Elsa Schiaparelli – Fashion As Art

Back To Paris

In New York, Elsa meet Gaby Picabia, the owner of a boutique that sold French fashion in New York. Gaby was the ex-wife of French Dadaist artist Francis Picabia, it was Gaby that later introduced Elsa to the artist community of Paris. As Elsa worked in Gaby’s shop she met artist Man Ray, who would be a life long friend and inspiration. As Gaby and Man Ray left New York City to go back to Paris, Elsa and her new daughter Maria Luisa went back with to Paris as well.

Fashion As Art

In January 1927, Schiaparelli presented her first knitwear collection ‘Pour le Sport’ with the encouragement of established Fashion Designer Paul Poiret. Elsa took her experience in New York to create eye-fooling designs that proved to be an overnight success. The signature piece of Elsa’s ‘Pour le Sport’ line was a black-and-white sweater decorated with an illusion bowknot. Vogue raved it was ‘an artistic masterpiece’ and the collection as ‘striking original sweaters.’

After appearing in Vogue, Elsa added to her collection sweaters featuring sweaters with surrealist tromp l’oeil images with double layered stitching created by Armenian refugees. Among the new designs featured was a piece that crafted an illusion of a scarf wrapped about ones neck.

Designer Elsa Schiaparelli expanded the collection ‘Pour le Sport’ to bathing suits, ski wear and linen dresses. Among these were a divided skirt, credited as the pro-type of modern shorts, this skirt caused a stir that shocked the tennis world when Sports Star Lili de Alvarez worn it to Wimbledon in 1931.

The Move

Designer Elsa Schiaparelli’s fashion house kept growing, till Elsa finally moved her shop into the former salon of famous French couturier Madeleine Cheruit at 21 Place Vendome in 1935.

To celebrate the opening of Schiaparelli’s new location the ‘Schiap Shop,’ Elsa designed a fabric printed with a collage of her press clippings, inspired by Pablo Picasso’s famous paper collages.

As Schiaparelli’s fashion house grew Elsa expanded her collection into the realm of evening gowns in 1930. Reflecting her fearless nature when it came to trying new things, her creations were strikingly original. Mae West , the classic sex icon fell in love with Schiaparelli’s gowns and worn them in nearly every one of her films during the 1930’s.

Enter Dali –

During the late 1930’s Elsa Schiaparelli collaborated with a number of Surrealist artists in Paris like Salvador Dali, Alberto Giacometti. Elsa followed many of the Surrealism’s ideals, crafting many imaginative and creative pieces.

During her collaborations with artist Salvador Dali, some of Schiaparelli’s most infamous designs were created. Among these infamous designs were the shoe hat, the Tears dress, and a day suit with pockets simulating a chest of drawers.

Her rival French Fashion Designer Coco Chanel called her a ‘Italian artist who makes clothes.’

In 1938 Schiaparelli created a new collection she called Circus. It was the new line that allowed Schiaparelli’s creativity to bloom as she introduced new theatrical elements that dazzled many of her public.

Among the Circus collection were the Dali dresses like the Tears Dress. The Tears Dress was a slender pale blue evening gown printed in a Dali design of tromp l’oeil with rips and tears, worn with a thigh-length veil with tears carefully cut out, lined in pink and magenta.

The print was created to give the illusion of torn animal flesh, the tears printed to represent fur on the reversal of the fabric – the whole illusion being on of animal pelts turned inside out.

Dali created three paintings that featured figures in ripped, skin tight clothing suggesting torn flesh. Dali gave on to Elsa Schiaparelli, that is still in the Schiaparelli family entitled Necrophiliac Springtime.

World War 2

As France and Britain declared war on Germany in 1939, the effect on the Fashion World in Paris was immediate. Elsa Schiaparelli’s Spring Collection was less than half its usual size and presented “trench” brown and camouflage print taffetas. Elsa Schiaparelli later told her friends “it was a matter of prestige to prove to oneself that one was still at work.”

As Paris fell in June 1940, Elsa sailed to New York and would spend the rest of the war there.

With the end of the war Schiaparelli returns to Paris only to find that fashions had changed in her absence and the house of Schiaparelli struggled in the wake of Christian Dior’s “New Look,” finally closing in 1954.

Elsa Schiaparelli spent the rest of her days writing an autobiography, and living a fantastical retirement in Paris and Tunisia. Elsa finally passed on in 1973.

The House of Schiaparelli 

The true impact of Designer Elsa Schiaparelli on fashion and the fashion industry are still being felt today.

As a designer Elsa introduced more ‘firsts’ then any designs before or since to the world of fashion. It was Schiaparelli that created the runway show we use today. Elsa believed that a fashion show needed to contain elements of music and art, and she used elongated, shapeless women as models to best display the clothing without taking away from the design.

Schiaparelli invented graphic knitwear with her use of knit patterns and emblems. She introduced the use of bright colored zippers to Paris, and she was the first to dye zippers so they matched the color of garments they were on.

Among her other firsts were the creation of the ‘wedge’ heel , a shoe that is still trendy today. She also was the first to mix-and-match her sportswear lines.

Rebirth of Schiaparelli