In 1937, Italian fashion designer Elsa Schiaparelli created her signature scent: Shocking. Almost all of her perfumes started with the letter S – a reference to her own ‘S’ initial – but Shocking was by far the most successful. The adverts for the perfume featured a specific shade of bright fuchsia that became yet another Schiaparelli signature: shocking pink. Then, in 1954, the designer published her autobiography, titled Shocking Life. 

It’s safe to say that some of Schiaparelli’s most famous works have been shocking – whether by name or by impact. It’s a brand whose history is as provocative as its present. Think of the famous lobster dress, designed in collaboration with Salvador Dalí and worn by Wallis Simpson, or the risqué red carpet moment that Bella Hadid delivered at Cannes in 2021, when her chest was covered by a gold, lung-shaped breastplate (designed by current creative director, Daniel Roseberry). 

All the aforementioned designs are included in the V&A’s major new exhibition, Schiaparelli: Fashion Becomes Art, which opens this Saturday (March 28). Sonnet Stanfill, the exhibition’s lead curator and senior curator at the V&A, has been working on the show for the past two and half years. “The first conversation I had about doing a Schiaparelli exhibition was about seven years ago,” she tells me. “We could never have predicted that, with the appointment of Daniel Roseberry, the house has gone from strength to strength. I feel like the exhibition is opening at such a good moment.” 

Roseberry has been involved in the curation too, particularly with the selection of his own works being displayed. “[The Schiaparelli team] have been very generous in lending from their archive; we’re even including a garment from January’s couture presentation. It was important to ensure that the exhibition is right up to date,” says Stanfill. 

After years of hard work, overall, Stanfill is excited for the exhibition to open its doors – but one lost item still haunts her. “I was hoping to find a Schiaparelli skisuit – because she designed a lot of them and was an avid skier. It was my dream to find one, but I was not successful. Perhaps if your readers have one hiding in their attics they can let me know!” This is an official call-out for anyone who owns a Schiap skisuit to come forward. 

Ahead of the exhibition’s opening this weekend, we asked Stanfill to select the most shocking Schiaparelli designs included in the display, from 1927 to the present day. And remember: just because a knitted jumper isn’t shocking to us now, doesn’t mean it didn’t cause uproar back in the day. Schiaparelli: Fashion Becomes Art opens on March 28 and runs until November 1, tickets are available here. 

THE TROMPE L’OEIL BOW-KNOT SWEATER (1927)

Sonnet Stanfill: This was her first fashion hit, designed in 1927 – the first year that she created garments with the Schiaparelli label inside. The sweater is a result of a knitting technique that she worked on with an Armenian knitter. It’s a two-tone technique that gives the appearance of tweed, with a bow motif knitted in. It was such a popular design that it was copied around the world at different price points. Some of them were authorised, some were not. Within a matter of weeks all the women at the Ritz were having luncheon in these black and white jumpers. It was a radical design for its time. 

ROSALINDE GILBERT’S WEDDING DRESS (1934)

Sonnet Stanfill: Rosalinde Gilbert wore a Schiaparelli gown to her wedding at Golders Green synagogue in 1934. It’s the only known surviving Elsa Schiaparelli wedding dress – I’m not aware of another. Gilbert was an entrepreneur and a dressmaker, so she understood fashion very well. What’s interesting about the dress is that it was created with removable sleeves which allowed her to wear it as an evening gown at a later date. I’m curious to know if that was Elsa Schiaparelli’s suggestion, or the bride's own request. It’s also one of the earliest designs in the exhibition from the Schiaparelli London salon. 

THE SKELETON DRESS (1938)

Sonnet Stanfill: Then we go to the late 1930s and to the first garment you see when you enter the exhibition. The skeleton dress is taken from the 1938 Circus collection – it has a three-dimensional skeleton appliquéd onto the dress. It’s a chunky, sculptural skeleton and is very macabre and disturbing. It’s an unsettling design and perhaps one of her most radical. It was created in collaboration with Salvador Dalí, who worked with Schiaparelli from 1935 onwards. It’s one of her most famous dresses. 

THE “SHOCKING” PERFUME BOTTLE (1937)

Sonnet Stanfill: Schiaparelli had been making perfumes since the late 1920s and she used her initial ‘S’ at any opportunity – most of her perfumes start with the letter S. Her most famous was Shocking, which launched in 1937. The bottle design has a fascinating story, but it’s also visually arresting. The design was commissioned to the artist Leonor Fini, who looked to the bust of Mae West for inspiration. West was a Schiaparelli client and the torso is based on her figure. The measuring tape around the shoulders has become a key design element of the house today. 

ARIANA GRANDE’S OSCARS DRESS (2025)

Sonnet Stanfill: Then there’s the special commission that Daniel Roseberry created for Ariana Grande to perform in at the Oscars last year. Wicked was up for a number of awards and Grande performed in this crimson, sleeveless gown with a tulle skirt, encrusted with beadwork. In the back of the bodice is a ruby slipper – or a high-heeled court shoe – a nod to The Wizard of Oz’s ruby slippers, but also to the history of the house and the shoe hat that Elsa Schiaparelli created in collaboration with Salvador Dalí. The shoe hat is also on display at the exhibition.