Schiaparelli: Fashion Becomes Art

A lavishly illustrated book that explores the origins and legacy of one of fashion's greatest innovators.

Elsa Schiaparelli sent shockwaves through the fashion establishment with her witty, ingenious and artful designs. Lauded by Cristobal Balenciaga as the 'only real artist in couture' she infused her collections with Surrealism, and collaborated on pieces with contemporaries from the art world, including Man Ray, Jean Cocteau, Salvador Dali and Alberto Giacometti. Her garments still look fresh today and, though provocative at the time, were eminently wearable, attracting many society and celebrity clients.

She caused a stir at Wimbledon by sending Lili Alvarez to the 1931 tennis tournament in culottes; she clothed Amy Johnson for her first solo flight to Cape Town; her lobster dress made it into Wallis Simpson's trousseau, and she counted as fans Lauren Bacall, Marlene Dietrich and Josephine Baker. Her designs appeared on the stage in productions by Ivor Novello, Noel Coward and Jean-Paul Sartre, and she costumed over 30 films. Today, Elsa's visual vocabulary runs through Daniel Roseberry's designs for Maison Schiaparelli like a shocking pink thread.

Due for publication late March 2026 and available for preorder.

Details

• Author: Sonnet Stanfill, Curator of Twentieth Century and Contemporary Fashion at the V&A
• Hardcover: 272 pages
• Date published:  March 2026
• Language: English
• ISBN: 9781838510619
• Product Dimensions: 32.0 x 24.0 cm