Italian fashion designer Elsa Schiaparelli was one of the most daring and innovative fashion designers of the 20th century. She pushed the boundaries of traditional fashion, experimenting with materials like cellophane and plastic. She played with proportions and unexpected motifs. When you see a zipper used as a fashion element, Schiaparelli is responsible. She was the first to do it.
She came from an extraordinary background. Born in 1890 to aristocratic parents, Schiaparelli was surrounded by intellectuals of the day. Her mother was a descendant of the Medici family, her father a scholar, and university dean. An uncle was an astronomer, while a cousin was an Egyptologist who discovered the tomb of Nefertari, an Egyptian queen who was a wife of Rameses the Great. All this culture fueled Schiaparelli’s creative mind and inspired her to write a tome of racy poetry at 21, which got her shipped off to boarding school. She immediately rebelled and was sent home.
Soon after, she fled home to avoid a potential marriage to a suitor she disliked. Landing in London she soon met and married her only husband. He was a con artist by trade; they fled together to New York after years of bouncing around Europe. Her only child born in 1920 and nicknamed “Gogo” contracted polio as a toddler. In 1922, she returned to Paris with Gogo. Her close friend Gabrielle Picabia introduced her to the artists and creatives of the day.
In Paris, she met Paul Poiret, a French fashion designer and master couturier, and began working with him. With no formal training in fashion, her creativity urged her along. With encouragement from her new mentor, she began to make her own clothing and soon launched her own business. Her knit sweaters with trompe l’oeil designs were a hit. Vogue picked up on the trend, and her business began to grow.
As her business expanded across the globe, she began to look to collaborations to fuel her creativity further. Her most famous collaboration was with artist Salvador Dali who worked with her on the Shoe Hat and Lobster Dress. Growing her business meant branching out from clothing to shoes, accessories, perfume and jewelry. The color shocking pink was created by her to complement her new perfume.
Skap, as she was known to her closest friends and family, had a notable rival throughout her career, Coco Chanel. The two designers could not have been more different in style. Chanel’s tailored suits and austere dresses were in opposition to Elsa’s over the top artistic styles. They remained adversaries throughout their careers.
As the world of haute couture evolved, fashions changed along with it. Dior’s New Look was changing the face of fashion and Schiaparelli’s flamboyant designs were growing obsolete. In 1954, she decided to close her doors and work on her memoir Shocking Life. There are many hats, scarves and other accessories bearing the Schiaparelli name made in the 1960s and 1970s. Those were most likely made through licensing agreements, and though they reflect her aesthetic, she was not part of the production process.
Schiaparelli died in Paris in 1973 at the age of 83.
It’s nearly impossible to choose a favorite piece by Elsa Schiaparelli among the many pieces sold on the vintage market. Here are a few listed on Etsy to dazzle you.
Sources for this post included:
Elsa Schiaparelli -The Lily Elsie
Maison Schiaparelli-The Life of Fashion Designer Elsa Schiaparelli
View some of Schiaparelli’s avant garde designs from the V&A Museum.
