Next spring, London’s V&A Museum will open the UK’s first-ever exhibition dedicated to one of the most radical figures in fashion history: Elsa Schiaparelli. Schiaparelli: Fashion Becomes Art, opening 21 March 2026, will chart the Italian designer’s creative rise, from her avant-garde beginnings in 1920s Paris to her surrealist collaborations and continued legacy under artistic director Daniel Roseberry.
Featuring more than 200 objects, including garments, accessories, paintings, photographs, jewellery and surrealist artworks, the exhibition promises to dive deep into the House’s wildest experiments and most iconic moments. Among the highlights will be the V&A’s own Skeleton dress, the Tears dress, and the whimsical hat shaped like an upside-down shoe, all created in collaboration with Salvador Dalí.
The exhibition serves as an exploration of how Schiaparelli transformed couture into a form of visual and conceptual art. In a statement, the V&A details how the exhibition will “place 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.”
Elsa Schiaparelli’s circle included Man Ray, Pablo Picasso and Jean Cocteau, and her designs often blurred the line between fashion and fine art. Schiaparelli’s influence extended into film, theatre, and even furniture, each medium another canvas for her irreverent approach.
For Tristram Hunt, Director of the V&A, the exhibition is a natural fit: “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.”
Today, Schiaparelli’s spirit lives on through the designs of Daniel Roseberry, whose creations have helped re-establish the House as a staple on runways and red carpets alike. The exhibition will include Roseberry’s work, highlighting how the House continues to uphold Elsa’s vision of redefining boundaries between fashion, art, and culture. “With its unparalleled collections, expertise in fashion and design, cultural reach, and ability to bridge tradition and innovation, the Victoria and Albert Museum offers the perfect setting to showcase her legacy alongside Daniel Roseberry’s creations, which carry her surrealist spirit forward, blurring lines with bold, sculptural designs that both honour and reinvent her vision for a new century,” echoes Delphine Bellini, CEO of Schiaparelli.
Elsa Schiaparelli once turned ordinary objects into couture legends – lobsters, body parts, shoe hats and all. Now, 70 years after her retirement, the V&A is giving her the stage she deserves. Learn more
