Fashion Becomes Tea at The Kensington afternoon tea review

Currently running at The Kensington, Fashion Becomes Tea is the hotel’s latest afternoon tea, created to mark the launch of the new V&A exhibition Schiaparelli: Fashion Becomes Art, which runs until November.

The exhibition and afternoon tea both celebrate the life and work of the Italian-born designer Elsa Schiaparelli, whose designs were inspired by surrealism, with her trademark quirky buttons, handbags and embellished jackets.

A surrealist twist on tradition: The Kensington’s Fashion Becomes Tea transforms haute couture into an imaginative afternoon tea experience. (Image: Emily Davison)

The afternoon tea takes some of her best-known design elements and iconography and makes them edible, presented in a vibrant tea alongside a themed cocktail.

After selecting our tea choices, we started with the signature cocktail – the Le Petite Bisou, made with vodka, champagne, lychee juice, almond and hibiscus cordial, and finished with a black lip-shaped garnish.

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The savouries included a contemporary spread of cucumber, dill and cream cheese on black sesame charcoal brioche; roasted red pepper with hummus and black olive crumble; coronation chicken with apricot; and a beetroot, pecan and goat’s cheese tart, alongside a seasonally changing chef’s creation.

This was followed by warm, freshly baked scones served with clotted cream and homemade jam, and this remains one of my favourite places in London for scones.

The V&A’s Schiaparelli: Fashion Becomes Art celebrates the boundary-breaking designer who fused fashion with surrealism. (Image: Emily Davison)

Finally, we finished with the selection of sweet treats, all referencing Schiaparelli’s career and work.

These included the Le Choux Shoe, a caramel choux bun filled with apricot gel and caramel chocolate, inspired by the upside-down shoe hat created in collaboration with Salvador Dalí, and The Pink Parfum, made with ruby chocolate bavarois, berry medley and cacao sablé Breton, inspired by the 1937 Shocking perfume with its vibrant pink bodice.

We rounded things off with The Iconic Atelier, a mandarin curd tart topped with orange jelly and white chocolate ganache, and Le Trou de Serrure, an espresso and mascarpone opera gâteau inspired by Schiaparelli’s Italian heritage and French joie de vivre.

Prices start from £65 per person at The Kensington Hotel.