Elsa Schiaparelli

Life History
• Italian Designer
• Birth place- Rome, Italy
• Born- 10th sept, 1890
• Studied-Philosophy
• Regarded- Prominent Fashion figure
• In 1911, She published a collection of overly sensual poems- Arethusa
• Married to Williem De Wendt in London
 Work History
• Started with knitwear in 1927
• Influenced by Paul Poiret
• Her first design appeared in vogue
• First opened in 1930s
• Shut down on 13th December 1954
 Collections
• 1931/1932 Wooden Soldiers collection[indo Chinese costumes]
• 1937 Paris 1937[shocking pink]
• 1937 The Things all around us
collection[butterflies,pineapples,bees,fruits,flowers,lobsters etc.]
• 1937 Metamorphosis Collection[butterflies]
• 1938 Le Cirque[based on circus ,horses,clowns,balloons,elephants]
• 1938 Astrology/Zodiac collection[zodiac symbols,astrology,sun ray,mirrors]
• 1939 Music collection[music boxes, pianos,musical notes birds etc]
• 1939 Commedia dell’arte collection[masks,satin,patchworks,ribbons etc]
• 1940 Cash and Carry collection
First Designer to develop Wrap Dress
First one to Make divider skirts
Renowned for Unusual Usage of
Zippers and Buttons
Schiaparelli recognised the potential of
jewellery in costumes
• Elsa Schiaparelli introduced to the fashion world:-
- Square shoulders combined with nipped in waistlines
- Wacky prints, Graphic patterned sweaters
- Jackets to wear with evening gowns
- Sportswear mix
- Colored Zippers
- Wedge heels
- Ready to wear boutiques for couturiers
- Man made fabrics
• Between the two world wars, fashion design was dominated by two
extraordinary pioneers, Gabrielle Chanel and Elsa Schiaparelli (1890-
1973). Whereas Coco Chanel was a craftswoman who considered
dressmaking a profession, Schiaparelli, on the other hand, regarded
her work as art and herself as an artist.
• Schiaparelli’s designs were heavily influenced by artists in the dada
and surrealist movements, particularly by Salvador Dali. While
Chanel’s clothes were known for their simplicity, Schiaparelli’s were
known for their daring
Artist collaborations
and Other
contributions
Salvador Dali
The hat is shaped like a woman’s high-heeled shoe, with the heel standing straight up and
the toe tilted over the wearer’s forehead. The heel is of a shocking-pink color. This hat was
worn by Singer sewing machine heiress Daisy Fellowes, among others.
Jean Cocteau
“Shocking-pink” was Schiaparelli’s signature color. She described hot
pink as “life-giving, like all the light and the birds and the fish in the
world put together, a color of China and Peru but not of the West.”
Autobiography
 Design/Artistic Director

• In 2007, Italian buysinessman Diego Della

Valle acquired the brand
• In 2013, MARCO ZANINI apoointed as
Design director
• Zanini replaced by BERTRAND GUYON
• DANIEL ROSEBERRY: Current artistic
director