Elsa Schiaparelli

Edited by Sonnet Stanfill,Lydia Caston

ISBN13: 9781838510619

Imprint: V & A Publishing

Publisher: V & A Publishing

Format: Hardback

Published: 19/03/2026

Availability: Not yet available

Description
‘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.
Preface Introduction - Sonnet Stanfill Design: The Collections - Sonnet Stanfill Schiaparelli and Art - Rosalind McKever Fashion Photography - Susanna Brown Stage and Screen - Simon Sladen Selling Schiaparelli in America - Dilys Blum Schiaparelli London - Sonnet Stanfill Schiaparelli's Clients - Introduction by Lidia Caston Schiaparelli Today: The Codes of the House - Lydia Caston
  • History of fashion
  • Art & design styles: Modernist design & Bauhaus
  • General (US: Trade)
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List Price: £40.00