Elsa Schiaparelli (1890 – 1973) pushed boundaries as a fashion designer, transforming functional items of clothing into unique style statements.

Her evening suits embody the height of 1930s haute couture, owing to their intricate embellishments, luxurious textiles and severe tailoring. Her collaborations with Surrealist artists like Salvador Dali produced provocative, even shocking designs. Theatrical accessories such as the shoeshaped hat, her ‘Tears’ dress patterned to look like torn flesh, and the uncanny ‘Skeleton’ dress complete with the dramatic outline of bones, represent Schiaparelli at her most radical.

Find out more: vam.ac.uk/collections/fashion