Inside the Swarovski “Master of Light” Exhibition in Milan

Swarovski brought its traveling exhibition “Master of Light,” which premiered in Shanghai last fall, to Milan last night. Resplendent and spectacular, as you would expect from the Austrian house that for 130 years has lavished its crystals on designer creations the world over, the show has been staged in the salons of Palazzo Citterio, the newly-renovated extension of the historic Pinacoteca di Brera.

Under the creative direction of fashion dynamo Giovanna Engelbert and with the curation of British fashion journalist and critic Alexander Fury, the exhibition celebrates Swarovski’s heritage with an impressive display of crystal-embellished fashion and jewelry pieces, many from the company’s archival collection or on loan from museums.

At the opening, Engelbert greeted guests in the palazzo’s garden, alongside Fury, Swarovski CEO Alexis Nasard, and Angelo Crespi, general director of the Pinacoteca di Brera. Walking through the glittering show, she sounded upbeat and rightly proud of such wondrous achievement. “Seeing this come to life is incredibly fulfilling, a dream and a joy,” she said. “Working with Swarovski has been a journey of wonder and discovery for me.”

The immersive exhibition is divided into seven key themes, tracing Swarovski history from its foundation in 19th century Vienna to the present. Its many collaborations encompass fashion, jewelry, and the worlds of music and cinema; in a salon called Pop Icons, the outfits created for the superstars of showbiz are testament to the house’s close connection with the entertainment industry. Another section is dedicated to Swarovski s first lab-grown diamond collection and statement bijoux, while the final exhibition chamber, called Mathemagical, is a sort of kaleidoscopic replica of the lab-like atelier where its creations are brought to life. It displays the jumpsuit Engelbert custom-made for Anok Yai for the Met Gala in May.

The exhibition’s central pavilion, called Future History and curated by Fury, is a feast for fashion lovers. Sixty crystal-embellished wonders are featured on a series of mannequins displayed in pairs, showcasing conversations between Swarovski-encrusted couture-level pieces. The famous 1988 Christian Lacroix haute couture black jacket emblazoned by a byzantine cross studded with cabochon gems and crystals that appeared on Anna Wintour’s first Vogue cover was set alongside a short black dress from Daniel Roseberry’s Schiaparelli haute couture dripping in Swarovski appliqué jewelry, highlighting how decoration seems to fuse clothing and jewelry.

Elsewhere, historicism and modernity collided between a 2020 Richard Quinn outfit, smothered in crystals and Swarovski pearls recalling the historical button embroidery of East London’s Pearl Kings, and a Marc Jacobs modernist knotted dress from his spring 2023 collection. More recent finds from Karl Lagerfeld’s Chanel, Tom Ford, Alexander McQueen, and Prada made for a compelling dialogue with archival gems from Balenciaga, Worth, and Christian Dior. Costumes designed in the past for Elvis Presley and Josephine Baker were marvelous to look at, but perhaps not as jaw dropping as the red Doja Cat bodysuit that caused a sensation at the Met Gala in 2024, when it appeared as if she had been dipped head-to-toe in a bath of red-hot crystals.

Celebrities from Gwyneth Paltrow to Daphne Guinness attended the opening reception, all bedecked in the house’s creations. For arresting entrances, little beats the dazzle that Swarovski’s sparklers can provide.