Why Schiaparelli is everywhere again—Inside the V&A exhibition in London
Why is Schiaparelli everywhere again? From the V&A exhibition to Bella Hadid’s viral moment, her legacy continues to inform fashion and visual culture
Why is Elsa Schiaparelli everywhere again, from the red carpet to museum exhibitions? As the V&A South Kensington in London opens Schiaparelli: Fashion Becomes Art, interest in the designer is resurging well beyond the boundaries of fashion history. From Bella Hadid’s viral appearance at Cannes to Daniel Roseberry’s sculptural couture, Schiaparelli has re-emerged as a defining reference in contemporary culture. In this article, Istituto Marangoni London student Carolina Lecce begins with the exposition but moves beyond it. What does it mean to encounter Schiaparelli today not only as a figure from the past, but as an image that continues to circulate, transform, and define the way we see fashion—as a twenty-three-year-old informed by both academic study and the visual dynamics of today’s industry?
How Do We Learn To See Schiaparelli? From Surrealism To Fashion Theory
I have always been passionate about fashion. As a child, I watched documentaries about designers and spent hours flipping through magazines, trying to understand what made certain names so important. Schiaparelli was one of those names I felt I knew, even before I could explain why.
Over time, that knowledge changed. At first, she existed for me through Surrealism, through Salvador DalĂ, through objects that transformed the body into something unexpected—the Skeleton dress, the idea that fashion could become unsettling, almost disturbing. Later, during my studies, she became something else: a figure to be analysed through theory, through Bourdieu, through the idea of fashion as a field structured by power and legitimacy.
Schiaparelli couture dresses on display at V&A London, highlighting body, silhouette and Surrealist influence across decades. Courtesy of Victoria and Albert Museum, London Within that framework, her rivalry with Gabrielle Chanel appeared less as a personal clash and more as a structural opposition. Schiaparelli, an aristocrat embedded in artistic and intellectual circles, pursued experimentation and collaboration. Chanel, born into humble origins, built authority through discipline, control and a clear vision of modernity. If Coco Chanel created a system, Elsa Schiaparelli disrupted it.
Now, encountering Schiaparelli’s work at the V&A in London adds another layer to that understanding.
Schiaparelli exhibition installation at V&A London featuring couture looks from archive to contemporary collections. Courtesy of Victoria and Albert Museum, London
What Makes The V&A Schiaparelli Exhibition A Must-See In London Right Now
The exhibition, which I attended at the press preview ahead of its public opening, reflects this complexity. Titled Schiaparelli: Fashion Becomes Art, it is on view at the V&A South Kensington in London until 8 November 2026, in the Sainsbury Gallery. As the first UK show dedicated to Maison Schiaparelli, it serves as both a retrospective and a re-evaluation of her role within twentieth-century cultural production and beyond.
Spanning the 1920s to the present, it traces Elsa Schiaparelli’s work and enduring influence, while addressing the house’s contemporary revival under Daniel Roseberry.
Schiaparelli anatomical gold chest piece designed under Daniel Roseberry, merging couture craftsmanship with Surrealist body imagery. Courtesy of Patrimoine Schiaparelli, Paris Part of the V&A’s programme of major fashion exhibitions, and drawing on one of the world’s most significant dress collections, the exhibition unfolds through thematic sections—Designing the Modern Wardrobe, Creative Constellations, Beyond Paris, A Golden Thread—tracing her work from early sportswear to Surrealist collaborations and their continuing influence on contemporary couture. It also foregrounds Schiaparelli’s role as a female entrepreneur operating across Paris, London and New York between the wars, adding a socio-economic dimension to her legacy.
Curated by Sonnet Stanfill, Lydia Caston and Rosalind McKever, Schiaparelli: Fashion Becomes Art brings together garments, accessories, jewellery, paintings, photographs, furniture, perfumes and archival material, creating a dialogue between the disciplines that shaped her practice. Featuring more than 400 objects—including 100 ensembles and 50 artworks—it places Schiaparelli at the centre of a network connecting fashion, art and performance.
Visitor observing contemporary Schiaparelli couture at V&A London, highlighting sculptural and surreal design elements. Courtesy of Victoria and Albert Museum, London
How Schiaparelli Brought Surrealism into Fashion Through the Body and the Image
Seeing the Skeleton Dress in person made that connection tangible. More than an object, the garment becomes a statement about what a body in fashion can be. The only known surviving example, dating from 1938 and now part of the museum’s permanent collection, is shown alongside other pieces created in collaboration with Salvador DalĂ.
Beyond DalĂ, Schiaparelli’s designs are placed in dialogue with works by artists such as Pablo Picasso, Jean Cocteau, Man Ray and Eileen Agar, reinforcing the exhibition’s framing of fashion as a site of interdisciplinary exchange.
Portrait of Elsa Schiaparelli by Jean Cocteau, highlighting the Surrealist dialogue between fashion and art. Courtesy of The Edward James Foundation
Why Bella Hadid’s Schiaparelli Look Still Defines Fashion Visibility Today
And yet, standing in front of a contemporary piece by Daniel Roseberry, something shifted. The craftsmanship was evident, the reference to Elsa Schiaparelli clear. But my first reaction was not analytical. I did not think about Surrealism, technique, or history.
I thought of Bella Hadid at Cannes in 2021—the now-viral Schiaparelli look that continues to circulate across digital platforms. That image came instantly. It made me realise that, despite everything I had studied, my perception is shaped by something else entirely. As a twenty-three-year-old who experiences fashion through a screen, my visual memory is shaped by the images that circulate and remain.
Schiaparelli Haute Couture Fall Winter 2024 look featuring sculptural volume and signature surreal elegance. Photograph by Giovanni Giannoni. Courtesy of Patrimoine Schiaparelli, Paris
How Does Seeing Schiaparelli Through Images Change The Way We Understand Fashion?
The dress in front of me was not only a continuation of Schiaparelli’s vision, but part of an ongoing present—one in which the maison, still headquartered at 21 Place Vendôme in Paris and under Daniel Roseberry’s direction since 2019, plays a leading role in contemporary global image culture, particularly through red carpet appearances and celebrity performance. Alongside pieces worn by figures such as Ariana Grande and Dua Lipa, the Bella Hadid dress was already part of a digital archive I already carried with me.
Standing there, I understood something very simple. What I thought I knew about Elsa Schiaparelli was not wrong—just incomplete. What I was seeing was not only her work, but my own way of looking at it.
Elsa Schiaparelli photographed in Paris. Photograph by François Kollar. Courtesy of GrandPalaisRmn
Carolina Lecce
Student in Fashion Promotion, Communication and Digital Media, London