Introduction

Elsa Schiaparelli was an Italian fashion designer, who along with Coco Chanel, was a leader of fashion between the two World Wars. In the 1930s, she became the new star of Paris by launching a counterattack to Hollywood’s populist appeal (Vogue). She drew her ideas from Dadaism and Surrealism, and with help from other artists and surrealists, she was able to take her influences from art and apply them directly to her designs. “Schiaparelli liked nothing better than to amuse, either by wit or shock. Her clothes were smart, sophisticated, and often wildly eccentric, but she had a huge following (Thames).”

History

Elsa Schiaparelli was born on September 10, 1890 in Rome, Italy. She studied philosophy at the University of Rome, and at age 22, she took a job in London as a nanny. While in London, she attended museums and lectures and went on to marry one of her lecturers (Wikipedia). She and her husband moved to New York in 1921, but by the time she had her first child he had abandoned the family. It was then that Elsa met artists Gaby Picabia and Man Ray, and the three of them moved to Paris in 1922.

Breaking Into Fashion

In Paris, Schiaparelli began making her own clothes. In 1927, one of her first designs- a black sweater knitted with a trompe l’oeil white bow- was seen by a buyer and orders were put in (Thames). This sweater launched her career in fashion (Fashion) and she also debuted in Vogue magazine (Vogue). She opened her first shop, Pour le Sport (“For Sports”) the same year. Her first collection consisted of knitwear. In 1928, the collection expanded to include bathing suits, skiwear, and linen dresses, and by 1931, Schiaparelli added eveningwear (Wikipedia).

Signature Styles

Elsa Schiaparelli was known for her use of colors, shapes, and textures (Wikipedia) and for experimenting with new materials, including rayon, vinyl, and cellophane. This was the first time synthetic materials were used in couture (Wikipedia). She introduced the Pagoda sleeve, a broad-shouldered sleeve, in 1933 (Thames), and in 1935 she was the first designer to use visible zippers on a haute couture dress (Fashion). Buttons were a sort of specialty for her and she turned them into acrobats, tambourines, and even carrots and cauliflowers (Wikipedia). With the help of Berard, Schiaparelli created the color “shocking pink” (Fashion) and her perfume “Shocking” came in a bottle based on the curves of actress Mae West (Vogue). Among her most well-known designs are four that she created with Salvador Dali, and they are simply known as: Lobster Dress, Tears Dress, Skeleton Dress, and Shoe Hat (Wikipedia).

Inspiration

Elsa Schiaparelli found inspiration from art and was influenced by ideas from Dadaism and Surrealism. She became friends with many surrealists and most of her ideas were based on their principles and images (Decades). Elsa was able to have original sketches by Salvador Dali and Jean Cocteau embroidered or printed directly onto her dresses (Fashion). Schiaparelli was also influenced by Berard and Jean Schlumberger and worked with them to design fabric and accessories and create costume jewelry and buttons (Thames). Her collaborations with Dali are some of her best known designs (Wikipedia).

Today

After the fall of Paris, Elsa went to New York, where she stayed until the end of WWII. In 1945, she returned to Paris where “the reception was of heartbreaking spontaneity, with tears of excitement, tears for all that had passed in the last four years, and a childish faith that a miracle of inspiration, energy, and production would now take place (Vogue).” The House of Schiaparelli struggled after the war as fashion had changed and Dior’s New Look was in. In 1954, Elsa Schiaparelli closed her house, the same year that Chanel returned to the business.

Conclusion

After her house closed, at age 64, Schiaparelli wrote her memoirs titled “Shocking Life” and she also wrote The Twelve Commandments for Women (Vogue). She lived out her retirement between her apartment in Paris and her house in Tunisia. Elsa Schiaparelli died on November 13, 1973. She will be remembered for innovations that weren’t pursued, like her “glass” cape made from Rhodophane in 1934, and for innovations that lasted, like wraparound dresses created decades before Diane von Furstenberg and crumpled up rayon fifty years before Issey Miyake’s pleats and crinkles (Wikipedia). Elsa Schiaparelli’s “most important legacy was in bringing to fashion the playfulness and sense of ‘anything goes’ of Dada and Surrealist movements (Wikipedia).”