In a luxury market often blamed for flattening creativity, Maison Schiaparelli has long stood out for its defiant unconventionality. Where Coco Chanel’s creations exalted the functional elegance of the modern woman, Elsa Schiaparelli was interpreting her dreams, transforming her dresses into intellectual statements. The story of how Elsa Schiaparelli did this is celebrated in Schiaparelli: Fashion Becomes Art, the current exhitibion at the V&A in London (until 8 November 2026). It also shows he