Schiaparelli, Elsa, 1890-1973 (1890-1973)
Dates
- Existence: 1890-1973
Biography
Born in Italy in 1890 into a family of bureaucrats and scholars, Elsa Schiaparelli fled Rome to avoid her family's pressure to marry a Russian aristocrat at age 23. The following year she would impulsively marry a spiritualist philosopher within days of their meeting, eventually moving to the United States where her only daughter "Gogo" was born in 1920. Schaiparelli divorced and returned to Europe, settling in Paris in 1922. On the crossing ocean voyage, Schiaparelli developed a friendship with Gabrielle Picabia, wife of the Dada painter Francis Picabia, which would lead to decades long friendships and collaborations with artists working in the Dada and surrealist movements, including Salvador Dali and Jean Cocteau. At the encouragement of Paul Poiret, Schiaparelli began freelancing as a fashion designer and in 1927, she opened a small fashion atelier, initially focusing on knitwear. Within five years the house of Sciaparelli was a full-fledged couture house with more than 400 employees on the payroll. She was renowned for her unique brand of "hard chic" which also frequently incorporated witty and whimsical imagery. Her collections were often thematic, and she was well known for her prints, hand-embroidery and exquisite sequin work, both executed by Lesage. The house of Schiparelli remained open during the German occupation under the direction of Irene Dana, while Schiaparelli herself took refuge in the United States, volunteering as a nurse at Belleview Hospital in New York City. Anxious to return to France at the end of the war, news reports note that Schiaparelli was one of the first designers in exile to return to Paris, where she reassumed the directorship of her house, which remained open until December 1954. After this time, many products bearing the Schiaparelli label, such as sweaters and millinery continued to be produced under licensing agreements.
Found in 16 Collections and/or Records:
1935-1940, 1935-1940
This folder contains a scrapbook from 1935-1940 with promotional materials, business correspondence, and newspaper and magazine clippings for women's wear, men's wear, and children's wear made with Everfast Fabrics, under N. Erlanger, Blumgart & Co. (until 1936, and then as Everfast Fabrics, Inc.). There are promotions for Sunnidell prints, Butterick sewing patterns, Everfast Swedish prints, and the collection of prints designed by Elsa Schiaparelli, Jacques Heim, and Dilkusha.
1936-1940, 1936-1940
This folder contains a scrapbook from 1936-1940 with fabric swatches, promotional materials, and business correspondence from Everfast Fabrics. There are promotions for fabrics designed by Jacques Heim, Elsa Schiaparelli, and Miguel Covarrubias, as well as list of stores and manufacturers working with Everfast Fabrics.
Everfast Fabrics, Promotional Materials and Fabric Swatch Cards, 1935-1940s, 1935-1940s
This folder contains a collection of mostly undated fabric swatch cards from about 1935-1940s from Everfast Fabrics, used primarily for beachwear and sportswear. There are swatches of Pique, Cord, Chintz, Printed Dimity, Handkerchief Check Lawn, Cloque, Bengal Cloth, Printed Organdie, Printed Broadcloth, and more. There are fabrics designed by Jacques Heim and Elsa Schiaparelli. There are also some associated newspaper clippings advertising the fabrics.
Everfast Signs Its Famous Name to Rayon, 1938, 1938
This folder contains a hand-illustrated portfolio from 1938 with newspaper and magazine clippings, suggested radio scripts, and ad copy ideas for the Everfast partnership with DuPont to produce Everfast rayon. There is also an Everfast test scorecard with fabric swatches, and publicity for a Butterick Patterns promotion and for fabrics designed by Jacques Heim and Elsa Schiaparelli.
Everfast's Own Advertisements, 1937-1945, 1937-1945
Fashion sketches and illustrations, 1940-1959, 1940-1959
This folder contains 100+ women's fashion sketches with attributions to clients, designers, and department stores; 1 children's sketch.
Miscellaneous Loose Scrapbook Materials, 1935-1949, 1935-1949
This folder contains miscellaneous scrapbook materials from 1935-1949 that were found loose with the collection. In addition to loose scrapbook pages, there are photographs, fabric swatches, newspaper and magazine clippings, and promotional materials for women's wear, men's wear, children's wear, and drapery fabrics from Everfast Fabrics.
Pierre Simon sketch collection, 1950-1975
This collection hold sketches by three fashion designers collected by Pierre Simon. The bulk (248) of the drawings are by Pierre Balmain (198 b/w and watercolor and 49 b/w pencil sketches). The remaining two sketches include 1 drawing each by Christian Dior and Elsa Schiaparelli.
Shocking de Schiaparelli bath sponges, c. 1940
This collection contains one partially full cardboard tube of Shocking de Schiaparelli bath sponges.
Shocking de Schiaparelli cosmetic products, circa 1940
This collection contains two Shocking de Schiaparelli perfume bottles in their original packing and one example of the packaging for Schiaparelli lipstick.