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Elsa Schiaparelli

(1890-1973)

Elsa Schiaparelli was born in September 10, 1890 in Rome, Italy. She studied philosophy, and at the age of twenty-two she traveled to England where she met Comte William de Wendt de Kerlor whom she married. In 1915, they moved to Nice where she began designing gowns for herself and friends, with help and influence from Paul Poiret. Her clothes were considered avant-garde, individualistic, eccentric, but yet easy to wear.

She became famous for her adventurous experiments with new fabrics, patterns, and wild colors like her bold pink that brought about the term "shocking pink,” in 1937. In 1928, she launched her first perfume “S”, which was unisex and later her fragrance (“S”) in an eau de cologne; later both fragrances were renamed “Schiap.” S

Schiaparelli was the first designer to introduce interchangeable separates in a six piece ensemble; a knitted coat, a knitted waistcoat, a Rodier Kasha skirt, a wool skirt, and skirt and culottes in crepe de Chine. Schiaparelli used tweed to make eveningwear and hessian for dresses. Her sweaters had padded shoulders. She dyed furs, put padlocks on suits, and created a fashion for tyrolean costume.

In 1929, Elsa hit American fashion headlines with her removable fox or astrakhan “horse” collars and slip-on and off collars. In 1930, Schiaparelli had added “the bolero” to many of her designs, which became a Schiaparelli hallmark. She hired Dali, Berard and Cocteau to design fabric and accessories. In 1933, she introuduced the pagoda sleeve, a broad-shouldered sleeve which determined the basic fashion silhouette until the "New Look." Jean Schlumberger produced costume jewelry and buttons. Cubism and Surrealism influenced her designs. She was the first to start using substances as china, porcelain, aluminum, plain glass, crystal Plexiglas and plastics in her jewelry. Her butterfly brooch became a rage.

In 1935, Schiaparelli dyed the new plastic zips the same color as her fabrics and positioned them in exposed places rather than concealing them as dress closings, making ther use both decorative and functional. She made scarves out of the fabric printed with newsprints that the French firm Colcomber had developed for her. In 1938, his Circus collection featured buttons in the shape of acrobats diving down the front of a silk brocade jacket decorated with carousel horses.

In February 1954, Elsa Schiaparelli presented her farewell collection. Subsequently, Schiaparelli traveled all over the world for her own pleasure, doing promotional appearances for her perfumes and accessories. Her earrings were featured in American Vogue as late as March 1, 1965. She accepted innumerable honors and attended all big fashion shows.

Elsa Schiaparelli died in her sleep at the age of eighty-three, at her home in France on November 13, 1973.