Southampton Arts Center Welcomes Sold-Out Crowd for Exclusive Look at Schiaparelli: Fashion Becomes Art with V&A Curator Lydia Caston
(Southampton, NY – July 15, 2026) – For one day only, Southampton Arts Center welcomed Lydia Caston, Exhibitions Project Curator at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, for an exclusive inside look at Schiaparelli: Fashion Becomes Art, the acclaimed exhibition currently on view at the V&A. The 5pm discussion quickly sold out in just 24 hours, prompting Southampton Arts Center to add a second session to accommodate overwhelming demand.
"We are grateful to Jamee Gregory and Audrey Gruss as trustees of the V&A Americas Foundation, as well as Lydia Caston, for bringing this extraordinary program to Southampton Arts Center," said Simone Levinson, Chairperson of SAC. "The overwhelming response from our community reflects a strong appetite for world-class cultural programming. We look forward to expanding our partnership with the V&A to bring even more exceptional conversations, exhibitions, and experiences to the village in the years ahead."
Co-hosted by Jamee Gregory and Audrey Gruss, Lydia Caston explored the landmark exhibition Schiaparelli: Fashion Becomes Art to a packed audience. The beloved exhibition traces the evolution of Elsa Schiaparelli's groundbreaking fashion house from the 1920s to present day under creative director Daniel Roseberry.
The show features more than 400 objects, including 100 couture ensembles, and 50 artworks, as well as accessories, jewelry, paintings, photographs, furniture, perfumes and archive material. Featuring new research, the show highlights Schiaparelli as a pioneering force in fashion, art, and performance across Paris, London, and New York in the years between the world wars. The exhibition is the first to spotlight the London branch of Schiaparelli, its dynamic and independent clients and the founder's involvement in the satellite location.
Throughout the discussion, Caston spoke about Schiaparelli's pioneering collaborations with artists including Salvador Dalí and Jean Cocteau and Daniel Roseberry's contemporary designs worn by stars including Ariana Grande and Dua Lipa. Iconic works on display, include the Jean Cocteau-designed Evening Coat gifted by The V&A Americas Foundation and Salvador Dalí’s only surviving 1938 Skeleton Dress, the 1938 Tears Dress and his famed hat resembling an upside- down shoe.
Jamee Gregory said, “Lydia Caston really succeeded in bringing The V&A to Southampton! The audience at The SAC was mesmerized by her fascinating insights into the life and times of Elsa Schiaparelli! Her fabulous slides from the exhibition made us all lust after each gown and dinner jacket-designs that work today! She proved that fashion can be art, and its allure timeless!”
Audrey Gruss commented, “One of the greatest privileges of the V&A Americas Foundation is helping bring the museum's extraordinary exhibitions to audiences beyond London. Seeing a packed house reinforces how powerful these conversations can be, and we look forward to creating many more opportunities to share the V&A's incredible collections."
Schiaparelli's couture house redefined the standards of style and beauty for the modern era. Today, from the Maison's historic home at 21 Place Vendôme, creative director Daniel Roseberry is leading Schiaparelli into its next chapter, creating visionary designs that continue to shape and inspire global culture.
Those in attendance included Lynn Aloia, Maeve Bodden, Joanna Caston, Whitney Fairchild
Hilary Geary Ross, Jamee and Peter Gregory, Audrey Gruss, Kim Heirston, Peggy Mejia, Jennifer Weis Monsky, Anne Nordeman, Wynn Purson, Nacho Ramos, Chuck and Ellen Ward Scarborough, Susan Trincello, Madison Wright, Clelia and Thomas Zacharias, Bettina Zilkha and Robert Zimmerman.
The Schiaparelli discussions were followed by a private reception generously underwritten by Jamee and Peter Gregory.
You may view select high-resolution images here.
Photo Credit: Ron Asadorian for Rob Rich/SocietyAllure.com
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About Southampton Arts Center
Southampton Arts Center is committed to community building through the arts. We present and produce inspiring, inclusive, socially and regionally relevant programs across all disciplines, welcoming and connecting with the diverse members of New York’s East End community and beyond. SAC is a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization.
About V&A South Kensington
The V&A is a family of museums dedicated to the power of creativity. V&A South Kensington is a world of extraordinary global creativity, with unmissable exhibitions, experiences and educational programmes for all. One of London's most iconic buildings, it is home to national collections of art, design, fashion, photography and furniture to theatre, performance, architecture, and ceramics, as well as the UK's National Art Library. It is a place where everyone can experience a story of creativity that spans 5,000 years and every creative discipline, which brings that story to life through programmes and activities for all ages and specialisms, and world-leading research and conservation.
About V&A Americas Foundation
Established in 1984, the V&A Americas Foundation is an independent charity that supports the work of the V&A, a family of museums that celebrate the power of creativity, in the United Kingdom.
About Lydia Caston
Lydia Caston is Exhibitions Project Curator at the Victoria and Albert Museum, London specialising in photography and fashion projects. She recently co-curated Schiaparelli: Fashion Becomes Art at the V&A. Lydia was also one of the curators of Fragile Beauty: Photographs from the Sir Elton John and David Furnish Collection (2024) and the Assistant Curator of Tim Walker: Wonderful Things (2019). Her recent publications include Calling the Shots: A Queer History of Photography and George Hoyningen-Huene: Photography, Fashion, Film