To mark the opening of Schiaparelli's exhibition Fashion Meets Art at the V&A, I met Marisa Berenson at Claridge’s for a thoughtful and quietly fascinating conversation about her life, work, and remarkable family legacy.
As the granddaughter of Elsa Schiaparelli, Marisa grew up close to one of fashion’s true innovators—someone who blurred the lines between couture and art long before it became a conversation. We talk about Elsa not just as a cultural force, but as a grandmother: her wit, her discipline, and the world she created around her.
Marisa’s wider family story is equally rich, spanning figures such as art historian Bernard Berenson and astronomer Giovanni Schiaparelli. Discovered by Diana Vreeland as a teenager, she went on to become one of the defining faces of the 1970s, collaborating with an extraordinary roster of photographers including Avedon, Newton, Bailey, Penn, Bert Stern, Slim Aarons, Guy Bourdin and Cecil Beaton.
She also reflects on her film career, from Death in Venice to Barry Lyndon, and offers clear-eyed insights into navigating both the fashion and film worlds.
We return to Elsa in the context of the V&A exhibition—what it captures, what it leaves unsaid, and how her legacy continues to shape the way fashion and art intersect today.
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Special thanks to @marisaberensonofficial @claridges
Produced by @martinlumsden
Music by @robinkatz_
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