This cute hand-knitted sweater with a trompe-l’oeil bow was the piece that launched Elsa Schiaparelli’s fashion career.
She made the sweater for herself in 1927 and soon afterward wore it to a society luncheon where it caused quite the sensation. She soon received numerous requests from other attendees to make copies of the sweater available for purchase. Her business soon grew enough for her to open a salon. The rest is fashion history.
If you’ve enjoyed the Schiaparelli spam, and are lucky enough to be in the NYC area between May 10 and August 19 of this year, consider heading over to the Met for their exhibit Schiaparelli and Prada: Impossible Conversations, which will include many of the pieces I’ve posted here.
I’m going to finish of the last of the spam today and attempt to make a dent in the 42 new messages in my askbox, before we return to our regularly scheduled posting.
This silk blouse from Elsa Schiaparelli’s Spring-Summer 1940 collection, in addition to being gorgeous, is also a bold political statement.
Bearing a fleur-de-lis, a traditional symbol of France, and the Latin phrase “AUT VINCERE AUT MORI”, literally “conquer or die”.
This blouse was a striking statement against the Nazi conquest during the Battle of France. And a moving show of support by Schiaparelli for her adopted homeland, which would fall to the Nazi invasion within months.
A breathtakingly sequined velvet evening cape entitled “Apollo of Versailles”, Schiaparelli, 1938.
A beautifully tailored tweed jacket from Elsa Schiaparelli’s Fall-Winter 1936-1937 collection.
If I had this I would never take it off.
An incredibly classy Schiaparelli hat made of woven horsehair net and decorated with silk irises, Fall-Winter 1939.
A pink and black striped evening gown with a bustled back, Elsa Schiaparelli, Summer 1939.
A wonderful Schiaparelli suede belt featuring a charging bull, 1938.
The sculptural tailoring on this suit from Schiaparelli’s Fall-Winter 1938-1939 collection is absolutely gorgeous.
A vividly patterned silk evening blouse from Schiaparelli’s Fall-Winter 1938-1939 collection.
