Oct 29th, 2015, 08:14 PM

La Maison Schiaparelli Returns After 60 years

By Yana Blumenthal
Schiaparelli 2015
Few outside the fashion and art world know La Maison Schiaparelli, but nearly a century ago the Italian-born couturière rocked the Paris high fashion world and was Coco Chanel's rival.
An exquisitely cultured woman of her era, Elsa Schiaparelli was interested in creating artful clothing referencing mythologies, literature, and illustrations. In those days nearly a century ago, fashion was not artistic per se but more of a craftsmanship. Schiaparelli was "Colette" of the early 20th century who, like the famous French writer, liked to explore and experiment liberally.
 
Schiaparelli's designs and innovations had a profound impact on modern fashion, influencing contemporary designers in the avant-garde fashion niche. She collaborated with established artists like Salvador Dali and Jean Cocteau, translating elements in their paintings to her garments and creating 3D effects such as spine and ribs reliefs on the dresses. Some of her inventions in design included the first bathing suit with a built-in bra, a see-through raincoat, a ladies’ evening jacket, a wrap dress, and Swarovski crystals on garments. She wanted to create a world in which women are chic and comfortable. Even when leaving the room, a woman would leave a mystical impression with some sort of interesting detail on the back of her garment. 
 
Innovation and originality pushed Schiaparelli to invent "Rhodophane" fabric that looks like glass and makes garments appear light and mystical. Paris had become a place of inspiration and Schiaparelli pushed for more surrealistic details and shocking designs systematically making headlines in the twenties and thirties. It was all about the show and its shock value. Schiaparelli even named her favourite colour "Shocking Pink", branded her perfume "Shocking", and titled her 1954 memoir "Shocking Life". Needless to say, she liked to shock. 
 
 
Schiaparelli also liked to put on a good fashion show. For her "Circus" collection in 1934, she hired acrobats and clowns -- a unique concept for that period. Perhaps Schiaparelli's most prominent styles were embroideries and hand-painted silhouettes of faces sketched by Cocteau. Her surrealist fantasies became statement pieces and now are part of the costume archives.
 
Absent for sixty years, last year the House of Schiaparelli re-opened its atelier at 21 Place Vendôme in Paris. The collection was designed by Marco Zanini, who has been succeeded by Bertrand Guyon. The House is trying to stay true to the brand's original DNA while bringing it to the modernity. In the new Haute Couture collection, there are hand-painted illustrations, Elsa's favourite flowers Iris and, of course, the Shocking Pink. The King Sun on the fabric and capes over light as air chiffon dresses that move with the body. Fluid floor long metallic dresses. The new collection exhibits Schiaparelli's spirit of imagination and confidence, reviving the roots of the Roman-born but Parisian-at-heart couturier. 
 
 
 
The House of Schiaparelli only produces Haute Couture and works with about 20 clients after each collection twice a year. Prices start at €50,000 and there is no price limit because it is all hand-made in Paris and customized for each client. Keeping the tradition and the quality is paramount because that's where the customer niche lies.    
 
[Photos: Schiaparelli]