Elsa Schiaparelli
Elsa Schiaparelli (/ˌskæpəˈrɛli, ˌʃæp-/ SKAP-ə-REL-ee, SHAP-, US also /skiˌɑːp-/ skee-AHP-, Italian: [ˈɛlsa skjapaˈrɛlli]; 10 September 1890 – 13 November 1973) was an Italian fashion designer from an aristocratic background. She created the house of Schiaparelli in Paris in 1927, which she managed from the 1930s to the 1950s. Starting with knitwear, Schiaparelli's designs celebrated Surrealism and eccentric fashions. Her collections were famous for unconventional and artistic themes like the human body, insects, or trompe-l'œil, and for the use of bright colors like her "shocking pink".
Elsa Schiaparelli | |
|---|---|
Schiaparelli in 1937, wearing her own designs | |
| Born | Elsa Luisa Maria Schiaparelli 10 September 1890 Rome, Italy |
| Died | 13 November 1973 (aged 83) Paris, France |
| Occupation | Fashion designer |
| Spouse |
Wilhelm Frederick Wendt de Kerlor
(m. 1914; div. 1924) |
| Children | 1 |
| Relatives | Marisa Berenson (granddaughter) Berry Berenson (granddaughter) |
Schiaparelli famously collaborated with Salvador Dalí and Jean Cocteau. Along with Coco Chanel, her greatest rival, she is regarded as one of the most prominent European figures in fashion between the two World Wars. Her clients included the heiress Daisy Fellowes and actress Mae West.