Elsa Schiaparelli

In difficult times, fashion is always outrageous.
Elsa Schiaparelli
Fashion designer Elsa Schiaparelli (1890 – 1973) was a provocateur who took pleasure in challenging typical notions of dress. Witty, elegant and often strikingly surreal, her designs incorporate humour and surprise, inviting the viewer to look and look again. 

Schiaparelli worked within the confines of traditional tailoring but played with subversive details, extraordinary materials and the imagery of Surrealism to create unique fashion statements. Our collection includes one of her earliest designs, a black jumper knitted with a white bow, alongside her most powerfully Surrealist works, designed in collaboration with the artists Salvador Dali and Jean Cocteau. 

Search “Elsa Schiaparelli” in Explore the Collections

Features

Watch

Introducing Elsa Schiaparelli

Shocking, subversive, surreal – meet Elsa Schiaparelli

  1. Read

    Surrealism and design

    Originally a radical art movement, in the 1930s Surrealism transformed the design world
  2. Read

    'Shocking Life' by Elsa Schiaparelli

    Discover the making of Schiaparelli's very first design – a simple sweater with a surreal twist
  3. Watch

    Fashion unpicked: the Skeleton dress by Elsa Schiaparelli

    Get closer to Schiaparelli's famously surreal evening dress, designed with Salvador Dali
Exhibition

Schiaparelli: Fashion Becomes Art

  • Opens Saturday, 21 March 2026

  • V&A South Kensington

  • Tickets available soon

More info

Collection highlights

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  1. choker
    Choker, The Pagan Collection, designed by Elsa Schiaparelli, 1938, Paris, France.
    V&A South Kensington
    Not on display
  2. evening ensemble (dress and veil)
    The Tears Dress, evening ensemble of dress and veil, designed by Elsa Schiaparelli and Salvador Dali, 1938, Paris, France.
    V&A South Kensington
    Not on display
  3. evening jacket
    Circus, evening jacket, designed by Elsa Schiaparelli, February 1938, Paris, France.
    V&A South Kensington
    Not on display
  4. hat
    Hat,The Pagan Collection, designed by Elsa Schiaparelli, 1938, Paris, France.
    V&A South Kensington
    Not on display
  5. pair of evening gloves
    Pair of evening gloves, The Circus Collection, designed by Elsa Schiaparelli, 1938, Paris, France.
    V&A South Kensington
    Not on display
  6. hat
    Shoe Hat, designed by Elsa Schiaparelli, 1937 – 38, France.
    V&A South Kensington
    Not on display
  7. evening coat
    (Detail) Evening coat, designed by Elsa Schiaparelli and Jean Cocteau, 1937, London, England.
    V&A South Kensington
    Not on display
  8. jumper
    Cravat, jumper, designed by Elsa Schiaparelli, 1927, France.
    V&A South Kensington
    Not on display
  9. evening ensemble
    (Detail) Evening ensemble, The Circus Collection, designed by Elsa Schiaparelli, 1938, Paris, France.
    V&A South Kensington
    Not on display
  10. hat
    Hat, designed by Elsa Schiaparelli, about 1955, France.
    V&A South Kensington
    Not on display
  11. evening dress
    The Skeleton Dress, designed by Elsa Schiaparelli and Salvador Dalí, 1938, Paris, France.
    V&A South Kensington
    Not on display

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Plato's Atlantis, dress, Alexander McQueen, Spring/Summer 2010, London, England. Museum no. T.11-2010. © Victoria and Albert Museum, London

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Header image:
Hat,The Pagan Collection, designed by Elsa Schiaparelli, 1938, Paris, France.