Have you heard of the Italian designer Elsa Schiaparelli?
No? Me neither.
But after seeing the current exhibition showcasing her work at the V&A in London, I’m wondering why the hell not? Yes, she was before our time, but so was her contemporary and rival, Coco Chanel. Was Schiaparelli overshadowed by Chanel? Or does history only have so many spots for women? Whatever the case, I am so glad to make her acquaintance. If you are like me, new to Schiaparelli, please allow me to introduce you to a designer whose work made fashion feel like art.
Elsa Schiaparelli was one of the leading designers of the 1920s and 30s. She is credited with many firsts, such as the use of shoulder pads, animal print, and zippers. She was the first to use color in stockings and was the inventor of shocking pink. But the shocks didn’t stop there. She also wore trousers and even designed culottes (pants) for tennis champion Lili Alvarez. Which apparently caused quite a stir in the lawn tennis establishment. Her designs may have been considered outrageous by some, but they were also beautiful and elegant. As I walked through the exhibit, two thoughts sprang to my mind. 1. Elsa was a bold and confident woman who made clothes for bold and confident women. If you wanted to be a wallflower, you wouldn’t wear her designs. But if you were a Hollywood actress like Katherine Hepburn, Marlene Dietrich, or Mae West, you did. And if you were aviator, Amy Johnson, on your solo flight to Cape Town, you’d ask Schiaparelli to design your outfit for the trip. And if you were this lady…
British aristocrat, Lady Mount Temple, chose to wear Schiaparelli in her portrait. I don’t know anything about this lady, but I can tell she’s the type.
Here’s a dress Schiaparelli designed for Mae West. Knowing Mae West’s reputation for being voluptuous, I was surprised by how small the dress looked. Again, perhaps West’s larger-than-life image was fueled by her bold and confident sexuality?
My other thought: 2. Maybe Elsa is also responsible for the outrageousness found in haute couture? Do you ever see a runway show and think, “Who is going to wear that? And where?” Well, I bet some people had a similar reaction to Schiaparelli’s designs in her day. Exhibit A: her famous shoe hat.
Not a great picture, but I think I make my point. This shoe hat (with shocking pink) was owned by Salvador Dali’s wife, Gala Dali. Of course, it was.
Elsa Schiaparelli had definite surrealist sensibilities often expressed through her playful use of buttons.
Elsa hung out with many prominent artists of her day such as Man Ray, Dali, and Picasso. Naturally, they inspired one another.
Occasionally, she collaborated with her friend, Salvador Dali.
Here’s his lobster phone and her lobster gown, famously worn by Wallace Simpson.
This gown, entitled Bare Bones, is another collaboration with Dali.
Coco Chanel was not so impressed, calling her “that Italian artist who’s making clothes.
Oh, but what beautiful clothes.
I’ll close this blog just as a fashion show would -with the bride.
Schiaparelli designed this stunning golden wedding dress for a client in 1934. It had removable sleeves -sadly now lost.
But I think a more fitting last impression is this bridal veil she designed in 1938.
This veil, embroidered with blue beads resembling Medusa’s snake tendrils, strikes me as both surreal and feminist. Only a woman would design such a veil. Only a woman named Elsa Schiaparelli.
P.S. Elsa Schiaparelli retired and closed her doors in 1954, but the house was recently reopened in 2019 under the direction of designer Daniel Roseberry.
There’s a fair number of his designs in the exhibit.
Roseberry’s designs continue to honor her surreal roots, and they certainly embody her flair for the outrageous.
They also continue to attract a new generation of bold and confident women such as Zendaya, Zoë Kravitz,
and Ariana Grande.
Is it art? Or is it fashion?
It’s both. For the women who are bold enough to be its canvas.
