Some moments have a way of catching you off guard. They don’t announce themselves and leave a deeper impression than expected.
Attending the preview of Schiaparelli: Fashion Becomes Art at the Victoria and Albert Museum on March 25th was one of them. Not simply for the exhibition itself, but for what it represents. A moment where Elsa Schiaparelli’s work is given the space and depth it has always deserved.
“It feels, genuinely, like the most complete telling of her work to date.”
It feels, genuinely, like the most complete telling of her work to date. Not just in its breadth, but in how clearly it communicates the way she thought, who she worked with, and why it still matters. It goes beyond admiration. It gives you understanding.
To experience that, and to know that two pieces from my collection sit quietly within that wider narrative, is something I feel deeply grateful for.
There is pride, of course. But more than that, a sense of privilege in contributing, however lightly, to the continued visibility of a body of work as important as this.
Elsa Schiaparelli: the most curious mind in couture
Walking through the exhibition, you realise quite quickly that Elsa Schiaparelli was working on an entirely different plane.
While others refined, she questioned. While others perfected, she disrupted.
Her work is often described as surreal, and of course it is. But that only scratches the surface. What stays with you is the thinking behind it. The conversations with art, with literature, with symbolism. Her collaborations with figures such as Salvador Dalí were not decorative gestures, they were part of a wider way of working, of thinking, of living.
This was never just fashion.
Garments become objects. Jewellery becomes narrative. Motifs are not embellishment, they are language. And standing in front of these pieces, you are not simply looking at couture, you are looking at ideas made tangible.
“While others refined, she questioned. While others perfected, she disrupted.”
Jewellery as statement, not accessory
For those of us working within vintage costume jewellery, this is where the exhibition becomes particularly compelling.
Schiaparelli understood something instinctively that still feels modern now. Jewellery isn’t there to finish a look. Often, it is the point.
“Jewellery isn’t there to finish a look. Often, it is the point.”
The scale, the wit, the refusal to be purely decorative, it all feels incredibly current. And yet, it was conceived nearly a century ago.
There is also a confidence in her use of unexpected materials. Costume jewellery sits comfortably within couture here, not beneath it. That lack of hierarchy feels especially relevant now.
The jewels of Elsa Schiaparelli
What feels particularly resonant throughout the exhibition is the role of jewellery and buttons during Elsa Schiaparelli’s own lifetime.
These were never accessories in the conventional sense. They were part of the story. Bold, unexpected, sometimes provocative, her jewels and buttons carried the same importance as the garments themselves.
Working with artists and artisans including Dali, Cocteau, Alberto Giacometti, Jean Schlumberger,?Jean Clement, Lucien Neuquelman, Roger Jean-Pierre and Lina Baretti, she created pieces that challenged traditional ideas of adornment. A variety of materials, shaped into surreal forms, embedded symbolism, and a sense of wit and extraordinary running through even the smallest detail. Jewellery and buttons become a way of expressing humour, curiosity, even commentary. From lobsters, to telephone dials, bears, bugs and critters, locks, lips, eyes, noses, shoes, lions, bows, circus performers, leaves, cherubs, hands, telephones, torsos, bats, donkeys, elephants, ladybirds, squirrels, pineapples, cockerels, ducks, birds, musical instruments, hats, mirrors, jesters, hot air balloons, aspirin, dahlias, nuts, pinecones, flowers, snails, acorns and so it goes…
“These pieces don’t sit quietly alongside the clothes. They hold their own.”
Seen within the exhibition, these pieces don’t sit quietly alongside the clothes. They hold their own. They anchor the narrative.
Seeing two pieces from my own collection within this context, not set apart, but in quiet dialogue with these historic works, brings that into sharper focus. These jewels were never static objects. They are part of a continuing conversation.
What is striking is how modern they still feel. Not because they follow today’s trends, but because they were never tied to one moment. They were ideas first, objects second.
And that is why they still resonate. They were never simply there to decorate. They were there to narrate. Definite and thought provoking.
A house reawakened
The exhibition does not stay in the past. Nor should it.
Under the direction of Daniel Roseberry, the house has found a new clarity. Not by replicating Elsa, but by understanding her. Translating her language into something that works now.
“Under the direction of Daniel Roseberry, the house has found a new clarity.”
The bold gold jewellery, the sculptural forms, the surreal references, all unmistakably Schiaparelli, yet entirely current.
What is particularly striking is how this has brought the house to a new audience. For many, this is their first real introduction to Schiaparelli. And it lands.
This is not revival. It is continuation.
With gratitude
It would be impossible to write about this exhibition without acknowledging the work of the curatorial team at the Victoria and Albert Museum.
To bring together a body of work of this depth and rarity is one thing. To present it with this level of clarity is another.
There is a real sense of care in how Elsa Schiaparelli’s work is positioned and understood throughout. Nothing feels overworked, nothing feels lost.
My deepest gratitude and respect go to the curator Sonnet Stanfill and her team for creating something that not only celebrates her work, but genuinely deepens our understanding of it. It is exceptional.
“Under the direction of Daniel Roseberry, the house has found a new clarity.”
The bold gold jewellery, the sculptural forms, the surreal references, all unmistakably Schiaparelli, yet entirely current.
What is particularly striking is how this has brought the house to a new audience. For many, this is their first real introduction to Schiaparelli. And it lands.
This is not revival. It is continuation.
A personal note
“Seeing two pieces from my own collection within this exhibition…is something I will never take for granted.”
Seeing two pieces from my own collection within this exhibition, both Lucien Neuquelman for Schiaparelli – quietly holding their place within such a considered presentation, is something I will never take for granted.
There is pride, certainly. But above all, gratitude.
Gratitude to be part of a field that allows these pieces to be preserved and appreciated. And to contribute, in however small a way, to exhibitions of this calibre.
Standing there, it is impossible not to reflect on the journey from Chanel to Dior, and now Schiaparelli, three of the finest couture Houses, three distinct visions, yet each shaping how we understand fashion at its highest level.
Because moments like this remind us that fashion, at its best, is never just about adornment. It is about ideas. About culture. About how we choose to see both.
Schiaparelli understood that instinctively. And this exhibition makes that impossible to ignore.
“Fashion, at its best, is never just about adornment. It is about ideas. About culture.”
The ‘Schiaparelli: Fashion becomes Art’ Exhibition is open until November 2026 at London’s Victoria and Albert Museum. And if you are unable to visit the Exhibition book is divine.
‘The V&A has plundered the well of ingenuity that is Maison Schiaparelli in its latest landmark fashion exhibition.’
