Fashion has long danced alongside the medium of art, with designers taking inspiration from the work of history’s great artists. With its technical prowess and avant-garde ambitions, many would argue that fashion belongs on the same plane as painting or sculpture.
A monumental new show at London’s Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A) celebrates the connection between the two disciplines in a more urgent way. “Schiaparelli: Fashion Becomes Art” — which opens Saturday, March 28 —presents the groundbreaking work of the late Italian designer Elsa Schiaparelli as embodying the cultural gravity of art. Can the act of wearing a bold or even challenging dress change the way we see the status quo, beauty standards or the purpose…