature irony—the designer turned her attention to writing her autobiography. However, the house has seen a vibrant revival in recent years under the leadership of American designer Daniel Roseberry, who took the helm as artistic director in April 2019. Roseberry, who previously honed his craft at Thom Browne, views this retrospective as a seamless continuation of the founder’s original vision. By blending the surrealist heritage of the past with a sharp modern sensibility, he aims to use clothing as a vehicle for a conceptual position, exploring the complex interaction between fashion and an ever-changing reality.

This exhibition serves as a vital exploration of how Schiaparelli’s influence persists in the 21st century, proving that her avant-garde ideas remain as relevant today as they were a century ago. By bridging the gap between the historical archives and Roseberry’s current collections, the V&A highlights the enduring relevance of wearable art in the modern world. The curation emphasizes that Schiaparelli was not just a designer but a visionary who challenged the boundaries of what fashion could represent, turning every garment into a conversation between the wearer and the world around them.