REVIEW: Schiaparelli - Fashion Becomes Art

The black marble staircase that sweeps down to the basement Sainsbury Gallery at the V&A has become a suitably theatrical entrance to the world of haute couture – Dior, Chanel, Cartier…

And now, Schiaparelli: Fashion Becomes Art. Elsa Schiaparelli - eccentric, fearless, a bit nuts, way ahead of her time; she will fascinate any modern teen with an interest in fashion. If Lady Gaga had been around a hundred years ago, you know she and Elsa would have been friends.

The first rooms take you through her early days setting up in Paris a century ago – her resolutely comfortable (though impeccably stylish) sportswear; then her dazzling tailoring, exquisite embroidery, her shockingly sculptural ‘skeleton’ dress, designed with Salvador Dali.

Rather than following an entirely chronological timeline, the old is mixed with the new. The house of Schiaparelli has been flourishing again under Daniel Roseberry since 2019. The contemporary ‘homages’ and the creations that inspired them are in the same space. Sometimes it is hard to be sure which one is this century, which the last.

Kids will love the theatricality of it all. There is a rose-filled collaboration with Jean Cocteau, her scandalous Dali lobster dress for Wallace Simpson, Duchess of Windsor. ‘Ah, now this year’s Met Gala makes sense!’ exclaims my teenage companion.

There are cabinets of crazy hats and ornate button and jewels. It is OTT but in a controlled, stylised fashion. It is, simply, très Schiap! I have taken both my daughters who, separately, pronounced it the best fashion show they have seen.

Schiaparelli: Fashion Becomes Art V&A, 28 March–8 November. Tickets: from £25 adults, £14 ages 12–17, U12s free.

Summer holiday fun: Family workshop Make it: Accessories 18 July, 10.30am–4.30pm, £20. Make a futuristic necklace or bracelet inspired by the exhibition. Ages 5+.