At the Victoria & Albert museum\u2019s latest exhibition dedicated to Elsa Schiaparelli<\/a> (and Daniel Roseberry<\/a>), Schiaparelli: Fashion Becomes Art,<\/em> one is astonished by the sheer modernity and invention of Schiap. (Daniel is a talented designer, but I\u2019m going to focus on Elsa\u2019s remarkable things here. Daniel\u2019s own extraordinary creations are in all of our living memories, and they each have a story that he has told, so they answer for themselves. By the way, they are extraordinary!)<\/p>\n One starts as I did in an entrance gallery room that shows Schiap \u2013 large as life \u2013 seated in her 21 Place Vend\u00f4me salon, with the Colonne Vend\u00f4me behind her, clearly seen through her tall, ruffled net curtains. On the walls, one has a taste of her newspaper print from 1935, with clippings of Women\u2019s Wear Daily<\/em> et al, with Schiap innovations on every page.<\/p>\n There is a trio of sweaters knitted by Armenian women, with a tromple l\u2019oeil of scarves, with which Schiap first made her name. (This show has been curated by Sonnet Stanfill and what a job she has done).<\/p>\n Schiaparelli Exhibition Photography, 23rd March 2026<\/p>\n <\/span>Peter Kelleher \u00a9 Victoria and Albert Museum<\/span><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n At the back of the room, there is a dress, seen through an arched opening. (The exhibition is very well designed, with reveals and amassed collections of jackets, hats, bottles of perfume and dresses.) The dress on the left, made for the actor Ruth Ford, is an absolute wonder to behold. She was a sister to the surrealist writer Charles Henri Ford, (who was acquainted with Elsa Schiaparelli), and her looks and allure were striking. It\u2019s an astonishingly modern piece, a sheath of black jersey, arms and neck covered, and then padded out with bone formations. It is based on the sketches of Schiap\u2019s friend Salvador Dal\u00ed (also to be seen in this exhibition). \u201cDear Elsa,\u201d Dal\u00ed wrote, \u201cI like this idea of \u2018bones on the outside\u2019 enormously.\u201d It\u2019s been cleverly placed so that when one comes around again to it (several rooms later), one then sees the back which is padded with \u201cbones\u201d too.<\/p>\n Andrew Bolton had desperately wanted it for his Schiaparelli and Prada: Impossible Conversations<\/em> show, in 2012, but it was deemed too fragile to travel. (This may well be the last time it is put on show, because of its delicate condition).<\/p>\n![\"Image](\"https:\/\/assets.vogue.com\/photos\/69c556ea0ba154772756e8d5\/master\/w_1600%2Cc_limit\/Schiaparelli:%2520Fashion%2520Becomes%2520Art%2520at%2520V&A%2520South%2520Kensington%2520(c)%2520Victoria%2520and%2520Albert%2520Museum%2C%2520London%2520(3).jpg\"\/)
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