Elsa Schiaparelli: a major source of inspiration

Elsa Schiaparelli was a major source of inspiration for many fashion designers for decades,  and she was ahead of her time. Her unique design influenced the way many artists approached design. She was also unafraid to experiment with new materials and techniques, which helped to push the boundaries of fashion. In this post I ll explain why I do love her.

Schiaparelli’s fashion was creative, eccentric, fun, and shocking. Schiaparelli came from a privileged background, which may have contributed to her nonconformist attitude. Schiaparelli’s mother was an aristocrat and her father was a dean at the University of Rome. Schiaparelli was exposed to ancient cultures and religious rites from a young age, which later influenced her fashion designs.

In 1911, Schiaparelli wrote a volume of poems based on the ancient Greek myth of Arethusa. Schiaparelli studied philosophy at the University of Rome, but she was bored with the privileged, conservative lifestyle of her family. She left Rome to England to look after orphaned children, but she soon left England for Paris.

In Paris, Schiaparelli socialized with surrealists and Dadaists, including Man Ray and Marcel Duchamp. She also befriended couturier Paul Poirier, who encouraged her to create her own clothes. In 1927, she launched a knitwear line with surrealist trompe-l’oeil motifs, which was a great success. She expanded her business into evening wear, bathing suits, ski wear, and linen dresses.

Schiaparelli’s fashion was ahead of its time, incorporating modern synthetic materials like rayon, acrylic, and cellophane. She was also one of the first designers to use visible zippers in her garments. Schiaparelli’s designs were popular with celebrities and the general public alike in the 1930s.

Elsa Schiaparelli was a fashion designer who was known for her innovative designs and her collaborations with surrealist artists. She was born in Italy in 1890 and moved to Paris in the 1920s to pursue a career in fashion.

Schiaparelli’s 1930s fashion pioneered the hard chic style, which was a mix of feminine and masculine elements. This style was successful during the decade but lost its appeal after World War II, when women began to prefer more feminine looks.

Schiaparelli is most famous for her relationship with art. She was interested in psychology and befriended many surrealist artists, which led to her incorporating surrealist elements into her designs. She collaborated with artists like Jean Gautau and Salvador Dali to create some of her most famous pieces, like the lobster dress and the skeleton dress.

Schiaparelli also developed jewelry and perfume during her career. She was in competition with fellow fashion designer Coco Chanel, with whom she had a famously feud.

Schiaparelli ended her fashion career in 1954 but her legacy has continued. In 2006, her archives were purchased by Diego de la Valle and the brand was relaunched in 2012. Today, the creative director of Schiaparelli is Danielle Roseberry.

Elsa Schiaparelli was a revolutionary fashion designer who changed the way we think about fashion. She was the first to bring art into fashion, creating conceptual clothes that were more than just functional. She was also a technical innovator, responsible for many of the concepts and techniques that are now commonplace in the fashion world.

Schiaparelli’s collections were always well-received, both by the public and by critics. In recent years, the brand has been channeling some of her iconic creations, like the lobster dress and the skeleton dress. They have also been investing in jewelry creations that are outstanding and surreal, something that definitely tells us this is Schiaparelli.

Schiaparelli brought a new vision for fashion. She joined fashion with art, creating conceptual clothes in opposition of only looking for its functional aspect. Either she brought art into fashion or she made fashion her art. Some consider Schiaparelli one of the surrealists whose medium was clothing. Nevertheless, her technical innovations remain relevant in the fashion world. The concept behind the fashion creation and her fashion collection would eventually become the norm.

Schiaparelli was a pioneer and remains relevant to the present day. She changed the way we think about fashion and her technical innovations are still used today.