In a showing at V&A South Kensington, fashion legend Elsa Schiaparelli’s lavish and stately designs have been collected for exhibit in the UK for the very first time. We strolled through galleries replete with the imaginative work of the Italian designer and her eponymous fashion house, which pioneered such transformative changes in the early twentieth century as visible zippers and the wrap dress.
Elegant and expressive couture pieces adorn clusters of mannequins marking iconic moments in Schiaparelli’s career, inviting viewers to a high fashion runway where the models linger for hours under the sparkly spotlights. The silhouettes dazzle and leap from the display in curling tendrils and undulating patterns as they branch into more modern, experimental works. The newest pieces have been fabricated under current Schiaparelli creative director Daniel Roseberry, including a gown worn by Ariana Grande at the 2025 Academy Awards. Some nooks hold famed collaborations with boundary-pushing artists of the interwar period, such as the legendary, surrealist “shoe hat” crafted with Salvador Dalí. Other faceless figures flaunt Elsa Schiaparelli’s innovative fabric selections and affair with embellished and unusual fastening mechanisms, from her innovation with tie-up wraps to her insistent curation of distinct zipper pulls and funky buttons.
An abstract portrait in angled shapes of aquamarine and daisy yellow hangs among the couture clothing, a 1937 Picasso painting with the subject in Schiaparelli jewelry, hat, and lapel pins. Its inclusion underscores the exhibit’s thesis — that works of fashion brilliance belong among the finest of art. Catch the array of fashion landmarks and dreamlike designs in London before the exhibit closes on November 15.
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