Hi everybody!
Today I wanted to talk to you about one of the most prominent Italian designers of all times: Elsa Schiaparelli. Recently there has been a Costume Institute Gala at the Metropolitan Museum of Art (aka: the Met Ball) and this year it was dedicated to two Italian fashion icons: Elsa Schiaparelli and Miuccia Prada. We'll talk about the first one today:
Elsa Schiaparelli was - as we mentioned before - an Italian fashion designer (born in Rome in 1890). Along with Miss Coco Chanel, her greatest rival, she is regarded as one of the most prominent figures in fashion between the two World Wars. Starting with knitwear, Schiaparelli's designs were heavily influenced by Surrealists like her collaborators Salvador Dalí and Alberto Giacometti. Her clients included the heiress Daisy Fellowes and actress Mae West.
Schiaparelli did not adapt to the changes in fashion following World War II and her business closed in 1954.
Elsa led a refined life with a certain amount of luxury provided by her parents’ wealth and high social status. She believed, however, that this luxury was stifling to her art and creativity and so she removed herself from the “lap of luxury” as quickly as possible. Schiaparelli moved first to New York City and then to Paris, combining her love of art and design to become a couturier.
