Shocking! The Art and Fashion of Elsa Schiaparelli

Abstract

Elsa Schiaparelli (1890-1973) was the premier style arbiter of the 1930s - a favourite designer for women who made the best-dressed list, of female sports heroes, and of film and theatre actresses. This book takes a comprehensive look at the work of this startling and innovative Paris fashion designer. Shocking! explores the Italian-born designer's career from its modernist beginnings in the 1920s to the closing of her salon in 1954. Author Dilys Blum discusses in detail Schiaparelli's impact on and relationship with the American fashion industry, the foundation of her great success. She also addresses how Schiaparelli's early designs were acclaimed for the architectural quality of her silhouettes and her use of unconventional materials. After 1935 the designer's collections took on a new identity, partly from her close relationship with the Parisian artistic community, which included Man Ray, Salvador Dali, Jean Cocteau, and Alberto Giacometti. Illustrated with over 300 captivating reproductions of Schiaparelli clothing and accessories, this book also includes contemporary photos of her designs by such key fashion photographers as Horst and Cecil Beaton and sketches and stills from the films and plays with which she was associated. Together the text and illustrations celebrate a masterful designer who defined dressmaking as an art rather than a profession.

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