Elsa Schiaparelli

‘Elsa Schiaparelli was more than a dressmaker; she was an image maker.’ – Daniel Roseberry 

 Elsa Schiaparelli sent shockwaves through the fashion establishment with her witty, ingenious and artful designs. Lauded by Cristóbal Balenciaga as the ‘only real artist in couture’ she infused her collections with Surrealism, and collaborated on pieces with contemporaries from the art world, including Man Ray, Jean Cocteau, Salvador Dalí and Alberto Giacometti.    
Her garments still look fresh today and, though provocative at the time, were eminently wearable, attracting many society and celebrity clients. She caused a stir at Wimbledon by sending Lilí Álvarez to the 1931 tennis tournament in culottes; she clothed Amy Johnson for her first solo flight to Cape Town; her lobster dress made it into Wallis Simpson’s trousseau, and she counted as fans Lauren Bacall, Marlene Dietrich and Josephine Baker. Her designs appeared on the stage in productions by Ivor Novello, Nöel Coward and Jean-Paul Sartre, and she costumed over 30 films. 

Today, Elsa’s visual vocabulary runs through Daniel Roseberry’s designs for Maison Schiaparelli like a shocking pink thread. This lavishly illustrated book explores the origins and legacy of one of fashion’s greatest innovators. 

Author Biography

Sonnet Stanfill is Senior Curator of Textiles and Fashion at the V&A. Lydia Caston is Exhibition Project Curator at the V&A.