Making a tribute to Elsa Luisa Maria Schiaparelli, a philosopher, practical, intellectual, elegant lady who came from academic and aristocratic Italian family background.
Photograph: In 1920's, Elsa with one of her
favourite Pet, a small fox terrier named "Popcorn" ...
Elsa Luisa Maria Schiaparelli, was born at Palazzo Corsini, Rome, her strong family foundation and origins is believed to be the basis of her appreciation, vision in the arts, her innovations and creations. Her mother Marchesa Maria de Dominicis a descendant of the Medici family, her father Celestino Schiaparelli an expert in orientalism, her uncle Giovanni Schiaparelli a famous astronomer. Another close relative Ernesto Schiaparelli, a well known Egyptologist who assisted in the discovery of the tomb of Nefertari and was also Director of Museo Egizio in Turin, Italy.
Growing up in a quite strict family unit, apparently was quite difficult for Elsa, her elder sister was more favoured in the family. Elsa was meant to be engaged and marry a wealthy aristocrat, Russian gentlemen. Nevertheless, Elsa continued her passions and eventually studied philosophy at the University in Rome. As she strongly wanted to be independent and be respected in her own wright, she avoided the engagement and marriage by travelling to England. In London, she continued her personal passions in physics and philosophy. At one of the lectures she attended on theosophy she met Mr Willem Wendt, who at the time gave several lectures, was meant to be a professional, paranormal and a hypnotherapist whilst in reality he was unfortunately a "con artist". They met and married quite rapidly, since he was chased from several police investigations, they left Europe and headed to the United States of America in 1916.
A few years later, her husband left her with her baby daughter and was found murdered under strange circumstances in Mexico. Elsa alone, single mother, still living in United States with only close friends who supported her and her baby.
It was through a close friend, whose husband was quite involved in the Dada, Surreal movement that apparently opened Elsa towards new perspectives and or visions of different aspects of the Arts. Since her unfortunate married life crumbled and terminated whilst living in the United States, she eventually decided to return to Europe, Paris as a single mother wanting to be financially independent. In Paris, her new, close friends and especially designer Paul Poiret encouraged her to design her own garments of which Elsa embraced the idea and it marked the beginning of an adventure in creating Fashion as Art and Art as Fashion.
Paul Poiret, positively assisted Elsa to physically create her visual artistical ideas within fashion garments. Evidently Elsa was not a couturier however her visual ideals were clearly expressed. They hired professionals in order to physically achieve her visions. Her early designs began in late 1920's, these were slim, slender looking, knitted jumpers with exclusive contrasted colours like rich bottle green with black, or wine red with white and black, further added like three dimensional designs a "trompe-l'oeil" effect for instance a knitted single ribbon that looked like hanging on the front, just under the neckline.
Elsa, became more involved with surreal art and artists circles of friends like Alberto Gicometti, Jean-Michel Frank. Her collaborations with Jean Cocteau was an extraordinary success, a quite famous garment of two silhouettes facing each other, like a wine glass in the middle with flowers on top all duly hand embroidered, placed at the back of an elegant exclusive garment. The collaborations with Salvador Dalí where she created exclusive "haute couture" collections and his art work was and are international success. It was shocking for day wear and quite provocative, sensual for her evening garments of “haute couture” where she utilised luxurious, refined fabrics, embroidered, elaborated textile prints. Unlike other designers, sometimes she utilized and visually showed zips on her garments, also added extravagant three dimensional hand made exclusive designed buttons, some were animals, mermaids.
Became, the first designer to create just below knee length, quite wide skirt of which were like pants, a famous tennis player Lilí de Álvarez wore it and create a scandal on social media and aristocratic circles. Some of her famous named collections ranged from The Zodiac, The Circus, The Astonished. Elsa’s creations evolved quite rapidly from garments to accessories, jewellery and perfumes.
One of her famous design in "The Zodiac" collection, where Elsa created a beautiful cape in her signature colour of "shocking pink" with a large golden sun embroidered at the back duly inspired by astrology and Luis XIV "Roi du Soleil". Furthermore, another design of a beautiful white garment, has a large wine red coloured fabric on the waist along with a giant lobster, a famous collaboration with Salvador Dali and his surrealistic creation was a black telephone with a lobster on top of the handle.
Elsa became the first women Designer to be on the front page of Time magazine, released in August 1934. The article "defined her as the arbiter of ultra-modern Haute Couture in the ’30s. As a supreme authority in the field, she wanted women to be imaginative and capable of communicating their bold strength to others” by Morini.
The accessories creations were in many ways additional pieces, combinations and marrying the surreal art with her garments. For instance, necklaces full of colourful insects or abstract shapes, gloves with painted nail polish, purse shaped like a phone. Another invention, Elsa being the first designer to create a scarf with printed images of newspaper articles. The famous design, a hat shaped of an upside down shoe, apparently inspired from Salvador Dalí, several coloured versions were released, some just one single colour, some were a black shoe with a bright red hill. One of her hat design, similar to a small cone was highly copied, so much so, that really upset Elsa and decided to take it away from her line collection altogether.
Elsa's jewellery also became quite famous as she evolved and further developed her unique style of colour selections, choices of exclusive stones, emphasis on mostly large and or chunky pieces. These pieces were mostly signed at the back with her surname in capitals and some pieces have a small "c" just under regarding copyright, some have patent numbers. Mostly became popular in the middle of 1930's and are quite rare to find since she did not concentrate much in jewellery pieces.
In 1934 her first perfume named Salut was released. Later years, in 1937 the second most famous perfume was launched named "Shocking", the box in her signature colour of shocking pink (a strong neon rose pink) with an exclusive designed bottle shaped of a women’s torso wearing like a necklace full of flowers, it was inspired by the famous Hollywood actress, Mae West. Elsa wanted her perfumes to be like scents of surrealism and have a name that begins with the first letter “S”, she eventually released more perfumes. Names of Perfumes and year of launch were as follows:
* Salut, in 1934.
* Souci, in 1934.
* Schiap, in 1934.
* Shocking, in 1937.
* Sleeping, in 1938.
* Snuff, for men, in 1939.
* Roi Soleil, in 1946.
* Zut!, in 1948.
Elsa also loved animals, in particular dogs, small breeds and apparently owned several during her life time. The dogs ranged from fox terriers to Pekingese. Elsa had her dogs around her most times, she posed in several photographs with her dogs. Her Pets emotionally supported her and specially during difficult times as a single mother. One of her favourite pet, a small fox terrier named Popcorn. Popcorn, apparently played an important role, was an enormous positive emotional support and companion in their lives, was too cute, funny with a witty character and lived with them in Paris, sometimes was taken to Elsa's atelier as she stayed there and worked for long hours. Popcorn, also travelled with Elsa and her daughter, some trips from Europe back to United States, full of real family love and adventures ...
“Belief is as necessary to the soul as pleasure are necessary to the body" Elsa L. M. Schiaparelli ...
*** Below, Elsa on a popular quiz television program called "What's my line ?"
in early 1950's ...
***Click below, our Vintage inspired products ...
*** Further below, a short video highlighting Elsa's extensive range of collections
at Christie's, Paris ...
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