From trompe l’oeil knits to Oscars gowns, a new exhibition on luxury fashion house Schiaparelli traces the history of the nearly 100-year-old brand, from its founder Elsa Schiaparelli to current U.S. designer Daniel Roseberry.
Dresses, hats, gloves and jewellery are among the more than 200 items on show at “Schiaparelli: Fashion Becomes Art”, running at the V&A museum in London until November 2026, with photos and artwork also displayed.
Italian-born Schiaparelli began her eponymous Paris-based fashion house in 1927 with knitwear with trompe l’oeil motifs before fusing fashion and art, collaborating with the likes of Salvador Dali and Jean Cocteau whose drawings appeared on her creations.
A rival of Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel, she was known for flouting convention with designs including a dress adorned with a lobster print – worn by Wallis Simpson – and a hat resembling an upside-down shoe.
“Elsa Schiaparelli dressed women who were bold and unconventional and unafraid to stand out in a crowd,” the exhibition’s lead curator Sonnet Stanfill told Reuters at a press preview on Wednesday.
“I hope (visitors are) inspired by the witticisms, the use of colour, texture, embroidery, the collaboration with artists.”
Schiaparelli, who closed her studio in 1954 after financial difficulties, died in 1973. She was 83.
The brand was later bought by Diego Della Valle, founder of Italian leather goods maker Tod’s, and relaunched in 2012.
Roseberry has been creative director since 2019. Among his creations on show at the exhibition is a red gown singer-actor Ariana Grande wore to perform at the 2025 Oscars.
“What’s really impressive about the work of Daniel Roseberry is that he references the history of the House but with a very light touch,” Stanfill said. “He’s not beholden to the archive, and so he translates those kind of dramatic silhouettes, unusual colour combinations and haute couture techniques for a modern audience.”