The Wardrobe of the Unconscious

Opening at Milan’s Palazzo Reale on September 24th, 2026, Dalí e la Moda examines the extraordinary dialogue between Salvador Dalí and fashion. Running through January 31st, 2027, the exhibition gathers more than 200 works and documents, tracing how Surrealism and fashion shaped Dalí’s identity, image and creative mythology.

Developed with the Fundació Gala-Salvador Dalí, the exhibition spans paintings, drawings, photographs, clothing, jewellery, films and objects, revealing fashion as an integral part of Dalí’s visual world. Loans from the Dalí Museum in St. Petersburg, Florida, the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía and the Schiaparelli, Chanel, Dior and Rabanne archives trace his influence across clothing, textile design, photography, advertising and jewellery.

From the lobster dress to the surrealist wardrobe

One of the exhibition’s highlights is Dalí’s collaboration with Elsa Schiaparelli, which produced some of the most iconic encounters between Surrealism and 20th-century fashion. The famous Schiaparelli lobster dress, conceived in 1937, translated Dalí’s fascination with unexpected imagery onto the body, while the celebrated shoe-shaped hat pushed the dialogue between object, fashion and sculpture even further.

These collaborations reveal Dalí’s ability to turn ordinary objects into provocative visual symbols. Clothing became another canvas for Surrealist imagery, while the body itself became part of the artistic vocabulary.

When the artist became his own image

Dalí’s influence extended beyond individual garments. He understood the power of spectacle, publicity and mass media, carefully cultivating his moustache, cowboy shirt, cape and cane into a recognisable visual signature.

His work with Vogue, fashion photography, advertising and shop windows further blurred the boundaries between artist, artwork and public persona. Dalí understood that identity could be constructed and circulated with the same precision as an image.

Curated by Laura Bartolomé and Judith Clark, with Lucia Moni and Bea Crespo and under the scientific direction of Montse Aguer, the exhibition places Dalí within a broader history of art, fashion and consumer culture. Accompanied by a Skira publication, Dalí e la Moda runs at Palazzo Reale from September 24th, 2026 to January 31st, 2027.