The V&A Museum presents the first ever UK exhibition dedicated to Elsa Schiaparelli in the form of Schiaparelli: Fashion Becomes Art, opening on 28 March 2026. Spanning the 1920s to the present day, the landmark show explores how one of the 20th century’s most daring couturiers transformed fashion into a radical artistic practice, and how her surrealist spirit continues today under creative director Daniel Roseberry.
Bringing together more than 200 objects – from iconic garments and jewellery to paintings, photography, sculpture and rare archival material – the exhibition places Schiaparelli at the centre of a vibrant interwar cultural scene connecting Paris, London and New York.
Highlights include the V&A’s celebrated ‘Skeleton’ and ‘Tears’ dresses, created in collaboration with Salvador Dalí, alongside works by Pablo Picasso, Jean Cocteau and Man Ray. Running until 8 November 2026, this major exhibition reveals how Schiaparelli blurred the boundaries between fashion, art and performance. Elsa Schiaparelli reshaped modern style in turbulent times and leaves a legacy that continues to shape global culture under the creative direction of Daniel Roseberry.
Featuring new research undertaken by art and fashion curators focused on the creative collaborations and output of founder Elsa Schiaparelli, the exhibition places her at the nexus of innovation, a key figure within a stellar sphere of fashion, art and performance which spanned the cities of Paris, London, and New York in the years between the two world wars and up to her retirement in 1954. It will highlight the history of a female entrepreneur and showcase her celebrated, yet little-seen garments from the history of fashion. The exhibition will be the first of its kind to spotlight the London branch of Schiaparelli, its dynamic and independent clients and the founder’s own involvement in the satellite location.
The V&A holds some of Elsa Schiaparelli’s most radical designs including Schiaparelli’s ‘Skeleton’ and ‘Tears’ dresses, along with a hat shaped to look like an upside-down shoe, all conceived in collaboration with Salvador Dalí. The exhibition will reference the popularity of Schiaparelli’s designs for film and theatre productions.
In difficult times fashion is always outrageous.”
Elsa Schiaparelli
Schiaparelli possessed a vibrant artistic sensibility. Turning ordinary items into innovative clothing, accessories and jewellery, she created the most memorable fashions of the day. Her couture house, the most discussed of interwar Paris, redefined standards of style and definitions of beauty. Today, from the iconic Schiaparelli atelier at 21 Place Vendôme, creative director Daniel Roseberry accompanies the storied Maison into its next chapter, establishing an oeuvre that continues to shape and inspire global culture today.
Schiaparelli: Fashion Becomes Art will celebrate one of the most ingenious and daring designers in fashion history. The V&A holds one of the largest and most important fashion collections in the world, and the foremost collection of Schiaparelli garments in Britain. Schiaparelli’s collaboration with artists and with the world of performance make the Maison and its founder an ideal subject for a spectacular exhibition at the V&A.”
Tristram Hunt, Director of the V&A
Schiaparelli: Fashion Becomes Art is at the V&A South Kensington from 28th March to 8th November 2026. Find more information and book tickets here.
