Schiaparelli & the artists

The shoe hat was created by Elsa Schiaparelli and Salvador Dali on the occasion of the Schiaparelli Winter 1937-38 Haute Couture collection. The accessory was inspired by a photo that Gala, Dali's wife, had taken of her husband, wearing a woman's shoe as a hat.

The hat came in two versions: with a shocking pink heel or in solid black. It was shown with a jacket whose pockets and lapels were embroidered with shiny red lips, an allusion to the glamour of Mae West. The actress' bust was the inspiration for the bottle of the perfume Shocking by Schiaparelli.

In her memoirs, Schiaparelli notes that “The Hon. Mrs Reginald Fellowes, ‘Daisy’ to her friends, the most talked-about well-dressed woman, the supreme word in elegance at that time, had the courage to wear it.”