Collage - Marcel Vertès
THE HISTORY OF THE HOUSE
With her inventive imagination and revolutionary vision of sportswear, haute couture, art, and fragrances, transforming ordinary elements into elaborate creations, Elsa Schiaparelli infused a creative spirit into 20th-century fashion. Her iconic collaborations with artists such as Dalí, Cocteau, Man Ray, Giacometti, and Marcel Vertès have become legendary.
Today, Maison Schiaparelli cultivates this incredible heritage to offer 21st-century women the essence of bold style and timeless allure.
THE TROMPE-L'ŒIL AND THE CREATIVE GENIUS OF SCHIAPARELLI
Elsa Schiaparelli created her first trompe-l'oeil motif on a hand-knitted sweater, made for herself. These black and white trompe-l'oeils hinted at a bow, a pierced heart, a skeleton, or a sailor's tattoo. Admirers were amazed by the optical illusion of this piece, which immediately achieved international popularity, thus catalyzing the creation of the House.
Women's sweaters, courtesy of the Philadelphia Museum of Art
Schiaparelli Archives
Schiaparelli Archives
LAUNCH OF THE “S” PERFUME
Elsa Schiaparelli names her first fragrance "S." The designer has long imbued this letter with a veil of mystery and superstition. The initial becomes the first letter of most of the House's fragrances and has since appeared as a motif at Schiaparelli's.
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FIRST COLLABORATION WITH THE ARTISTS
Elsa Schiaparelli names her first fragrance "S." The designer has long imbued this letter with a veil of mystery and superstition. The initial becomes the first letter of most of the House's fragrances and has since appeared as a motif at Schiaparelli's.
© Art Digital Studio
Copyright Evreux Museum
FIRST SERIES OF SURREALIST ACCESSORIES
The Mad Cap is a truly astonishing knit hat. Part beanie, part tube hat, it can take on any shape. Widely copied, it has also achieved international success. It embodies Schiaparelli's pronounced taste for creating unique hats and surreal accessories.
Katharine Hepburn
© The Kobal Collection
Bachrach, Ernest
TIME MAGAZINE COVER
Elsa appears on the cover of the American magazine Time . She is the first female designer to receive this honor. The article describes her as "one of the arbiters of ultra-modern Haute Couture."
Schiaparelli Archives
TRIO OF PERFUMES
The House launches a trio of fragrances: Soucis, Salut, and Schiap. The resolutely modern bottles are designed by French interior designer Jean-Michel Frank, a longtime collaborator of Elsa. This trio was designed to be worn at different times of the day, a pioneering concept in the olfactory world: Schiap for daytime, Soucis for cocktail hour, and Salut for the evening.
Schiaparelli Archives
21 PLACE VENDÔME
The Maison is taking over the Hôtel de Fontpertuis, at 21 Place Vendôme. The space comprises five floors, 98 rooms, and a boutique on the ground floor. It was designed by renowned interior designer Jean-Michel Frank, in collaboration with Swiss sculptor Alberto Giacometti. It features the innovative concept of a boutique and workshop combined in a single space.
Schiaparelli Archives
Schiaparelli Archives
Elsa Schiaparelli
© Ministry of Culture
Heritage Media Library,
Dist. RMN-Grand Palais / François Kollar
FIRST COLLABORATION WITH DALI
The first collaboration between Elsa Schiaparelli and artist Salvador Dalí was a compact powder compact shaped like a rotary telephone dial. This creation marked the beginning of a long and prolific relationship between this design duo, who shared a similar surrealist vision.
Schiaparelli Archives
SHOCKING: ROSE AND PERFUME
Elsa Schiaparelli launched the Shocking perfume and its signature color, Shocking Pink, simultaneously. She envisioned the fragrance as a couture perfume, meticulously perfecting the bottle, packaging, and advertising campaign. The bottle's shape, reminiscent of a dressmaker's bust, perfectly complemented the curves of Mae West, for whom Elsa had designed outfits. A measuring tape encircled the neckline, sealed by a medallion. It instantly became a bestseller and remained so for nearly three decades.
Schiaparelli Archives
Schiaparelli Archives
THE LOBSTER DRESS
Wallis Simpson, the future Duchess of Windsor as she was to marry the former King-Emperor Edward VIII, commissioned Schiaparelli to create her honeymoon trousseau. Wallis would wear the now-iconic lobster dress, the result of a collaboration between Elsa Schiaparelli and Salvador Dalí, celebrated in an eight-page article in American Vogue magazine.
Duchess of Windsor by Cecil Beaton, courtesy of the Cecil Beaton Studio Archive at Sotheby's
SNUFF PERFUME
Elsa Schiaparelli launches her only men's fragrance, Snuff. It's a bold nod to the world of smoking rooms, a key element of masculinity at the time. Following surrealist principles, the bottle, inspired by the famous paintings of René Magritte, is shaped like a pipe, while the packaging resembles a cigar box.
THE SLEEPING PERFUME
Elsa launched her "Sleeping" perfume in 1940. This innovative fragrance, created by Jean Carles, was designed to be sprayed at night. In the Schiaparelli style, the bottle, shaped like a candle, was topped with a turquoise blue snuffer.
© Art Digital Studio
Copyright Evreux Museum
MOULIN ROUGE
Elsa Schiaparelli created the iconic costumes for Zsa Zsa Gabor in John Houston's film Moulin Rouge.
HOUSE CLOSING
Elsa Schiaparelli decided to close the Maison de la Couture and devoted herself to her autobiography, Shocking Life.
Elsa Schiaparelli died in her sleep.
Elsa Schiaparelli © Condé Nast Archive/Corbis.
REOPENING OF VENDÔME
The House of Couture is returning to its roots and reopening at the Hôtel de Fontpertuis at 21 Place Vendôme.
Schiaparelli Archives
IN JULY, MONSIEUR CHRISTIAN LACROIX CREATED A HAUTE COUTURE COLLECTION DEDICATED TO ELSA SCHIAPARELLI.
Christian Lacroix by Jean-Paul Goude
Courtesy of Vanity Fair US.
THE FIRST HAUTE COUTURE FASHION SHOW SINCE 1954 IS HELD DURING PARIS FASHION WEEK.
Schiaparelli Archives
Schiaparelli Archives
HAUTE COUTURE LABEL
Schiaparelli was awarded the official Haute Couture label by the French Ministry of Industry and the French Federation of Couture.
Christian Lacroix by Jean-Paul Goude
Courtesy of Vanity Fair US.
2019
IN APRIL, DANIEL ROSEBERRY WAS APPOINTED DIRECTOR
SCHIAPARELLI'S ARTISTIC DESIGN.
Schiaparelli Archives
SCHIAPARELLI DRESSES LADY GAGA
Lady Gaga wore a Schiaparelli Haute Couture gown to sing the American national anthem at the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden. A gold-plated brass dove brooch holding an olive branch, a symbol of harmony and peace, was pinned to her chest.
Schiaparelli Archives