The Victoria and Albert museum is preparing to open the first UK exhibition devoted to haute couture house Schiaparelli.
Set to launch in March 2026, the retrospective will chart the history and impact of Italian fashion designer Elsa Schiaparelli, who founded Maison Schiaparelli in the 1920s.
It will also explore the present-day incarnation of Schiaparelli, which is now in the hands of creative director Daniel Roseberry.
Schiaparelli: Fashion Becomes Art will be staged in the Sainsbury Gallery and comprise more than 200 objects, including garments, accessories, jewellery and paintings.
The exhibition, created in close collaboration with Schiaparelli, will be the first of its kind to spotlight the London branch of the house, according to the museum.
Highlights include the Skeleton dress, which features quilting resembling large bone, the Tears dress, which features a unique “tear” print, and a hat shaped to look like an upside-down shoe – all conceived in collaboration with surrealist artist Salvador Dali.
The exhibition will reference the popularity of Schiaparelli’s designs for film and the theatre with artworks by Spanish painter Pablo Picasso, French poet Jean Cocteau, and US visual artist Man Ray on display.
Tristram Hunt, director of the V&A, said: “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.”
Delphine Bellini, chief executive of Schiaparelli, said: “Elsa Schiaparelli’s fearless imagination and radical vision redefined the boundaries between fashion and art.
“This exhibition celebrates her enduring influence through iconic collaborations with 20th century masters and a pioneering fusion of creativity and commerce.
“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.”
The exhibition is the latest in the V&A’s series of major fashion exhibitions which includes retrospectives of Gabrielle Chanel, Christian Dior and Alexander McQueen.
Schiaparelli: Fashion Becomes Art will run from March 21 to November 1 2026.
Tickets will go on sale in Autumn 2025.
