My first official blog really should start where i believe to be the beginning of couture.... Elsa Schiaperelli. Born 1890 in Roma Italy to parents of distinction...her father being a Neapolitan aristocrat whom was a curator of medieval manuscripts and her much loved Uncle was Giovanni Schiaperelli the famous astronomer said to have discovered the canal of Mars, whom she studied the skies with and was to take influence from in her bright future. After being sent to a strict convent school she felt stifled and decided to go on hunger strike which of course did the trick and she found herself back in Rome where she attended university and studied philosophy. It was here that Elsa Published a sensual book of poems which shocked the family, she was set to lead a life of outrageous eccentricity shaking up and shocking the fashion world... living the high life amongst the art worlds glitterati.
As social status allowed her to travel and open her wings... a luxury for a very small few back in the early 1900's she set off around Europe at the tender age of 18 with her first destination being London where she was to denounc her wealth and social status believing that such luxury stifled her artistic creativity ironic that it was actually her wealth and status that was to allow her to be there. Her creativity was to be the crutch of her success because that is really where her strengths did lay... she never learnt how to sew and relied upon the seamstresses to put her creations together, not much different to many modern day designers. On route to London she was invited to a Paris Ball and had no dress to wear so bought a length of deep blue fabric and simply by swathing her body in it, voila a ballgown was revealed... but of course being Elsa it did not take long for her wild side to rear its head and the "dress" to be unravelled, she loved causing mayhem and shock.In London she met her soon to be husband Count William de Wendt de Kerlor whom was a theorist, they were soon to move to New York living in bohemian Greenwich village... the city she loved... sadly her Husband did not and preferred to be in the country. After the birth of their Daughter Yvonne later to be know as"GoGo" , William abandoned her amidst stories of his infidelity. It was here she found herself a single mum and used her new found independence, along with determination to get along in her first job in fashion for a french fashion businesswoman Gaby Pacabia and starting moving in the circle of surrealists/Dadaists such as Man Ray and Marcel Duchamp with whom she sailed to Paris with after the first world war along with Gaby. On arrival in Paris she was to be influenced by Poirot and Maggie Rouff but neither would employ her so she set out alone in her first venture with knitwear and designed what is now one of the most copied designs of our time, the famous black jumper with a white surrealist troimp L'oeil bow at the neckline to give the illusion of an actual 3D bow, now copied a thousand times over... it was a hit and spotted by Mainbocher whom had it showcased in French Vogue. The American store Strauss saw the design and ordered 40 which sold out in a fortnight. Her business was partnered by an Armenian seamstress due to Elsa's lack of sewing skills and this was the start of her dazzling career..
Starting with knitwear Elsa branched out into sports and day wear designing the divided skirt or Coluttes as we know them - forerunner to the ladies shorts that shocked the tennis world when worn by Lili de Alvarez. Eventually adding to her collection evening gowns worn by the likes of movie starlet Mai West making Elsa's dresses more desirable and giving her a great platform to launch her couture range. 1935 she moved up in the world and opened her first Paris Salon overlooking Place Vendome and to celebrate she designed fabric made up of numerous press cuttings concerning her uprise in the style of Picasso's & Georges Braques paper collages.
1936 saw the release of her Perfume "Shocking", the bottle was sculptured by Leanor Fini in the form of a womans torso inspired by Mae Wests Tailors dummy and Dali's Flower Sellers painting with of course her signature colour "shocking Pink" packaging. Her signature colour is said to be inspired by Daisy Fellowes Tete de Belier (rams head) Pink Diamond. Other perfumes followed including Salut, Schiap and sleeping even an aftershave "snuff". Making her one of the first fashion houses to branch out into the perfume market. It is actually quite surprising how many firsts she had from the waif like catwalk models to perfume range 's. Other firsts include the use of dyed colour zips to match the dress colour, fanciful buttons masquerading as brooches, The "wedge" shoe and culottes... she was certainly ahead of Coco Channel and there was quite a lot of animosity reported between the two, where Elsa excelled in imagination and design ideas Channel championed in craftsmanship and of course outlived her stay on the fashion circuit and became the lady of fashion to steal the limelight and have staying power that has outlived her.
In 1937 she collaborated with Salvador Dali on the famous felt Stiletto Shoe Hat and Lobster Dress famousley worn by Wallace Simpson, photographed by cecil Beaton before her controvsial marrage to Edward VIII, starting her journey with many similar collaborations with other surrealists such as Jean Cocteau and Alberto Giacommetti making surrealism's precepts into provocative and imaginative designs. Below right is her design collaboration with Jean Cocteau with the ladies arm caressing the waist and long golden hair flowing down the jacket arm, her creations really were a work of art, along with the Jacket (above right)on which Jean's surrealist work was embroidered by Francois Lesage the great embroidery ateliar onto the back, it was of the ladies profiles facing each other giving the illusion of a vase of roses.
Elsa dreamt up many great collections celebrating butterfly's, astronomy, circus, heavens and music....she really did start the concept of collections and was also the first to stage magnificently theatrical catwalk shows and insisted that the models had boy like figures as she believed that her clothes were shown better on a waif like figure.... bucking the trend of today's size 0 When the war became a reality in 1939 Elsa volunteered for the U.S for french war effort ,still she designed a small collection including the famous Flag dress just to show that she was still at work designing, though after the war she reverted to reworking earlier collections, upon her return to Paris after the war her outlandish avante garde pieces were out of step with the post war feelings and her position had been overtaken by the new couturiers such as Dior and Coco Channel.... whom said of Elsa..." the Italian artist who makes clothes . Finally leading to her fashion house being bankrupt in 1954. Elsa died in her sleep in 1973. Her life was lived to the fullest and she has certainly left behind a legacy that is still quite unkown to some, an amazing Lady with incredible style along with the drive to make life a interesting as she possibly could.
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