Her name was Elsa Schiaparelli. She was known as the Queen of
Fashion; a headline attraction in the international glitter-glamour show of the
late twenties and thirties, feted in Rome (where she was born), Paris, New
York, London, Moscow, Hollywood . . .
Her style was a social revolution through clothing—luxurious,
eccentric, ironic, sexy. Her fashions, inspired, from the whimsical
to the most practical—from a Venetian cape of the commedia
dell’arte to the Soviet parachute. She collaborated with some of the
greatest artists of the twentieth century: on jewelry designs with Jean
Schlumberger; on clothes with Salvador Dalí (his lobster dress for her, a
lobster garnished with parsley painted on the skirt of an organdy dress, was
instantly bought by Wallis Simpson for her honeymoon with the Duke of Windsor);
with Jean Cocteau, Alberto Giacometti, Christian Bérard, photographers Baron
Adolph de Meyer, Horst, Cecil Beaton, and the young Richard Avedon.
She was the first designer to use rayon and latex, thick velvets, transparent and waterproof, and cellophane. Her perfume—Shocking!—was a bottle in the shape of a bust sculpted by Léonor Fini, inspired by the body of Mae West. Her boutique at an eighteenth-century palace at 21 Place Vendôme opened into a cage designed by Jean-Michel Frank. American Vogue, in 1927, presented her entire collection as Works of Art. A decade later, she was the first European to win the Neiman Marcus Fashion Award.
She was the first designer to use rayon and latex, thick velvets, transparent and waterproof, and cellophane. Her perfume—Shocking!—was a bottle in the shape of a bust sculpted by Léonor Fini, inspired by the body of Mae West. Her boutique at an eighteenth-century palace at 21 Place Vendôme opened into a cage designed by Jean-Michel Frank. American Vogue, in 1927, presented her entire collection as Works of Art. A decade later, she was the first European to win the Neiman Marcus Fashion Award.
Here is the never-before-told story of this most
extraordinary fashion designer, perhaps the most extraordinary
fashion designer of the twentieth century, in her day more famous than Chanel.
Meryle Secrest, acclaimed biographer, who has captured the lives of many of the
twentieth century’s most iconic cultural figures, among them: Frank Lloyd
Wright, Bernard Berenson, and Modigliani, gives us the first full life of the
grand couturier—surrealist and embattled figure–-whose medium was apparel.
“Dare to be different,” Schiaparelli advised women, and she lived it to the height; a rebel against convention—social as well as fashion. She designed an otter-fur bathing suit and a hat inspired by a lamb chop. (“I like to amuse myself,” she said. “If I didn’t, I would die.”) Chanel, her arch rival, called her, “that Italian woman who makes dresses.”
Here is the story of Schiaparelli’s rise to fame (as brazen and unique as any of the artistic creations that emerged from her Paris workrooms before World War II); her emotionally starved upbringing in Rome (her mother was part Scottish, part Neapolitan; her father, a prominent medieval scholar specializing in Islamic manuscripts, dean of the faculty of Rome; her uncle, an astronomer famous for his description in 1877 of “canals” on Mars); her years overshadowed by a prettier sister; her elopement with a Swiss-born man who claimed to be a count, disciple of mysticism and the occult—who managed to get himself and his young bride deported from Britain . . . her struggle to care for her polio-stricken daughter, Gogo, as a single and financially destitute mother living in Greenwich Village.
Secrest writes of Schiaparelli’s keen instincts—an astute businesswoman, she launched herself into hats, hose, soaps, shoes, handbags, in the space of a few years. By 1930, her company was grossing millions of francs a year.
Secrest chronicles her exploits during World War II (she managed to escape from Europe to the United States) and, using FBI files, shows that during Schiaparelli’s stay in New York, her whereabouts were documented almost week by week; she was never explicitly charged, but the cloud of collaboration lingered long after her return to Paris.
As Secrest traces the unfolding of this dazzling career, she reveals the spirit that gave shape to this large and extravagant life, a woman—a force—whose artistic vision forever changed the face of fashion and redefined the boundaries of art.
“Dare to be different,” Schiaparelli advised women, and she lived it to the height; a rebel against convention—social as well as fashion. She designed an otter-fur bathing suit and a hat inspired by a lamb chop. (“I like to amuse myself,” she said. “If I didn’t, I would die.”) Chanel, her arch rival, called her, “that Italian woman who makes dresses.”
Here is the story of Schiaparelli’s rise to fame (as brazen and unique as any of the artistic creations that emerged from her Paris workrooms before World War II); her emotionally starved upbringing in Rome (her mother was part Scottish, part Neapolitan; her father, a prominent medieval scholar specializing in Islamic manuscripts, dean of the faculty of Rome; her uncle, an astronomer famous for his description in 1877 of “canals” on Mars); her years overshadowed by a prettier sister; her elopement with a Swiss-born man who claimed to be a count, disciple of mysticism and the occult—who managed to get himself and his young bride deported from Britain . . . her struggle to care for her polio-stricken daughter, Gogo, as a single and financially destitute mother living in Greenwich Village.
Secrest writes of Schiaparelli’s keen instincts—an astute businesswoman, she launched herself into hats, hose, soaps, shoes, handbags, in the space of a few years. By 1930, her company was grossing millions of francs a year.
Secrest chronicles her exploits during World War II (she managed to escape from Europe to the United States) and, using FBI files, shows that during Schiaparelli’s stay in New York, her whereabouts were documented almost week by week; she was never explicitly charged, but the cloud of collaboration lingered long after her return to Paris.
As Secrest traces the unfolding of this dazzling career, she reveals the spirit that gave shape to this large and extravagant life, a woman—a force—whose artistic vision forever changed the face of fashion and redefined the boundaries of art.
When I saw this book I was intrigued because I love biographies, fashion, history, etc. especially when it is all somewhat tied together. I was further intrigued because I had not heard of this artist before. When I received the book in the mail....swoon...the cover was gorgeous, the pages unique and the look well lets just say automatically I knew I would be putting this book into my coffeetable book collection rotation!
The author has a gift. The material is very colorful, enriched with details and full of images. However, if you are not immersed in the world of fashion and specfically in that time period at times the material can get very dense and hard to follow. That is not that it is not fascinating, but that so many names and scenarios are used of the whose who in fashion, the elite, etc. that I was at times thrown by who the people were that were being discussed on these pages. This is an enjoyable and educational read that will introduce you to a new realm of historical information and whattt moments, but it is not a quick read.
I also must say that the information presented about Elsa makes me a fan. Not just of her designs (some of them are quite gorgeous), but of her approach to life and the obstacles she overcame. I think I was surprised the most by the history, importance and attention that the invention and her creativity of the smaller details such as zippers, buttons and hats created and are still known for today. I enjoyed learning about this fashion maven and how history and her designs and international approach to life were at times interwoven. The little stories about how many of her designs were seen, respected and at times copied were quite entertaining and shocking at times. Quite a few times while reading and seeing her pictures my mind went to Lady Gaga and how she is today. I am not sure if it is because both women are small in stature, but wear large and attention getting wardrobes with distinctive facial features, or if it is the approach to life that both portrayed to the public; however, I would read chapters or sections and think that these two women were similar, or would be inspired by each other. Overall this is a fantastic book and truly great introduction to a woman that does not receive all of the attention and awareness of what she accomplished and created for today's wardrobes, fashion creation and more.
Quotations
"She used to paraphrase the maxim that imitation was the sincerest form of flatter, and add that the time to start worrying was when the market had stopped copying."
"She designed a swimsuit with its own bra, adding hidden straps that crossed at the back and closed around the waist to keep everything in place."
"A male spokesman for that house politely told Schiaparelli she was better equipped to dig potatoes..."
Important Links:"She used to paraphrase the maxim that imitation was the sincerest form of flatter, and add that the time to start worrying was when the market had stopped copying."
"She designed a swimsuit with its own bra, adding hidden straps that crossed at the back and closed around the waist to keep everything in place."
"A male spokesman for that house politely told Schiaparelli she was better equipped to dig potatoes..."
More Info
Author Bio
Links to Purchase:
Amazon
Disclaimer: "I received this book for free from Blogging for Books for this review." All opinions are my own.
Comments
Post a Comment