Surrealism, born from the colourful imagination of the 1920s avant-garde, was never meant to be confined to the walls of galleries. Spearheaded by Salvador Dalí, whose melting clocks and dreamscapes toyed with logic and dreams, the movement sought to liberate the subconscious, inviting fantasy into the everyday. It wasn’t long before fashion, too, fell under its hypnotic spell.

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Enter Elsa Schiaparelli, the couturier who turned whimsy into wearable art. Collaborating with Dalí himself, she transformed surrealism’s anti-logic into couture form - think her iconic 1937 Lobster Dress, the Shoe Hat, or gowns embroidered with crawling insects and wandering eyes.

© Getty Images Schiaparel

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